How do I teach my Toddler about Periods????

[musthavebeencrazy]

Hi, I am new to this and was wondering if there was anyone out there with any tips or advice for my.
It is a bit embarrassing I'm not sure what to tell my daughter about my periods, we have always been really open and she will quite happily follow me to the bathroom and talk to me when I am on the loo. I have just started having periods again after stopping breastfeeding, with my pregnancy and my feeding it has been 2 years since I last had a period so she was too young to notice then.
She has started playing with my pads and things and thinks they are great stickers!!! but has yet to see anything else. What should I tell her???

I would be really grateful for any advice.
I dont want to do anything to make her scared at this delicate stage in her development.

she's 2?

"put those down those are mummy's"

Just be prepared for whatever you tell her to be shouted to any visitor/stranger you meet in the street. If you try to add a note of privacy/secrecy to the conversation it will be even worse

agreed I have mine out but if DS shows interest it's don't touch mummys.

Put your pads out of her reach. Does she really need to know about periods at 2 ?

with Cap

I don't think this warrants teaching about periods at age 2 tbh. Just tell her to leave them alone, or put them somewhere she can't get them!

agree with pthers ,pve them out her way and dont tell her anything shes 2...my eldest is 4 and knows m,ummy bleeds sometimes it doesnt hurt but its so she can have babies..and thats only because I had to tell him after a leaking accident

i dont know why she musnt touch.if shes not asked what they are,whats going on.no reason to worry.

Agree with cappucino

"'mummy's things" or "just for ladies" end of.

if she asks I would just say, mummy needs those because she bleeds every month unless she is having a baby and that she will bleed every month too when she is older.
I have also said something about it being the lining of the womb where the baby grows.
I also said that I am not bleeding because I am hurt, it is not that sort of bleeding but perfectly normal for grown up ladies.
but I am pretty unembarrassable (?) and an antenatal teacher so I think I am more used to this sort of conversation
dds have seen me change my tampon/mooncup and I have given them both a very simple explanation like this.

Get a Mooncup. Seriously. It was one of the reasons I got one. I saw no need to go into the issue with my LOs (about 4 and 2 at the time), especially after ds freaked when he caught a glimpse of blood in the toilet. At the time I just told him that sometimes a grown woman's pee is red and he accepted it as he had already noticed that pee comes in different shades of yellow.

A Mooncup only needs changing once or twice during the day, sometimes even less. I would just make sure I wnet to change it when the LOs were engaged and I locked the door.

It's fine to be very open in the bathroom, it's also fine for them to learn that sometimes adults have a little privacy.

BTW, we're also open - complete nudists in the Candelabrum

Did you just join mn to ask this?

Sorry but I have a bugbear with this.

I do believe that it is a fundamental human right to have a dump in peace.

My kids have known forever that the bog is off-limits (I concede that when out and about this can be an issue if you are on your own).

If you don't mind sharing the bog, I'd not bother saying anything. There is no way a 2 year old could understand what a period is. You'd be wasting your time even trying to explain imo.

Don't tell a toddler that they will bleed when they are older. They have very limited understanding about the future and can't distinguish between tomorrow and in 10 years. They don't have to have everything explained to them, they aren't small adults.

I'm presuming she's not even 2 yet, if it's 2 years since you had a period. I'd wait until she asks, tbh (but would also second the Mooncup advice, as they're so much better for me, and can't be used as stickers).

I would say a two year old is perfectly capable of understanding if it is explained in a straightforward way.
my dd1 asked about how the baby would come out, and how the baby got in. she was about 2 and three months.
anyway, the OP doesn't say her daughter is two.

I'm in total agreement with harpsi.

I agree there is nothing wrong in explaining if she shows interest and is capable of understanding.

I just don't think it's necessary to to go into it all just because she is using the pads as stickers. Wait until she's ready.

Sorry i forgot to say she is 3 and a half!

I havent had a period for 2 years as i have had another baby!

Oh - ok - had it in my head that she'd be about 13 months. In that case I agree with harpsi...

no need to say what they're for - just say they are things that mummy's have and to leave them alone. I wouldn't tolerate a pesky toddler following me into the lav either.

agree with harpsi

didn't intend that apostrophe to be there

I agree with hc and mi. Both my dss (5 1/2 and 3 1/2) have seen me change my mooncup and I told them something similar to hc's explanation.

i say "special nappies for mummy" which she needs sometimes.

used to pmsl at ds squatting with a tampon held against his nappy!

seems to have lost interest now (2.10)