DD12 period on beach holiday - help!

[EarlyBirdCatchesTheWorm]

Hello mumsnetters

Looking for tips. DD11 started her period recently and is likely to have it on a beach holiday in a couple of months time.

She is ok with period pants and sanitary towels but not wanting to use tampons.

She loves to swim/paddle. Not the point but this holiday had to be cancelled and rescheduled twice, it's to a lovely place and she'll be gutted to not be able to get stuck in and play in the water with siblings. Any tips for managing period (without tampons) on a beach/sea? Is period swimwear good enough??

Absolutely this! Some of you will be advocating next that a menstruating girl or woman should not wash her hair.

Tampons have been commonplace for well over 50 years. Outdated concepts such as them interfering with a woman's virginity or that they are only to be used by married women need to be quashed.

Some are uncomfortable wearing them especially when you first start. I didn't wear them for years. For me I was conscious of even my pad leaking (wings wasn't everywhere back then so they would move alot) even now when I wear tampons I also have a pad on! My daughter now wouldn't used them either. Its the thought of pushing something up there.

No one has said that!!?
What women / girls don’t want to hear is that you SHOULD be able to wear a tampon and you are abnormal if you can’t.
Im 45 and have never been able to stomach the thought or even remotely get one in. I thought I was a freak until adulthood when I realised that lots of other women felt the same but just never said.
Tampons are great IF you are comfortable with them.
Its also perfectly normal and natural to not want to wear one or not be able to get them in without discomfort.
Both sides need to be talked about.
Im so sick of women who have luckily not had any physical pain or mental discomfort using them making those who don’t want to seem backward and peculiar. It’s down to sheer luck that you are able to wear one!!

I'm reading this for me as always looking likely that I will have my period on holiday. I can't use tampons, but I have just ordered a moon cup, obviously this might also be impossible to use/not desirable but I thought it worth adding to the discussion.

I didn't know period bikini bottoms were branded. I wouldn't want to wear them as an adult let alone as a kid.

I find this conversation very unsavoury and unnecessary. No one has to justify or explain why they don't want to use tampons or any of their choices with regards to sanitary protection.

DD started her periods 2 days into a holiday. Luckily I was prepared and had pre purchased period pants, pads and even a period tankini bottoms all on a just in case basis. Saved the holiday I can tell you - the swimwear worked perfectly and she breezed through the whole process ) she was 2 weeks of being 13 though so I knew it was going to happen soon).

DD has 2 different bikini bottoms from 2 different manufacturers, and neither of them are branded as such. They even sell them in primark !

This. Didn't use tampons until I was well into 6th form. I had excruciating period pain and pushing something up there was just one more thing to deal with.

I didn’t use a tampon till after my first child. Never had the want or need. Can’t say I’ve used them again since either.

Some people love them great, some hate them. That’s fair. Some just don’t like the feel. That’s cool too. But nobody should be forced into trying one.

No one is being asked to justify this. I suggested it and was jumped on for it by a number of posters.

This. My stepmum did this for my half sister. I would definitely do it for a holiday for myself.

Because they are not much fun to keep changing - you need a bin, you can’t tell how full there are ? And maybe she doesn’t want to !!!!

My period pain decreased massively when I stopped using tampons

What women / girls don’t want to hear is that you SHOULD be able to wear a tampon and you are abnormal if you can’t.

No one has said that @PurpleWisteria1

I respect we are all different. A pp suggested the OP's daughter shouldn't use tampons because she's 11, for example. Your body, your choice but it does look as though some posters don't like tampons for whatever reason and seek to impose their anti-tampon views.

I think it’s just because some posters are coming across as

‘well why on Earth can’t she just use tampons ffs’ type of vibe. But for many women (let alone girls) they are painful or just the thought of using them is horrible. I would wager that not many pre teens actually use them. In fact I have a 13 year old and I’m pretty sure the advice was to not use them at first? There is a risk of toxic shock so a child would need to be attentive and responsible enough to change frequently and remember to take them wherever they go when on their period.

It's frankly ridiculous that you'd have entirely reasonable opinions about menstruation stifled. Girls are entitled to hear balanced and open chat about periods (tampons are the best selling period product in the world for good reason; they're highly advantageous. They're nothing to be 'fearful' of, thus part of the debate whether you like it or not). What girls don't need to hear is a bunch of outdated myths.

And you're frowning upon chat about good menstrual hygiene practices whilst advocating the use of synthetic hormones! So (absolute!) au contraire, it's your opinion we don't need to hear
🙄

I think you have misunderstood the thread. OP ASKED about 'synthetic hormones'. OP specified tampons are not an option. It's not about me wanting my opinion to be heard, it's about respecting what OP has said and asked and answering the question. The question was specifically about hormones.

Also I'm not anti tampon as some people seem to think. I'm just pro respect.

@WeAreTheHeroes

I never used tampons. Struggled with them and,at 16, lost a friend from toxic shock.

I'm post menopause now, so that's me done. But I understand why she might prefer a bit of faff to using them.

I'm not sure why you felt the need to tag me @Ohmylovejune although I'm sorry to hear about your friend.

The OP's daughter may not want to use them. My DD doesn't and she's had her period for three years.

Sorry! Tagged the wrong poster!

Awesome planning mum!

I have no idea how period swimwear works but I’m willing to believe the magic and will be doing similar prep. Good to know they worked well 👍

Thanks ! Have no idea how they work either - just glad they do. The primark ones work equally as well as modibodi and are a lot less expensive.