“We were tickling each other”, “It’s a game adults play when trying to get to sleep” and “Daddy is keeping me warm” are among the weird and wonderful 'sexcuses’ parents use after being caught in the act by their children.

The revealing study of 2,000 mums and dads shows one in five have been embarrassed after their child has walked in while they were enjoying an intimate clinch.

But according to the data, quick-thinking parents are adept at story-telling to cover up the matter in hand.

Other bizarre excuses include “We were searching for something under the duvet” or “We were play fighting”.

''We were playing bouncy castles”, “We’re wrestling together” and “I’m jumping on daddy’s belly” have also been utilised.

The study also found parents who can't think fast enough often find other ways to exit the situation with one respondent admitting they quickly rolled off the side of the bed and hid underneath to prevent his little one seeing him naked.

Siobhan Freegard, founder of ChannelMum.com, which carried out the research via OnePoll.com said: “Trying to snatch a few moments of ‘together time’ can be really tough when you’re a parent - so every mum and dad needs a ready-made list of ‘sexcuses’.

“While young children will happily believe even some of the more outlandish sexcuses, older tweens and teens are much more likely to rumble that you’re lying, so consider a simple lock on your door instead of having to get caught out lying.”

One inventive parent had to claim to be “jogging on the spot” when their daughter asked why they sounded so out of breath.

While another said he was “trying to lift something heavy” after his son called through the wall to ask what the noise was.

Luckily many parents polled have been caught in the act while under the covers – in which case a quick ‘uncoupling’ and discreet pretence that nothing was happening seemed to do the trick.

Unsurprisingly, the most common reaction from parents at being caught was immediate embarrassment (61 per cent), followed by general awkwardness (40 per cent).

And although just under half of parents initially shouted at the child for walking in on them, this was largely due to shock and disappointment at being exposed rather than being angry at them.

Six in 10 mums and dads chose to let their child come to their own conclusion about what they had seen rather than addressing the subject head on – and seven in 10 admitted they just wanted to pretend the whole incident never happened.

The good news for parents is that only a fifth of kids seemed upset by what they had seen, and two thirds were able to pretend they were doing something else.

Just 27 per cent confessed all straight away and told the child they were having sex.

And now, three quarters of parents admit to taking precautions to prevent further embarrassment in the future – by having sex when the children are asleep, having a lock on the bedroom door and saving intimate activities until they are at a friend’s house.

TOP 10 MOST COMMON ‘SEXCUSES’
1. Cuddling
2. Play fighting
3. Tickling each other
4. Just moving in the bed
5. Trying to get out of bed
6. We were trying to make each other laugh
7. Playing a new sport
8. Having an argument
9. We were searching for magical treasure
10. We were playing horsey