12 year old and period on holiday

My teen won’t use tampons she just can’t be comfortable with them. Not everyone can or even wants to.

Most doctors now and I think really rightly so won’t prescribe drugs to stop young girls periods.

What if she doesn’t want to? Times change, products evolve and there is now more choice. I would have loved to have used period pants and swimwear in the 90s and I used period pants for the last few years of my periods and loved them.

It’s great there is more choice for girls now.

Good point!

I would definitely recommend period swimwear and not norethisterone, it causes your next period to be horribly painful and heavy. Alternatively I have had success with using natural remedies (parsley tea and raspberry leaf tea) to induce my period early before holidays.

OP ignore the ‘she’s a wimp if she can’t use tampons at 12’ brigade. It’s not some badge of honour.
Dd is 13 - not one of her friends her age use tampons, many have had periods for years. All were offered them, understand what they are and how to use them but don’t feel comfortable. The ‘I did it so whats the big deal’ approach might not be best…..there’s a lot more awareness and support for girls around periods now and that’s a good thing. It’s not making a big deal of it.

Modibodi do teen size period swimwear. Dd has used the swimwear briefs under a normal swim costume. I’d suggest maybe don’t try it on her heaviest day. And take a couple of pairs - best if she comes out of the pool every couple of hours and changes them. The swimwear briefs dry quickly after washing.

Because everyone is different. I used tampons as a teen for swimming but wasn’t keen on them and preferred to use pads. I have an 11 year old who is likely to start her periods soon. We have had a lot of talks about what she would like to try and she doesn’t like the idea of tampons at the moment so would like to try period pants and swimwear. I’ll get some tampons for the bathroom that she can try if she wishes to- but I think with something so intimate it’s so important to use what you personally feel comfortable with.

I doubt I’m an exception. There’s people in this very thread saying they weren’t able to use them.

Period swimwear and/or tampons, the benefit of the latter being cost and it can be harder to find pretty period swimwear. There's plenty of time between now and May to learn how to use them if shes OK with that (what i mean is don't write the option off or decide against it on her behalf). I used them from my first period at age 12 and found non-applicator ones easier and less faffy as I could really feel where it is meant to sit. I recommend the Lil-lets brand for young teens and it's what I buy in for my youth club.

Yeah I’d have to look into that. To me a cup seems a safer option that offers the same freedom of movement etc.

I’m not panicking. Weed killer absorbed into the bloodstream is not a good idea. 1 in 2 of us now get cancer, I want to minimise the risk from environmental causes, I just think that’s sensible. But you do you.

ModiBodi Boy short swim wear. My DD16 has been using these since she started, she also uses the period underwear as she has AuDHD and hates pads and tampons. It’s the most natural way to deal with periods at this age.

You literally wash them through by hand easily on holiday so my advice is get two pairs.

She might not want to. I never used them.

There's zero reason why she can't use tampons right away 🤨

I took period stopping medication when I was going on a lovely tropical and I hoped romantic holiday with my husband. It worked but something went hideously wrong and I just swelled up like a balloon. I was a size 8 and I honestly looked about 5 months pregnant and didn't fit into most of my clothes. I stopped the tablets and I was just about deflated when we were due to fly home.

My daughter had swimming lessons so we bought modibodi period swimwear, she used that for a while and then one day just used a tampon and that was that! It was her decision I’d just bought the tiny ones with applicators just in case she wanted to try- mainly because I used to hate pads do thought she might too!!

There's always the exceptions that proves the rule but if you make a drama about it before they've even tried they're even less likely to be able to use them. The OP hasn't even tried.

Not all kids can use tampons. I couldn’t when I was that age. I used to swim so I wanted to be able to use them. I’d get one in and ten mins later it had pushed its way back out again, my body just wasn’t ready at that age to fit something inside and keep it there. Not everyone is the same, stop making assumptions about others and insulting them by saying they’re making a drama.

I remember using medication, I assume noristherone as a teen for holidays. However when we tried to get some for my 15 year old in the summer (very rare holiday abroad for us) we couldn't. Our gp won't prescribe it any more, due to not being medically needed and risky side affects apparently. They did say pharmacies would but all the ones we tried either didn't or you needed to be 16+ or 18+. Not sure if that's the same everywhere?

Edited to add, interestingly the doctors staff says they could have her an appointment to discuss contraception (which could be used to delay period in some cases), but not to delay a period...

She's tried tampons a few times but never managed them (I was the same age her age) so we bought her period swimwear. She managed fine with that, although she didn't stay in it for long at a time, and her heaviest flow days were before / on way to the holiday. We got a few pairs of bikini bottoms, so she could put under other swimwear if she wanted and only have to change her bottoms, and also some swim shorts on case she wanted to cover up more to be on the safe side. She had a big towelling robe to change under on beach (in hotel just went to room). She did swim less than she would have otherwise I think as didn't want to risk being in and out with them too much, but they worked fine for what she did. The only time we've seen a leak was after swimming once when she sat around wet in towel after, which is why she changed quickly afterwards. When in the pool itself it was fine. She won't rusk them on her heaviest days though so not sure how they would hold up.

She should be able to take it earlier than that, that’s just when you need to take it by to make sure it works as once you’re bleeding you’re screwed.

It was a god send for me when I was younger!! It’s similar to a contraceptive pill, it’s synthetic progesterone. Definitely worth asking the docs about.

I got tablets from the dr.

There are loads of organic tampons available if this is your only concern ( my child does sport so Pads just seem a bit limiting to me and not very nice to use).

I’ve always had very heavy periods but never for a full week exactly over a holiday where it’s completely ruined the holiday! You’re worrying about nothing, don’t encourage your DD to fear getting her period.

On average, people use tampons for 40ish years. They're fine. Stop panicking.

The reason I wouldn’t suggest tampons to my DD is all the chemicals in them, they don’t feel like a safe option to me. She’s 10 and not started but I have a little box ready for her and will offer period underwear, pads and a cup and she can choose.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/may/28/toxic-pesticide-levels-found-in-tampons-40-times-higher-than-legal-limit-for-water

Why? My mum didn't make a big deal out of it so I didn't think it was a big deal. If you tell a kid that it's a big thing and that they're not ready to use tampons, they'll think it's a big thing and that they're not ready to use tampons. She's 12, she's not a baby. She will already know what tampons are - hopefully her mum will have talked to her about them as will school and her school friends. She needs to stop faffing around and get on with it. If she'd have done that, she wouldn't be worrying, in January, about something that might not even happen in May.

Make a drama, you'll get drama.