What's that string in your bits Mummy?

[Prufrock]

So how do I explain tampons to a 2.8 year old? I have just started my periods again after 17 blissful period free months and it is, as all SAHM's with toddlers will know, impossible to go to the loo on my own. I just told her that it was "a tampon darling", and she walked away syaing "oh, tampong", but I know it's only a matter of time before she asks what it's for. I don't want to go into detail obv, but don't want to tell any lies that might cause problems in the future

[Amanda3266]

My DS aged 2 has discovered that they increase in size if they get wet. Thinks it's really great so now I have to hide them.

[yoyo]

Just reminded me of a recent trip to Sains when DS (2) pointing at the packets of san towels shouted at the top of his voice "Mummy's nappies". I don't take him down that aisle anymore!

On a more serious note my DDs have always seen tampons/towels and I did the "grown-up ladies" thing initially and just added info as I felt they could cope with it. They are now almost 9 and 6 and have a good understanding of it all. I will tell DS this way too.

[GreatBigFatHeiferEnid]

reminds me of being on the ferry to France - dd1 (about 3.5) came to the loo with me. When we got back to our table where dh and our friends were, she announced very loudly, 'Mummy just had a wee and there was blood in it!' I almost died, especially as dh and friends guffawed with laughter and table next door just looked at us in silent horror...

[spod]

just remembered that my younger sister used to get my mums tampons, unwrap them and stuff them down the sofa... she kept them as pet mice... great when guests found them

[singsong]

Difficult one. I had this situation when my mum remarried and I ended up with a much younger step-sister living with us. She had been raised by 2 men (her dad and grandad) for a while prior to our arrival and was very curious about anything ?female?. When she was about 4 she found a tampon and brought it to me asking what it was. Can?t remember my exact words now but I gave a simple explanation about how grown-up ladies need to use them for a few days each month and I told her where they were put and why. Naturally she was fascinated by her new discovery for a few weeks and kept asking in front of my friends ?has xxxx got a stick up her bum today??
It gets ?better? as life goes on too because several years down the line I was helping her learn how to insert tampons.

[Caligula]

Singsong, that reminds me of a friend of mine at university who had never inserted a tampon and when she tried it first time, she came rushing into my room and said "I think Mother Nature forgot to give me the extra hole!"

I did tell her this was one she was going to have to find by herself!

I'm glad you started this thread Prufrock, my dd always unwraps them and hands them to me "for your bum" when I'm in the middle of cooking or something (or preferably when I have smart guests round) so I think the "grown up lady's" tack is the one I'm going to go for, for now.

[Prufrock]

Ok - grown up lady it is. I need to make sure she knows they are not for her as she already has a fascination with her bits - she plays with them all the time and I found her trying to put a toy up them in the bath the other day. I lmow that that is just a totally natural thing for her to do - just like when she out a piece of sweetcorn up her nostril, but didn't want to encourage it.

[KathH]

when he was about 4 my ds walked in whilst i was in the shower and shouted mummy theres a long worm hanging out of your bum. and then told everyone.

[kid]

This thread is hilarious!
I haven't had to deal with this one yet, some how I have kept DD (6) out of the tolet when I am there!
But I really love reading your experiences and I'm sure I'll be joining in one day soon, especially with DS around! (he has a big mouth!)

[lulupop]

A bit off topic, but my friend's little boy (aged 3) was watching her get out of the bath the other day and after staring at her "bits" for a while, said "Mummy, why have you got all that grass on you?"

so she just said Well, darling, that's something all grownups get and when you're a big boy you will have it too. He just said oh, OK, and wandered off.

Just goes to show, although young children are very inqusitive, they generally accept what you tell them at face value, so the whole birds and bees thing is not required at this stage IMO!

[ghosty]

Great thread .... LOL
Last week my ds (5) was in the bathroom while I was in the shower and picked up my box of tampons. "What are these for Mummy?". I thought I had a great get out because I said, "I'll tell you when I am out of the shower" ... he wondered off and I lingered for ages in the shower in the hope that he would forget about them.
As soon as I was dressed he came bounding into the bedroom with the box and said, "Well, what are they for then?" Doh!!!!
So I just told him that every month a lady's body gets ready to have a baby inside it. If there is no baby growing then every month the lady bleeds a bit from her 'nunney' (our silly word for girly bits) and that those things help her feel better.
"Does that answer your question?" I asked and he just said, "Yup, thanks" and wandered off again.
He knows that mummies have eggs and that daddy puts sperm in the mummy's tummy to mix with the egg to make a baby .... I am just waiting for the "But how does the daddy do that?" question and I am dreading it!!!!

[nailpolish]

pmsl at 'pet mice'

[welshmum]

Reminds me - when dd (2 and a bit then) saw the string she asked 'Mummy have you got a present up there?'

[Gobbledigook]

Wow - spooky, was just going to ask something similar myself as ds1 (3.10) saw my pack of tampons by the loo this morning and asked what they were - I just said 'something for mummies' and he said 'what, why?' and I said 'I'll tell you when you are older' - WHAT? What kind of crap response was that? He bought it btw and off he went, but what should we tell 3 yr old boys about tampons?

DS2 (2) saw me on the loo the other day put a new pant liner in my knicks and he said 'Mummy poo?' !!! Hee hee!

[nasa]

I think ghosty's is a really good response, telling the truth and answering the question without TMI.

[ourdarling]

One day my dd happily unwrapped all my san towels and showed them all to me saying 'l've opened all your presents, but there was nothing inside'. Today 4.6, she understands l use mummy nappies each month and says 'bum bleed'. Bum bleed comes from walking in on her poor baby sitter who was trying to sort herself her out.

[Lonelymum]

Oh no! this is a problem I fear constantly! My children are 8, 7 (boys) 4 (girl) and 23 months (boy) and I have to shoo them away and make sure I lock the door when I am on the loo and having a period. Even so, I walk about the house naked and am sure one day they will see the string! Also, I have to keep my tampons and towels in the bathroom on a shelf (no cupboard doors in our bathroom) and it is surely only a matter of time before someone asks what all the packets are for? I really don't know what I will say.

[KateandtheGirls]

Ghosty, I did have that conversation with my 5 year old the other day. She knows ladies have eggs inside them, and the eggs can become babies so she wanted to know whether I was going to have a baby, so I had to explain that the egg only grows into a baby if it meets a sperm from a man. So of course, "how does that happen?"

I was just very matter of fact about it, and said that when a man and a woman love each other and want to make a baby, the man puts his penis inside the ladies vagina. The look on her face was priceless! Huh? But she accepted it.

[Kayleigh]

I started a very similar thread last year. I particularly liked Beetroots "ladies tissues" and have adopted that for my paraphanalia

[ghosty]

KteandtheGirls .... I have come out in a cold sweat just thinking about it saying the 'Daddy puts his willie in mummy's nunney' bit .....
Aaaaaaaaaaaggggghhhhhhh
I think they had the right idea in the old days by NOT telling them anything

[fee77]

Slightly off track, but a friend had told her DD (then aged 6) that girls have a special hole that stretches to let a baby out. That night she got herself ready for bed early, when asked why, she answered "I'm going to look for my special hole"!!!!!!!

[Caligula]

I hope she finds it somewhat sooner than my friend did! (Eighteen FGS!)