Is 4 to young to explain periods?

[Sillyperiodquestion]

Okay this maybe a silly question but DD is my first so I wanted to get some opinions on what other people do

im a single mum to DD 4 so naturally she is with me all the time (bar pre school and visiting family etc)

she often comes into the bathroom whilst I'm on the toilet (something I'm working on trying to stop) and she is obviously at a curious age. She has seen my pads and has asked why I'm wearing a "nappy"

I remember also being curious around that age and asking my mum what the bins in public toilets were for and she always just said "I'll tell you when you're older" which I found extremely frustrating as a child.

now my DD is starting to ask questions around period / period products, is 4 too young to kind of explain that to her? Obviously not all the gory details, I'd do it in a child friendly way. I just don't want her to grow up thinking periods are like a secret or anything to be ashamed of but also recognise 4 is very young to get her head around it!

any advise as to how to answer her questions would be much appreciated!

All of my children have always grown up knowing about periods and the older ones have also seen and understood lochia as well. To them, it’s completely normal. Whilst they don’t express any desire to start their periods, they are fully prepared for when they start.

I’ve explained this to my kids this way:

Mummies belly makes a lovely bed for a potential baby in her belly (or uterus depending on age), if there is no baby then a woman’s body gets rid of that bed as it starts to get old and makes a new one. The old bed comes out as blood.

I've never had enough privacy to avoid the topic tbh. It's a natural part of life (that I was very shamans and awkward about for most of mine) so I try to keep it normal and everyday. Nothing to be shy about.

@BewareTheBeardedDragon I used something very similar!! Instead of cushion, it was bedsheets! Women prepare a cosy bed for baby and if baby doesn't come, we change the bedsheets every month.

When they were young, I used to tell mine that my womb makes a special cushion with blood each month in case I want to have a baby. When my body knows I'm not having a baby, it gets rid of the cushion and makes a new one ready for the next month. As they got older I explained more thoroughly.

4 is definitely not too young.

Technically accurate?! 'Mummy's body recycles itself'?
That's confusing and inaccurate.

Like PPs, I explained what a period was in terms bleeding that happens from a woman's vagina each month, unless she is having a baby.

We're very open about menstruation & I'm pleased my DSs, 14 & 11, will matter-of-factly refer to periods & period products & on their kinder days, bring painkillers / hot water bottles to their DSis!

Mine (boys and girls) all knew by 5ish what their body parts were called, what periods were, how babies were made and how they are born.
None of it is shameful or embarassing, it's normal and part of life.

Yes DD asked when she was about 3 for the same reason- came to the toilet with me and saw me emptying my moon cup. I agree with a pp I think these things need to be frequent small conversations throughout childhood rather than one big scary conversation age 9/10/11.

Her bottom??? 😩😫

I also have a 4 year old dd, she passes me my pads when I need her to, I just told her the blood isn't a bad thing and mummy isn't hurt or cut just when you are a girl and get older it happens to everyone and she will have it too one day. End of, she didn't ask questions, I've not lied to her or confused her, just told her the truth

If you're bleeding from your bottom every few weeks you need to see a doctor...

Your vagina however, all normal and expected.

Taught my teens when they were toddlers. Told them it was a bleeding nappy and that when there is a baby in there, the blood makes them a nice house as it’s warm. When no baby is there, baby house is empty and so the blood just comes out. They thought it was funny. Job done. No awkward conversation when older.

Bleeding is from entrance to baby house.

Lol my dd now 5 was the same. She thinks tampons are like plasters for your bum though

'Baby house' 🫣

Noooooooo....

Ds asked at 4 and I just said ladies bleed sometimes and I need these products to help me. I left it at that due to his age.

Did you not think this was confusing with no context to why you were bleeding? To make sure he knew you weren't in pain / hurt?

@EarringsandLipstick I'm sorry what's the confusion? Genuine question. I WAS in pain and hurt but I don't think he needed to know that.

Missing the point of the thread entirely but a memory has just surfaced from my childhood: my mum had tried to explain periods to my little brother when he was about 4-5 as he'd found a box of tampons. I don't quite know exactly how she explained it, but I do remember one month he found a tampon wrapper in the bin, burst into the kitchen waving it like a battle standard, and demanded "which one of you girls has laid an egg?!"

Still cracks me up to this day.

@bakewellbride

Because you just told him women bleed sometimes but not why? To a 4 yo that probably equals an injury.

Of course you probably wouldn't tell him you were in pain (tho you could!) but would you not have explained why this was happening and what periods relate to?

😂😂😂 that's great!

@EarringsandLipstick hi, at his age I just wanted to keep it brief and anything more would've confused him. I will obviously tell him more when he's older. Each to their own. 👍🏻

Definitely not too young. Use actual terms though, not euphemisms.

I highly recommend the book “it’s not the Stork”. You don’t have to read it cover to cover with your child if they aren’t interested. It is a perfect resource when they ask a question to be able to turn to that page and have age appropriate information summarized. As your child aged, there are additional books in the series. I like having the book series in our home library so if my child has a question they are nervous about asking, they have a safe place to look it up instead of turning to the internet where what they find might not be the best site to be reading

Oh sure @bakewellbride but I think it could be brief & also factual - and fine for a 4 yo. But of course, up to each parent.

@EarringsandLipstick what I did was 100% factual. Thanks.