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Children's health

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Original poster

Start of puberty age 8!?

26 replies

youlemming · 12/06/2018 20:33

I know it can happen and isn't usually deemed as early unless under 8 from what I've read but I'm wondering if my DD is starting a good few years before the avg.

She has what I would say are breast buds forming, but she is a chunky/overweight girl so I don't know if it's puppy fat or breasts.
She's started to use deodorant as in her words she smells like peppers during the day at school.
Now today as well as having low down stomach pain which does happen from time to time, she mentioned having slime in her pants.
There's no hair as far as I can see.

Generally she's a bigger than avg girl, already 1.37m or around 4ft 6 I think and in 11-12 yr old clothes. Regularly has growth spurts to the point it causes issues with the growth plate in her heel becoming inflamed and very tight calf's/tendons.

Would you see the doctor (not sure what they could really do) or wait and see?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

NK346f2849X127d8bca260 · 14/06/2018 22:56

I would take her to the doctors as the symptoms you describe sound very much like the start of puberty.

Mountainsoutofmolehills · 14/06/2018 23:10

Oh dear. Take her off dairy NOW.

OK. You need to sort your daughter out. Tell her this is NORMAL and that it's happening to ALL girls from 8-17......

You clearly haven't gone through early menarche but this is HUGE. Sit down. When you go through first menarche your body changes. In UK we are embarrassed and snaitised and don't rally talk about this and just learn about tampax etc from friends. I remember being 8 and coming out of gym at school, and every one calling me molehills. Thats wehn the constnat teasing started. People would say oh you can't wear that, and I this is when I started getting sexual attention. And people would say, oh isn't she advanced or developing.. AND I hated it. I couldn't talk about it as I was so young. A week school trip and communal showers, awful. I jsut died, Everyone saying look at her pubes, my mum was head in sand. At this time I gave up ballet, gym, swimming and started hermiting myself. I had no one to relate to in my peer group and my mum was/is useless parent. She just used to say 'you are so lucky' as she has these fucking bee stings and i was 13 with a d cup and no bra. We have never got over this. she and I. She used to say, oh you are sooooo difficult. Well maybe I was 8 years old being made to feel like a freak and would come home and my brother said, you are falling out of that swimming costume. I felt so awkward, and then got so much male attention. Now what happens to these kids who develop early who are alientated is that they start to hang out with older kids who are generally outcasts from their own social groups.....

When I see 8 year olds, and I knew what a tiny woman i was then it makes me sad that i wasn't a little girl for long... Ween her off dairy it promotes growth....

ScattyCharly · 14/06/2018 23:12

Is she just 8 or nearly 9? My dd told me today that her just 10yo friend has periods. Many little girls in Y4/5/6 look quite adult already.

ScattyCharly · 14/06/2018 23:14

If she is chunky, her body may have done this in order to fuel puberty. or has she always been similar?

Wolfiefan · 14/06/2018 23:15

Take her off dairy?!
Worth a chat with a GP.

AtSea1979 · 14/06/2018 23:18

What? So if I take my DD off dairy it will delay puberty?

nottinghillgrey · 14/06/2018 23:18

mountains. WTF

letsallhaveanap · 14/06/2018 23:22

I started my periods at 9.
And that was a long time ago! I was just quite big for my age...
Its not out of the realms of normality at that age but can be upsetting.
I found it hard dealing with period pains.

nandaandm · 14/06/2018 23:25

My DD is 7, 8 in August. We've also had a few signs. She had a faint whiff of BO a few weeks back so we're making doubly sure she washes her armpits of a morning. she also found a few long hairs on her vagina, literally 2 or 3 really long ones, fair in colour but definitely there. I'm just keeping an eye on it for now. I know it's unusual at their age but it does happen.

Pascall · 14/06/2018 23:28

Puberty is triggered by weight. It all sounds very normal to me, definitely early, but within normal range.

Have a good chat with her about what's happening and why - answer all her questions in a matter or fact, but accurate way. Take her to buy some new underwear - bra tops maybe, and make sure she knows what to do if her periods start at school (though I think she's a while away from that yet).

Dairy is fine

pieceofpurplesky · 14/06/2018 23:32

Blimey @Mountainsoutofmolehills I see how you got your name!
OP sounds like the start of puberty. Others have offered sound advice. Just let her k ow it's all natural.

DownstairsMixUp · 14/06/2018 23:37

I am 30 but I remember having these signs at her age vividly. I wasn't overweight or anything either, quite a skinny child. I didn't end up having a period till four days after my 13th birthday so it still dragged out. I would just have a chat and be open, I'd have appreciated the chat from my mum then but she never had the talk with me at all.

merlotmummy14 · 14/06/2018 23:56

Sounds similar to me - I started wearing deodorant age 8 and got my period a few months after my 10th birthday. I was 5'6 age 12 so very tall for my age (unfortunately haven't grown since) however my boobs were also just puppy fat. Luckily my mum explained everything that was happening to me very well (working a midwife she knew what she was talking about in detail). The more information that is available and the more aware she is that every girl goes through it at some point (albeit some sooner rather than later) is comforting. My mum played it off to me as if I was joining a secret girls only club and you had to be super mature to get an invite to the party early. The important thing is to keep an open dialogue and keep things simple so it's not too far above her comprehension level.

Ollivander84 · 14/06/2018 23:59

Pretty normal I would have thought. I started my periods age 9/10 so was developing before that

KingIrving · 15/06/2018 03:18

Puberty start is linked to body fat.
However I would still see a doctor.

feesh · 15/06/2018 03:34

Puberty is literally triggered by achieving a certain weight, so if she’s overweight that will explain it. Lots of hugs and chats are in order I think.

Happyandshiney · 15/06/2018 03:38

but this is HUGE

It really doesn’t have to be.

My D.C. are both going through puberty. They are very laid back, calm and open about the whole thing. They mostly find it all quite entertaining.

We started educating them about puberty years ago so they think it’s perfectly normal and natural and no big deal even though they both started far earlier than their friends.

It really doesn’t have to be a huge deal. Don’t bring any baggage to the process.

mammmamia · 15/06/2018 03:46

Mountains I have reported your post

ThriftyMcThrifty · 15/06/2018 03:51

My friends daughter started getting pubic heart last month age 6. She just turned 7 this month. She weighs 42lbs so it’s not weight in her case. Really distressing for her. She is being monitored by the doctor and has had a few tests, but everything seems normal, just very early puberty.

Grasslands · 15/06/2018 03:55

Mountains post might be accurate in certain countries (South America/ Brazil come to mind) where hormones in vast quantities are given to cattle. Although not accurate for the UK.
Her mother’s treatment and her own experience clearly were impacted by beginning puberty early.

MrsMarigold · 15/06/2018 04:09

My mother and sister in law started having periods at 10, although I was 13 when I started. DD aged 5 has some very longish blonde hair on the genital area and got swollen nipples at two so I took her to the doctor who referred us to the hospital where they did some tests and she is normal not having a precocious puberty, however I need to keep an eye on it.

elfies · 15/06/2018 04:18

I began my periods at Nine too, no prior talks from mum or school, I thought I was about to die until I plucked up courage to tell mum .
Sixty years ago , no sanitary bins ,or provision to wash in our little school cloakroom, I felt dirty even when It was explained to me .
Teachers making jocular remarks about 'spending more time in the toilets than at lessons , drew attention to me and I felt a real oddity.

Original poster

youlemming · 15/06/2018 07:13

Thanks for the replies (or at least most of them),

We have spoken about puberty after she heard it on a kids doctors programme a few months ago and I've been as matter of fact as I can and explained the changes for both girls and boys.

She's turned 8 a few months ago (yr3), she's been bigger than her friends height wise since nursery but weight wise probably since yr1.

Will take her to the doctors anyway as the stomach ache I think it something different now as it's been a few days.

OP posts:

maymai · 15/06/2018 07:17

There's a great book called "what is happening to me" which is aimed at young children and might help your daughter too. They do a boy and girl book....not sure why they couldn't have done it all in one!

LinoleumBlownapart · 16/06/2018 16:57

Grasslands me thinks you might be thinking of the USA. Hormones are not given to cattle in Brazil and Argentina, almost 95% are completly grass fed. There are very strict laws similar to the EU/Britain. That's why canned beef hash in the UK is usually south American beef, you couldn't get US beef in the UK due to hormones. Sorry to derail but that was just a bunch of nonsense.

My daughter and her friends started puperty in Year 7 or 8, but more overweight girls started earlier.
8 isn't super young, young but not abnormal. When I was at primary school (UK 30 years ago) one girl started her period at 9. Having breasts hasn't stopped my daughter and her friends from still being children and they're 12.

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