9 yo dd growing up too fast physically

[jenroy29]

She's just 9, has little boobies and is growing (whispering) hairs down there! It's just all happening too soon for me and I know she's growing up and accept all that but I'm reluctant to buy her bra's because she'll be the first in her class to wear them and I'm worried how her classmates will react. But the big thing will be periods, she knows all about them, the biological business and that she will loose blood etc. but how will an active "little girl" cope with the whole sanitary side of things at school? Is puberty coming on quicker generally and is there anything I can do to delay it?

it can be delayed. Your GP would decide whether or not it is necessary, probably at 9 s/he will not think so unless your dd is very small for her age since her growth may slow in puberty.

My dd is the same and so are some others of my acquaintance. I think it may have to do with all the hormones in the meat we eat these days.

She may have these signs now but not get her period for quite some time. If she needs to deal with the sanitary towels, she will.

I agree it seems far too early and I wasn't happy about it either. My GP says it is getting more and more common.

I read up on this a while back and there are some factors such as stress, being overweight etc which accelerate the process. Lots of exercise, reduction of meat in her diet etc may have the effect of slowing it down. Otherwise it is done with injections which I don't personally like much but if you are worried, investigate your options.

Thanks, I don't like the idea of medical intervention either. The meat thing is interesting because I've never really liked meat and I developed slower than my sister who is a confimed carnivore. DD does like her meat and she is approaching 7 stone (remember from watching programmes about anorexia that their periods stopped sub 7 stone) DD isn't fat and she is 5ft but not the biggest in her class, it's not really a subject that I want to talk about with other mums in person, delicate subject isn't it.

I had a similar experience to your dd. My adolescent development started when I was 8 and by 9 I was finsihed, just waiting for my period. However, that didn't materialise until I was 12. My parents freaked out and so we spent the next two years trekking the country to various specialists. Not cool being 8-9 and knowing what a gynecologist appointment entails...nor having images taken for various medical conferences your specialist might want to go to. I was quite scarred by it all to be honest, not so much the bodily changes although they were embarrasing but more so the attention by adults.

I would advise that you talk to your gp about your daughters development but as long as she's otherwise not showing abnormal growth (i.e. extremely tall, quite overweight) then I would be cautious about setting in motion too much medical stuff. She's still a child and will remain your little girl, all the attention to her new features may make her more sensitive to it all. I would just monitor it and keep the gp informed but otherwise just foster a healthy body image for her. Despite having pubical hair/under arm hair and breasts she may not get her period until she's older anyway.

As for getting a bra or not I'd say there are many things on the market such as short bra-like tops (in tshirt material) or vests which can be used to give some support (growing breasts are so uncomfortable) without being an actual bra. That will also make them appear slightly smaller until she's older. Try to encourage her to do sports, PE and other normal activities. I remember I found it difficult to shower with my class mates but in the end I got through it.

In my case the doctors concluded after 2 years of prodding, pricking and poking that the hormone which sets puberty into motion had been activated early in me. Nothing abnormal had happened it had just jumped the gun a bit. And that was all we were ever told. I was pretty angry at my parents for haivng put me through all of that only to be told I was completely healthy and normal. Obviously as a parent myself now I understand the anxiety and think differently about it now.

I wish you and your dd all the best. Once her friends catch up all will be forgotten, promise.

Hi jenroy, I think medical intervention sounds scary too. I had hairs at 9 but didn't start my periods until I was 15. Mind you I had no boobs til then either
Girls are developing much faster these days, although some of the early development can be genetic. DDs cousin started her periods at 10, and struggled to accept it for a while.
I fit girls as young as 10 and 11 for bras now, which is scary considering I work for a D+ specialist. The majority are of African/Carribean descent and/or overweight though.
Try not to let her see you have concerns, and if she needs a bra, don't shy away from getting her one. Crop tops will probably be fine for now.

Cheers Snuppline, I have been looking at the cropped vests etc. just wish the shops (other than Marksexpensive) would sell them in packs of just white, because she has to wear a white shirt for school. She is lucky in that at school they don't have showers and the girls go in to the toilets to get changed for p.e.
I just wish we could know the exact day that periods would arrive because I can't remember what order things came in or how I felt at that time. That either means it wasn't that big a deal or I've blocked out terrible memories!

marriednotdead, I'm open mouthed with shock (D+!!!) and now don't feel I have anything to worry about.

i went to a talk about this last year and the results were that in general the onset of puberty is coming earlier BUT the onset of first period is not coming earlier in the UK.

so there may still be some time for her between the onset of puberty and periods. however, they also did say that 9ish was the earliest 'normal' age, so wouldn't be considered too early.

how tall are you and her father, periods generally indicate a stop in growing height so if she's destined to be taller then she might have a time to go before her periods start.

and finally, i got mine in primary school and it was ok really. i moved onto tampons very early and was very comfortable with periods by 13 when other girls were struggling.

Hi fluffles, I'm 5'6" and DP is 5'11" so I would expect her to grow at least another six inches. I didn't know periods had anything to do with final height that's really interesting.

I can also see the benefits in things coming early, she'll be an expert and I don't know if it's her age or personality but she has no problems talking to us about everything

I started my period when I was 8 and half yrs old and was wearing a C cup bra by the age of 12 (I am of African descent). Needless to say it was both a shock to me and my parents. I was in denial about my period and would not wear sanitary towels (in those days they were big and bulky) and my father would make me wear big baggy t-shirts. My mother used to leave my sanitary towels with the school nurse.

I wish my parents had encouraged a healthy body image instead of making me feel ashamed of what was happening to me. I can, however, kinda of understand my parents because it must have been a shock to them and my father did not want me to get any unwelcomed attention.

Jenroy, try to find a crop top colour darker than white- it will show through your dds blouse much less if it's as close to her skin tone as possible. Maybe a pastel or darker depending on skin colour.
Samoa, that must have been really hard for you. I find even now that many African parents want to hide their dds bodies and insist on sports bras or whatever will 'flatten' them down.
In my experience, it makes them more confused and self conscious, as if they have done something wrong by growing so soon

4? medical abnormality surely.

As someone who got their first bra at 9 (b cup underwire!) and periods q week after their 10th birthday, the best thing you can do is tell her all about it, but books in case she is embarassed, tell her teacher and make up a little bag of pads to leave at school (maybe with a teacher/school receptionist) just in case.
I was more embarassed that they had to get a ladysan bin in the girls toilets just for me!!!
Don't make a bid deal of it. You will just embarass her.

I agree with the majority of posters. I was an early developer like your dd and it sounds like she is now pretty much like I was at that age. I didn't get my period though until I was 12.

For the record, I was pretty skinny and didn't eat loads of meat. Just one of those things, I guess. I too have heard that our sugar-rich and meat-heavy diets can kick-start puberty.

I went to boarding school where we all had to have showers together. Luckily, I wasn't the only one at the same stage of development, so I wasn't made to feel like a freak, but I do remember feeling upset by the odd comments that kids always make (and actually in our case, some of the teachers -- can't believe now they got away with that!).

I found it all very bewildering at the time, particularly because emotionally I was still quite "young" and liked playing with dolls etc. So I would just say that you need to balance that physically she may look older than you expect her to, but her emotional development will still be that of every other 9-year-old you know.

Join the club dd turned 9 a month ago. It started 6 months ago when she had sore nipples that became enlarged. DD nipples have now been up a down since, now she has what looks like puppy fat round the bust area yet she's skinny. Brought her these.

Next was spots on her nose and chin and she's now has a few blackheads too. Greasy hair too, can't go more then 2 days before it looks greasy. Plus been sweaty for a bit but has been getting BO in the last few weeks.

She's got some proper pubes and starting to grow fair hair under the arm. The really scary thing is she's also has a woman's discharge which is often a sign of periods just round the corner.

Can I recommend this book for your dd it does puberty with out the sex ed.