Breast development in 9 year old dd?!

[primrose22]

My lovely dd came to me last night complaining that one of her nipples had a 'lump' and was sore. I'm fairly sure I remember that feeling but I was much much older! How do I approach this? Any advice? She is v.slim but tall for her age, so I anticipated puberty would be earlier rather than later.... She is still such a little girl though, watches cbeebies, plays with dolls etc. She is such a sweet girl, I just want to get this right and its all new to me! Thanks

I will follow this thread with interest......DD (nearly 8) is showing signs of "growing up" early too, though as yet she hasn't noticed. Like your DD mine is still a little girl. I just keep reminding myself that physically growing up shouldn't affect what she does/who she is and what we expect of her. I make a point of encouraging this little girl behaviour, because she may feel that her body is changing, but she's still her and enjoys what she enjoys.

I will follow this thread with interest......DD (nearly 8) is showing signs of "growing up" early too, though as yet she hasn't noticed. Like your DD mine is still a little girl. I just keep reminding myself that physically growing up shouldn't affect what she does/who she is and what we expect of her. I make a point of encouraging this little girl behaviour, because she may feel that her body is changing, but she's still her and enjoys what she enjoys.

OMG....that's the 3rd time I've doubled up on messages!!
What's wrong with me

Small lumps are normal breast development at this age, there's an ancient MN thread where Mears (a midwife, so trained medical professional) fretted about the lumps on her own 9yo DD's chest.

I noticed at sports day 2 weeks ago that many of the Yr5 girls had bras on already -- chafing nipples is the next thing to deal with.

I would treat this as an opportunity to congratulate your little girl on growing up. Like hitting another birthday or some other personal achievement, it's a celebration. You can get very, very soft over-the-head, elasticated sports bras for young girls. No fiddly clasps etc. Rather than feeling embarassed about developing breasts, acquiring a bra can be a very confidence-boosting landmark - even in girls that are immature in other ways.

my dd is 10 in October and has started developing. She is quite proud and we have got some soft crop tops from m&S to protect her a bit (getting sore from over boisterous siblings!). I was a bit surprised as I thought puberty was likely to be earlier the more body fat a girl has and my dd is extremely skinny. I was in yr6 (and 11 ) I think when I started growing, so it does seem early to me, but I read that 9 is the average age these days

This happened to me when I was 9 (in 1986!) and my parents took me to the doctors. I am fine and normal though (and wasn't a chubby 9-year-old)! Didn't get a bra until about 11 which was no problem, still don't have much to put in one! She will be fine, I think it is normal. My mum just explained simply to me how my body developed to grow into a woman's body - I had periods when I was 11 and hadn't even thought about them. I think I wasn't quite ready for 'becoming a woman' at the ages these things happened to me so my mum's matter-of-fact approach helped. I don't know if I would have been a bit overwhelmed by 'congratulations you're on the road to being a woman' at 9 when like your DD I was still very much a little girl playing with dolls, riding my bike etc. I do remember that other 9 year old girls in my class had bigger boobs than me though; some had none at all.

Thanks everyone! We are v.close and she is very much an open book with me (hope it lasts!) We had a little chat, nothing too serious but she got a bit freaked out and said she doesn't want to be a lady yet (she thought she had a bruise!) My main problem is she loves being a little girl and unlike some of her friends can't see anything good about being a teenager. Any ideas? She liked the idea of being able to watch more films when she gets to 12! x

I think I would use this opportunity to encourage her to grow up a little. Much as we all like our children to stay as little children as long as possible, it can sometimes work to their disadvantage if we don't give them the occasional push. "Now you're growing up...." can be a precursor to giving them more freedoms and responsibility, little jobs to do around the home, more decision-making opportunities, a later bed-time etc. Then they start to see 'growing up' as a positive change rather than a scary thing.

I should add.... start talking to your 9 year-old about periods now as well. As a similarly tall, skinny, early-developing girl my periods started on my 10th birthday and it was something of a shock. It would be lovely if girls were more like boys and had a more lesiurely, less immediate introduction to adulthood but nature has a habit of setting her own pace...

yes, I read that periods start (iirc) around 2 years after breast growth, so am expecting my dd to start her periods when she is 11 -again this is 2 years before I did. Poor thing I do feel sorry for her in that respect!

Thanks again. She is very clued up about puberty, I've always answered all her questions honestly and there has been many over the years! Yes I agree, how rubbish that periods start so very young, a life time of monthly misery (although I'd never say that to her!)