My 11. 5 year old just got her period, swimming tomorrow evening. What can we do?

[Pumpkinspawn]

Dd Just got her period she has swimming tomorrow evening & I wasn't prepared. She won't wear tampons. What can I get her, I don't want her missing it as I don't want her to see her period as a huge event just something we get on with with a few adjustments. Tia

Hope you get it sorted, OP — and thank you for this thread. Have just ordered some period swimwear for my DD (also 11 and also a keen swimmer). I’d got pants as we’d talked and she said that was what she wanted, but I hadn’t even thought about swimming!

At least now you're prepared unlike me! I'll try get her sorted today. We have a primark & M&S nearby, no increase in flow overnight still just little spots.
Thanks again everyone! I'd be lost without Mumsnet!

Period swimwear is amazing but this is different from period pants. So if you go down this route just make sure they are swimming ones not standard. Completely amazing and work very well

These will not be any good for competition swimming though. She needs specialised ones that are made for going under technical swimming cossies.

We need for this evening so they may be all we can get under her black swimsuit. Going put searching soon to see what we can get. She is feeling fine with very light spotting & doesn't want to skip training.

No it’s not at all. 🙈
A size 8 is about an age 14/15 and a size 10 around age 16. The hip sizes aren’t even comparable.

Otherwise what size do you think an age 14/15 would be! A size 18?!

Yes exactly so are many women. But were you also 48kg at age 11? That was my point :)

My daughter is this weight as a competitive swimmer age 11/12. Fits women's size 8/10 (broad shoulders). She's still slim and looks like a child. What's your point again?

Unless anything changes, I'd not be too worried about using anything. Nothing will come out in the pool and she won't even need to do a mad dadd so b to the loo either. Bikini bottoms are going to be far too bulky and conspicuous.

Why would the be inappropriate?

That's absolutely not true -

7.5 stone is an adult women weight - I'd be surprised if even the majority were that where that they started.

I was 4 stone, which was on the lighter side, but most of my peers were around 5/6 stone.

Would she learn to use them in a day? That’s what I thought that poster meant?

7.5 stone is not an adult woman weight. Not unless you’re short. My dd was still on bed rest for anorexia at that weight, aged 14.

4 stone is unlikely. My dd was 4 stone aged 7, and she was underweight.

As for starting periods, it’s about body fat and hormones more than a specific weight.

Sorry I was more replying to that quote thread generally, namely that there’s quite a bit of variation . My periods were a big stop start around that weight well into my twenties, so to me that suggests it could be a “ trigger weight” around 7.5 stone. But some cultures, especially, it must be lower as I’m reasonably tall.

@WaitingForMojo my 10 year old is 4st2 and a healthy BMI. I don't know how much my 7 year old weighs but he's much lighter.

If your family is tall then 7.5 stone might be an indicator but my eldest won't be 7.5 stone when she starts her period or when she becomes an adult (I wasn't).

My daughter is 11 and small for her age and often wears a woman's xs which mostly is the same measurement as a child's 13/14. She started her first period last month and I got her period swimwear on Amazon as we were going on holiday a couple days later. She's a dancer so quite small but is mostly in adult clothes now, particularly dance stuff as it tends to be tiny.

I think it can also depend on how developed the breast tissue is can’t it?

Oh yes definitely. Yes I’m sure lots of girls get their period before that weight too -as you say depends on their natural size.

What? Anyone 5 foot 3 and under is a healthy weight at 7.5 stone. So I guess yes shorter than average, but you don't have to be massively short. I'm sorry for your DD, that sounds horrendous but I assume she must be taller or have a naturally higher body weight - millions of women, including me would not be underweight at 7.5 stone.

I was 4 stone - we had scales. I was short and very slight (my nickname was skinny) and I started my period. Based on both the numbers you provide I imagine your daughter just runs taller or bigger (or both!) than I did.

@Pumpkinspawn how did it go?? Xx

I would have agreed with you on both those points, but DD’s first period was surprisingly very heavy and I can only assume period pants are magic as they seem to defy physics

Perfect! We got the primark pants size 2xs & put under her black swimsuit. No issues whatsoever, granted the flow is literally no existent, just a bit of spotting. Ordered her two period swimsuits from amazon hopefully they'll be here before her gala..

My daughter started totally unexpectedly a couple months ago and will be 12 in a few weeks. She had a major dance lesson that evening so we were both in panic mode so I can empathise 100%. It's so difficult for young girls to navigate with swimsuits / leotards so I was very much hoping DD would be on the older side but we've figured it out (for the most part) now. Hope your daughter is doing okay

FWIW, my 11yo (nearly 12) has had her period since the summer and is now using tampons - at her choice. She took a little while to get the hang of them but definitely prefers this option as she's not keen on the feeling of it otherwise. She uses period pants as a backup.