How do you explain periods to a curious toddler?

[Ibloodylovetea]

I'm now in my 60's & my son is 28. I was widowed when I was pg & brought him up alone. As the only adult in the house it meant that I had to take him with me when I visited the loo as I couldn't/wouldn't leave him alone even for 5 minutes. This also meant that he witnessed me using sanitary towels (I felt that using tampons in front of him might be a step too far & left them for when he wasn't around). So, in answer to his questions I used to say that everything was all right & I was using a 'special plaster' because mummy's tummies get ready to make a baby every month, but there needs to be a daddy in order for that to happen and, since there was no daddy, mummy's tummy had to get rid of everything that it had made ready for the baby and the mummy had to use a 'special plaster' eg: sanitary towel. I then made a joke about us not wanting a baby wanting their nappy to be changed & keeping us awake at night with their crying. Wondering how other mums deal with this?

Mine were all toilet trained at 2?

I suspect they may have come in the loo with me whilst out but not necessarily.

I didn't have periods much for about 5 years'

This thread is absolutely bonkers! As if you have a choice whether your toddler comes to the toilet with you or not. It’s a running sterotype/ ‘joke’ that mums never get any privacy.
Fine if you choose to enforce that privacy (i personally think thats ott) but to those posters acting like it’s weird or inapproriate for others fo have their toddler to be in the toilet with them is a shocking attitude imo.

It’s all part of being human and learning! Nothing to cover up and be ashamed of.

Putting a towel around your waist??? So strange.

I always try to go to the toilet by myself (believe me thats my preference!) but
im not going put a towel round my waist if dd comes in. It takes 2 seconds and no ones making a show of it for christ sake.

For what its worth, OP I do think your response was far too long winded and ott but each to their own.

Way too much drama. I'm sure your daughter in law will figure it out for herself. No need for a massive long explanation that a toddler won't even listen to 😴

Up to what age did you take him to the toilet with you? Children can be left in another room while you go. They don't have to witness this and listen to confusing language...

Every month women/mummies(can't remember which I used) 's bodies get ready to have a baby. Since there's no baby, all that stuff comes out and it's called a period. DD called my pads nappies.

"Do you need to change your nappy mummy?" Shouted at full volume in public toilets was fun.

The explanation grew with her, so started talking about an egg being released, the lining etc. At about 4 she often asked me to tell her the "baby story".

As if you have a choice whether your toddler comes to the toilet with you or not.
I think most people in most situations DO have a choice.

Not when you're out and about on your own with said toddler.

Exactly my thoughts too, the replies saying it’s weird etc are completely odd lol

I undressed in front of my son when he was younger too, I didn’t force him in those situations but didn’t have a toddler easily contained. I brought him upstairs when I went to the loo with free rein but mummy going to the toilet was always much more interesting. Not sure if coincidence but also helped with toilet training as he associated the toilet with where mummy went and didn’t really use a potty, much preferred to go to the toilet where I went

Interesting theory. My theory is the opposite, the parents who are too soft to implement any boundaries whatsoever, even having the odd poo in privacy, are the ones who probably haven't managed to toilet train their kids in their first 5 years.

See how baseless stereotyping works?

My 2.5 year old has seen evidence of my period before when it started in the morning, and was on the bed. I just explained it was from mummy and whereabouts it was from, didn't go into detail as he wouldn't understand being that young. I was relaxed about it and that was enough, it was all in my tone that he knew it was normal and OK!

You made me think of a time when my mother & me were in a café & there were a couple of girls wearing low cut trousers & the top of their thongs were showing. Mum asked if girls had started using sanitary belts again. I had to explain that no, what we could see were the top of their <what she would call> G Strings. 😂

In my experience the toddler can sit in the pushchair or wait outside the door. It’s a very small window where this is not possible and you are out by yourself without the necessary equipment and menstruating.

For me a plaster is what you put on a wound. So I'd worry the kid would think the blood was caused by pain or injury if I called it that. I'd just call it a special towel?
But I don't know why you're thinking about this so many years later! From the title I thought you had a toddler now.

ds2 defo lucky-14 years between mine and marvelous mirena means i dont have them at all.
anyway.ds1 of bumsticks glory, musta knew enough but wasnt active spectator-he just knew cos kept in bathroom. im old as hell so was paper wrappers and he knew i wasnt eating sweets..
he also suffered the horror of one which didnt flush away -aged 5 , dragged in ladies and able to go by himself in cubical (fortunately ?)in a restraunt toilet... and he yelled "Maaaaaaaa...somebodys chopped a mouses head of and tried to drown it".......the bastards

You don't need to go into that much detail with a toddler. I'd always try and change discreetly if they came into the cubicle with me, to avoid the discussion, but if they saw I'd tell them it happens to women and it's normal, then change the subject. When they were a bit older I gave more details. I think it's more important for girls to have more details than boys as you are can normalise it for when they start their own periods. I don't think a young boy needs to know a lot about periods, not because it's inappropriate as such but just because it's a lot of information that doesn't directly affect them.