How do you talk to your daughters about periods? Share your tips with Lil-Lets for a chance to win a £300 gift voucher NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at Lil-Lets would love to hear your tips on talking to your daughter(s) about growing up and preparing for their period. Or, how you faired having the same talk with your own mum.

Lil-Lets say "we are often asked by parents how best to approach that all important discussion with their daughters as they become a teen, grow up and start their periods. We know MN is a massive source of support for parents and different stages of the parenting journey and we'd love to hear your tips and experiences with this topic".

Please share your top tips on how to chat to your daughter(s) about growing up and preparing for their period. Lil-Lets also want to hear your tales of the same talk with your own mum.

Check out their video below:

Please add your comment or tip below and you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 gift voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ
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We have always talked very open about our bodies &how they work. This has worked for us & we answered all questions honestly when they came up & did not need to have an awkward sit down talk

Yes, she is twelve now and we have been talking openly since she was a toddler and used to see me in the bathroom. We have a very good relationship and can easily talk about things. I wanted her to know what to expect.

if we have a daughter which we hopefully will next I'll be leaving that talk to the wife

I walk around naked baring my less than perfect body. Real women aren't airbrushed and most are not without imperfections.

I didn't really get much information at home but knew about periods from friends who had started before me. I think it's good to be open and honest with your daughter

I have always been very open as if she asks questions I sit down and talk with her about it. I make her feel like she can come to me with Any of these questions.

This wasn't mentioned until it happened when I was young, so I introduced the subject gradually with my daughter, giving her books and discussing it from the age of about 9.

Very simply and calmly.Give information and let them ask any questions.Take time

I waited until they had "the talk" at primary school (Y5 or Y6, I can't remember), then took the opportunity to have a little chat about it. It gave me a good opening! Luckily, DD1 is a fairly late developer, so I wasn't worried I was leaving it too late. And she's a very open child, so there was no worry about her refusing to engage (which happened to one of my friends).

That reminds me....I need to have the same chat with DD2. She knows some of the facts from her sister, but I need to make sure they are the right facts!

Oh how times have changed! Nowadays it is spoken about so openly that even the daytime adverts have tampons being advertised so daughters really do find out a lot earlier so the need to discuss at an earlier age is important. I think being as Open as possible really helps. I have always chatted openly and comfortably but with an added serious undertone too. We are all different and only we know the BEST way to talk to our little darlings so that they understand and are not worried. BE PREPARED is key

Just be frank, explain it all as it goes along, and try and avoid a big panic when it finally becomes evident. If you child is intelligent, then explain the inner workings too.

Haven't been talking about it yet..

I was given a book about banana flies!! but fortunately there are much better books out there for children to read now. My granddaughter enjoyed having a book which explained it all because she could read it in her own time. She is 11 now and has the necessary towel in her school bag discreetly packaged!

I had to do this much earlier than expected as my daughter started at 9 1/2 and she is also autistic. We got a couple of really great books one was Girls Only and sat her down and explained. As hers was a medical reason we did have some great support from specialists as well. The mood swings are awful and she is 11 now but she copes really well and changes her own pad. The Lil-Lets teen pads are great as they are just the right size for her.

My wife's mother was useless when it came to these types of discussions, so we have always said that we will be open and honest (and to some extent, proactive) when it comes to discussions about body changes etc so our daughter knows exactly what to expect and she can approach us to ask any questions.

when i was young my mum didn't discuss stuff like this, so i bought an easy read book on how the body changes as you grow let my girls read it, then said have any questions you want to ask, to which the answer was no we learnt all this at school

I'd say be matter of fact but obviously with a caring side. Just being there to provide the information helps too.

Early days for our that discussion yet, when I was a girl we were told about them during a school lesson

My mum always showed me her pads and what was going on with her when she was on her period. She would pick up the pads in the shops and explain what they were. When I started I was aware that the blood in my knickers was natural and part of becoming a "woman" . I thought her approach was best and even though I was 11 when I started, I was not scared or shocked my it.

Basically I would say show your daughter when you start so she knows there is nothing wrong with her as mummy has it to.

The information from Tampax is pretty good, and talks on their level. I had an excruciating 'talk' from my mum who thrust a booklet at me, and almost ran out of the room....

Am sure these days we can do better...

My daughter is still very young, but I hope I can explain everything and be as open as my parents were with me.

My mum was brilliant and explained everything simply and with humour. I must have asked hundreds of questions (some of them very strange), but she always answered honestly and I never felt embarrassed or uncomfortable

I hope I can do the same for my DD.

Matter of factly and honestly. Answering the questions as they arise. But it's important to listen too, as girls often have anxieties or misconceptions that they need time to voice so they can be addressed.

I gave my daughters as much advice as I possibly could, although every body experiences periods differently. The emotions and mood swings are hard to deal with, but being open and honest goes a long way.

My DD is 12 and is yet to start her periods, most of her friends have theirs but all seem quite embarrassed to talk about it. When she was in year 6 they had a talk at School, where they went in to everything regarding puberty. I've assured my Daughter that it's perfectly natural, and nothing to be embarrassed about and I've stocked up on sanitary towels, with an emergency stash in her school bag just in case!

Periods have never been a secret in our house, all my children know that to make a baby, you need an egg from the mummy and a seed from the daddy. When my girls (4, 6) have seen any sanitary products or any bleeding, I've explained that our body prepares for baby when we are grown ups, and if a baby isn't made, then the blood has to come out. I've said it doesn't hurt, and it happens to everyone. They can ask questions openly and I will answer as best I can, appropriately.