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!

Answer their questions truthfully, use correct terms, only offer minimal details and keep to the question she asked.

"It's a pad for my period. Grown up women have periods. It's called menstruation".

If you're bleeding from your bottom you should probably head straight to A&E tbh

OP- I'd tell her. My 3 year old has been asking so I answer her questions and I've told her that when she's around 12 she'll have the same. I started at 9/10 so I'd rather be up front incase she's the same.

I remember being curious of my mums tampons when I was very young. I asked what they were and I think she said something about it being for grown up ladies and I’d learn all about it when I got older. That seemed to satisfy my curiosity and I never really asked again.

Oh my days, I love that!! That's big number birthday material 😂😂

Well, it wasn't but you said that was your choice - saying 'ladies' bleed with no context isn't really factual.

"Girls and women bleed every few weeks, it's completely normal and doesn't hurt. You will learn more about it when you are older"

Is what I said to my 5 year old.

She just shrugged and said ok.

I explained it in age appropriate terms to each of my girls by the time that they were both about two because they were with me in the bathroom all the time and asked. That said my explanation with my eldest was clearly slightly abstract as when I got pregnant with her little sister she went around telling everyone that the baby was in my womb "eating all of the blood".

I told my son that it's how it's cleaned out each month for if you're growing a baby (while reassuring him I wasn't going to grow another baby!), that it's called a 'period' and only girls and women have them (important point, that); also that it's good to remember to be kind and helpful to girls or women when they have them, as it can make them feel tired.

DD is 10 and they've been learning all about this for a couple of years now. At that age though I said when mummy's don't have a baby that month something comes out. That was all I needed to say. At 8 she learnt at school that the egg doesn't get fertilised so breaks up (explodes was the word!) and comes out. I said I will just tell you that it looks like blood.