Help - 11 year old started periods and I don't know what to do

[Moneypennygb]

I can't quite get my head round it but my 11 year old has started her periods. She's had the discussions at school and we've talked about it at home so she was more prepared for it than I was and has taken it in her stride but this is her second month now and she is feeling sick and has slight stomach cramps. Not sure what pain relief to give I can't imagine Calpol will work its wonders on this one and having used it for the last 11 years I'm completely lost. I don't want to start over loading her with paracetomol at this age Any advice?

My dd started her periods at 11 too. Do the same things you'd do for an adult with period pains - hot water bottle, painkillers (appropriate dose for her age) etc

Calpol is paracetemol!!!!

I used to get terrible period pains when I was young. Exercise (walk round the block?) helps although it may not immediately be the favoured option. A hot water bottle and plenty of water. Early nights. Can't remember taking tablets but I must have done when it was bad.
Poor thing.

what about feminax its specifically for periods. i used to be off every month with sickness and pain really feel for her

It contains both paracetamol and codeine, so it is a better pain killer. It also has Hyocine bromide which may reduce feelings of nausea and caffie which is a mild stimulent.

I hated feminax - it made me really dehydrated and headachy for some reason?

i started mine when i was 12, and i used to really suffer, hot water bottles and paracentamol used to work pretty well. i used to be doubled over some months, it has eased off since i've had the kids, but probably not something your 11year old needs to know.

Hyosice bromide has as a side effect the drying of the mouth, it is used for that in some conditions, so that is why it would make you feel thisty

I've given her kids ibruprofen which seems to have eased the cramps and she's just asked for some toast so that must be a good sign. I use a magnet device called Ladycare for my craps which means I don't need to take painkillers but I can't seem to get my head round the fact that she may need something like that soon, plus I know calpol has a low dose of paracetomol but it doesn't seem right that I should give her that for period pain when it only seems five minutes ago I was giving it her when she was cutting her teeth it's all gone a bit topsy turvy in my house this past month.

also sorry to sound the cow but make sure its not PE tomorrow and shes putting it on becuase shes got swimming or gymnastics - tell her straight up you will write her a note for PE but she needs to go to school for the rest of the day

also elpful tips - that you dont automatically think of like

if you think you've started - your in the middle of maths - take your jumper off and put round your waist if your worried about a stain showing through.

also - if you havent got any - you can ask the school nurse - you can also do the folding of the bog roll trick - but only if wearing trousers or tights - as she wouldnt want it to drop out.

maybe if she wears a skir t- you could buy her some trousers for school now.

i told my dd that starting her period was the start of beig grown up - and to officially mark the occasion we would go out and buy her a brand new outfit - which we duly did.

also tell her to look up sites on the net to get information - you can get freebies from some sites - this is a great enticement to search through and get some information -

i let my daughter have the first day after she started off school - she spent all day on the internet.

she phoned me on a packed train - i was on the way to london for a meeting surrounded by suits and brief cases when she rang me up on the mobile and said " mum...what else can i type into a search engine to get information - cos periods isn't doing very well"
so in the middle of this packed train i said " try menstuation"
" how do you spell it"
"m...e...n....s...." yes you get the picture.

also depending on your budget try looking out for pads for her - her periods may be lighter than yours - so for instance i wear the extra large extra lenth always nappies. - well almost as good as.

well thats just not appropriate for a 12 year old - but wilkinsons do some great ones especially for teenagers- thje box even looks groovy.

also she needs a place in her room where she can keep things - a cpboard or a box - especially if she shares. she needs to be able to put her pads somewhere if shes embarrased about it.

she needs to know she can get you on one side if she stains her sheets and you can do a quick wash without dad or borthers hanging about.

hope this helps

and half a paracetemol for the pain

and an explaination that its not a illness and she can't go moping around like shes dying for 7-10 days eveymonth

Custardo - what is Wilkinsons? Is it a chemist type place? Are they a particular brand? Am going to send a little bag for DD to school as she is having monthly stomach pains so I guess it is not too far off (she is 9.8!!).

its like a hardware store i guess with hair dyes and shampoo too and toys and a clothes bit - its a bit like a french supermarket but without the food i always think - but the point remains you dont want to be getting her big combersome things

Thanks Custardo for the practical advice. I've fallen for the 'sent home from school but ok to sit and watch disney channel and play on the computer' before so I've wised up on that one. Plus she was genuinely upset that she's missed Guides' Halloween Party tonight, so she's definitely legit.

I've always been quite open about having my periods and have made sure that packets of pads are in the bathroom cabinet in full view so they weren't too alien to her. I'll look for the smaller pads though as the smallest always I'd found are still huge.

You are right about the just getting on with it too, I'll give both her and me this month to be all girly about it and next month it's back to normal come what may.

The jumper round the waist inspired didn't even know that one when I was at school.

Might try the internet suggestion over the weekend and see how she gets on.

I am being positive in front of her with the 'that's you growing up' 'let's go to the shops to mark the occasion' it's just on the inside I'm giving ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

On the bright side have sent husband to chemist on way home from work to pick up more Ibruprofen as our chemist's assistant is v thorough she'll probably ask what it's for, would like to overhear that conversation.

custy you always make out that you are a meany mummy but you are lovely and full of great advice

shhhh noddy you'll destroy my image!

One thing I remember from starting mine... my mum went to the shops and bought pretty much every type of pad she could find - she then told me to try them out, and let her know which ones I liked most. It was really nice to be able to find the ones that suited me.

Love Custy's post - and I remember doing the jumper round the waist trick on numerous ocassions (into aldulthood even).

Just don't do what someone I knew did. Organised a 'red' celibration on the top of the mountain wich involved her dd, loads of other women dancing round tied to her dd with a red cord (do you get the symbolism) until the mother could dance no more and the dd was cut loose to dance on alone.....poor kids wanted to crawl under a rock!

OMG martianbishop. How traumatic for her.

i dont know hmb set to 50 cent it might go down a treat

relax. 11 is a perfectly normal age to start.
had she been 9, then you could think about being a tad worried, but fgs, 11 is actually just right.
why wont calppol work? its got paracetamol in it. what you should be thinking more about is do you want her to be a slave to medicine every month?