To think the sample girls pack from the school nurse was totally inappropriate.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

Dd wanted a private talk this morning. Turns out that in Friday they had the puberty talk and were given a pack. Except they ran out of time so no time to discuss how to use the products.

There were a couple of always panty liners, three Always towels a normal one, a night one and a "silk" one. They were huge. I can't see dd bring able to wear a leotard in one of those.

Then there were two Tampax Compact (the ones with plastic applicators) one Regular Yellow one & one green Super one. As if a year 6 child will be able to insert one if those. When I was at school we were given a same of the special lites ones. They could put her off for life.

Luckily I had anticipated this and a couple of months ago bought a lovely little make up style case by Lillets contains various if their teen products. Smaller child sized towels but that are supposed to be extra absorbent and small easier to insert tampons.

I know they were free samples but really!!'n

Custardo, no.

It's like the bounty packs in hospitals.

I was quite :o at the ingredients in the Silk ones in the pack.

The thing is that the free sample wasn't designed to be appropriate starter kit for your daughter. Procter and Gamble are only interested in increasing their brand awareness, they aren't doing it out of kindness to the nations daughters or anything it is merely a way to get the Procter and Gamble brands into your house.

That sample was designed as advertising, nothing more, nothing less.

They will be aware that most mothers of the girls will still be using SanPro themselves and so they will be wanting to appeal to them too, hoping to win over some business from any competitors. So it makes sense to put into any kit that will be going home the full range of products, not just any teen-bop ranges they may do.

Custardo - I see your point but no, I do not have an issue with it. When it was introduced to use I specifically remember the woman saying "This is just one brand, there are plenty of others". I would rather something was introduced to teenage girls as not every girl comes from a background where someone will sit down talk about this. This is better than the alternative.

Its not as if they're giving away coca-cola or McDonald's.

Not unreasonable at all! As a SN we give these to year 6 every year. I used a tampax for my first period, I just preferred them!

Add message | Report | Message poster mrsminiverscharlady Sun 16-Jun-13 17:56: They'll be putting bigger things than a super Tampax up there before very long

nice!

Thank you for the links

Dd started her periods at Christmas age 10, year 6. First month the teen range were Fine. Now they're not enough. She uses normal pads.
Only tried tampons once as we were at centre parcs and started unexpectedly, again a normal one though. Used it no real issues but she didn't like it anyway.

"Its not as if they're giving away coca-cola or McDonald's."

........yet

Yr 6 - if that's aged around 10 that seems right to me as quite a few girls will have already started their periods by then.

IIRC we had the talk around that age and I'm late 30s so it's nothing new.

YABU to complain about the sample. It is a cross section of products and shows there is not just one type that girls can use. I expect Always are the only company prepared to put funding into providing all the schools hence their involvement.

Don't most towels show through leotards to some degree? So not sure what you want OP. At least it is better than when I was at school. HUGE towels with strings attached and a couple of safety pins to attach them to your pants, unless you were lucky enough to have sani-belt. REALLY showing my age here! And I spend every day in a leotard with them as well ... felt like a brick between my legs!

I started so long ago I cant even remember what year I was in - but yr6 and yr7 didn't exist back then so I guess it was probably the first year of secondary. Lovely sanitary belts with massive Dr Whites with loops - very discreet - not!!! And we definitly didn't have samples!!

This thread reminds me of when my son was in yr5 and they had a "little talk" because some of the girls had already started. He was in the bath that night and I was asking him if he had any questions about the lesson that day, he looked up at me all sweet and innocent and said "Mummy, I am sooooo glad I am not a girl" haha

I'm really enjoying this thread for the trip down memory lane

That's interesting that the belt and loop towels worked so well. We were told we were incredibly lucky to have stick ons and that the old style towels were dreadful because you got a big sticky out lump at the front and another at the back and they bunched up all the time

And the wonderful new invention they were compared with ... the Dr Whites style housebrick stick on. I seem to remember them travelling backwards in my knickers quite frequently. Some of them didn't even have a backing, they were literally just like a big wodge of bog roll and cotton wool stuck together, so they leaked straight through.

Is this the sample pack you are talking about OP? Here

Link fail, try again. Here

We are doing the talk to all members of Year 5 this half term. I have found free samples of lilets teen range to give to the girls. Our school nurse thought they were really nice, but had never seen the set before. TBH I am sure someone will complain about it, but that is always the case!

Not at all unusual for girls to have started periods by Yr 5. Even in my day I wasn't the only one who started in (equivalent of) Yr 6. It did seem very early and embarrassing to me, but that was because I felt awkward talking to my parents. Dd took it far more in her stride.

This is really one matter where there is no point in parents wailing "but she is so yooooung". Biology will happen when it happens.

Not the one dd got - no fancy pouch here.

My daughter was 12 when she started her periods. They were heavy and long lasting from the outset. Much heavier than I had ever experienced. After a couple of periods she was chugging down the tranexamic acid(sp) like nobodies business.
At the doctors the first thing that was mentioned was the pill. We managed to hold off with that for about eight months.
Just because you are young it doesn't always mean little/light periods.
I think the teen ranges of sanpro are just a marketing exercise.

YABU although you may want to take up this opportunity to talk about cups instead of tampons or towels for when she's ready.

Early teenage years many girls have horrendously heavy periods and 'teenage' products are laughable. Try supertampon and two night time towels at age 12 which wouldn't last more than two hours.

I would agree no different to Bounty packs etc but better than nothing.

I had far heavier periods as an 11yo than I did in my thirties.

Yes, be prepared for her possibly having heavy periods from the start and not actually wanting to wear a leotard every day.

when i got free samples, the towels were the ones with a loop in that you wore with a belt