What do your toddlers know about periods?

[farmertom]

I have two boys (not sure gender makes a difference) and am wondering what people do re periods. They are stuck to me 24/7 and obviously have to bring them to the bathroom with me when out (and often at home 🙄) currently got my period and changing pads etc not sure what to tel them. Did you tell yours? Were they freaked out by the blood? Not sure what's the normal thing for me to do 🤷‍♀️

I distract them when I subtly change them. I once got ‘mummy why is your wee wee red?’ and I just said it’s not wee wee, it’s my period and something that happens when women are older. To my 2 year old. I will explain more eventually.

I have a three year old DD. Since she started noticing I'd say that once a month mum has to wear a special nappy in her pants because a little bit of blood comes out, and she'll do the same when she's bigger, but it doesn't hurt.

Not sure if it's the right thing but it works for us.

She didn’t seem at all fazed.

My son knew the basics as soon as he was able to understand them, and I answered any questions he asked. Not freaked out at all by blood, tampons.

I was a single mum when DD was a toddler. If she asked I'd just say it was my period. She never asked further questions about it

My son has asked what my period is when I've changed pads. He's often in the loo with me and is 3.5 years.

I've told him it's blood but that it's ok and normal. I've said that when women are grown ups they have this blood every month and it shows that I'm healthy.

I do tend to be very open with him about body parts. He knows he has a penis for example.

I had a harder time explaining pubic hair though. He asked if it was poo poo. I started telling him about grown ups having hair and then remembered about daddy having alopecia and realised there is a bigger chat there lol

When my two were toddlers I explained that women get something called a period every month when red stuff comes out of their vagina, and I wear a cup to catch it. No one was scarred by the knowledge!

Its an opportunity to make periods less taboo for the next generation.

I told DS that he'd grown in my tummy (which he knew) and that every month my body made a kind of nest in my tummy just in case I wanted to have another baby, and if it didn't get used, this was the body's way of cleaning it out ready for the next month.

Totally matter of fact. He took it in a totally matter of fact way.

@DianasLasso

I told DS that he'd grown in my tummy (which he knew) and that every month my body made a kind of nest in my tummy just in case I wanted to have another baby, and if it didn't get used, this was the body's way of cleaning it out ready for the next month.

Totally matter of fact. He took it in a totally matter of fact way.

Nice explanation

2 DS's here (2.5 and 3.5). They both know that I have periods and that they don't hurt.
I've given them a similar explanation to DianasLasso though briefly discussed eggs and sperm too (we have chickens which I think makes a difference). I'm now pregnant and I've made a point of telling them that I won't have periods for a while to increase their understanding.

There's no way of hide it from them or be embarrassed about it. I'd never have been able to marry someone who felt that way about it and I'd like to prepare them for real life/being aware and able to look after their partners (assuming they're female).

I examined it to my preschoolers in a simple way. My 4 year old son then later loudly said in the women's public loos "are you on your period today Mummy. Do you need a tampon?" whilst bending down to get a better look!

He's now aged 10 and knows a bit more about it all. He knows that if he has a girlfriend on her period, chocolate, hot water bottle and lots of TLC are the order of the day 😁

I think it's good to be open about periods, especially for boys.

When I was a teen, my Dad wanted me to hide my tampons in my room instead of having them in the bathroom in case my 13 year old brother saw them! We're having none of that in my home 😊

Explained

I was just Frank about it. I have reusable pads and my 3.5yo loves the patterns on the back of them! Explained that they were a bit like a nappy and she was fine with that.

My toddlers were totally unphased by bloody pads.
If they asked I would say it is something that happens to all Mummys and it doesn't hurt. They took in in their stride, and were far more interested in squirting shampoo in the plughole of the sink.

My 3 year old doesnt know anything about it. She doesnt accompany me to the loo very often unless we are out and its not safe for her to wait outside the cubicle.

Also I became pregnant when she was just over 2 and have then been breastfeeding so havent had a period in the time where she would have been old enough to ask.

I tend to just explain things to her in a factual but simplified way, so I will probably do the same if it comes up.

Should not be taboo or embarrassing we need to remove hundreds of years of shame and blame
Deal with it mater of fact like other other bodily fluids like snot or poo

My 4 year old has seen me wear pads etc and have explained why. And then after I had my second baby, he saw me wearing pads again and walked into the living room a while later, pulled down his pants and showed me his ‘pad’ as he wanted to be just like mummy!! He had stuffed toilet roll in his pants 🤣

I bought tampons the other day with my 4 year old in tow. She explained to the very young male cashier that 'mummy needs these for her vagina, because shes bleeding!'

Mostly everything. The biological facts dumbed down slightly for toddlers of course.

Why would they need to know

I have really heavy/painful periods so my boys (6 and 8) have always been aware of it, I sometimes leak through my clothes or can't play as much as etc. I explained it as something that happens to women, usually each month and it's nothing to worry about - they are not phased by it at all, infact they often grab one of 'mummies nappies' for me if I'm in a situation and give me extra snuggles. I've never 'flaunted' it to them, it's unfortunately part of my life and they have naturally been exposed (due to bursting in on me in the loo etc) and I'm glad they don't see it as a big deal.