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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

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Original poster

what did you do for your teen girl when they started their periods?

35 replies

StationaryMagpie · 14/01/2022 13:17

Only asking as this thing about 'period party' came up on an FB group.

Can honestly say i'm horrified at the idea, i think i'd have disowned my mom if she'd done that.

That being said, 12yo DD has started hers today.

i've got her 5 pairs of period pants, and a wash bag for them
a couple of boxes of lillets teen pads for day and night. (so she has options)
made sure i have ibuprofen and paracetamol to hand.
got her a little pouch to keep her pads in her school bag.

Am i missing anything?

Probably a daft question, but its been 27 years since i had my 'first' and my mom just handed me a pack of pads and told me to get on with it.. so i want to make sure i've got this right for her.

OP posts:

VeronicaBeccabunga · 14/01/2022 13:27

I remember making sure my daughter knew about disposing of disposable pads and tampons, that she had bags and we always had a lined bathroom bin.
My mum yelled at me for trying to flush towels but never told me what I was supposed to do, so that had stuck with me as a horrible cringe moment.
I also reassured her that leaks on pants or sheets were not a major issue, just to let me know we needed to change the bed or get clean towels.
I tried to be relaxed and normal about asking if she needed supplies rather than her having to ask.

BarbaraLoganPrice · 14/01/2022 13:39

I like the thought of doing something nice with my DD when the time comes, either a film and some snacks or a trip shopping. Not as a celebratory idea at all- more that I remember when I got mine I found it a very stressful and scary thing. I like the idea of doing something to take her mind off it if she finds it difficult.

Missey85 · 14/01/2022 13:39

Seems like your doing it right as for period parties I would have hated that how embarrassing

Invasionofthegutsnatchers · 14/01/2022 13:41

Get her some chocolate 🍫

BlueSky8 · 14/01/2022 13:43

Hot water bottle
Chocolate.

Otherwise everything else sounds good!

As pp go over where to dispose etc for when at school.

Gazelda · 14/01/2022 13:46

I made sure she had everything she needed. Understood what to do in different scenarios. Advised her to start tracking her period on an app so that, in time, she knows when to expect the next one.

I re-open the conversation every now and then, to make sure she's comfortable with everything or wants to change her sanpro method etc. I usually do this in the car on the way home from school.

Other than that, it was pretty low key. No drama or party.

Coronado2 · 14/01/2022 13:47

Pretty much what you've done, made sure she's aware she can ask questions. She asked me to buy her the period book, a girl's guide to growing up so I have. It only came today (she started last week) so I don't know if it is useful yet.

I bought her the lillets teen pads and some bambo ones from Boots that had night and day ones in a box, I think these (hopefully the picture works) and even though they are bigger she finds them more comfortable.

what did you do for your teen girl when they started their periods?

Locomelon · 14/01/2022 13:48

All sounds perfect. My DD doesn't dread her period now as she knows I'll buy her some Ben and Jerry's 🤪

BlueSky8 · 14/01/2022 13:48

Advised her to start tracking her period on an app so that, in time, she knows when to expect the next one.

This is a really good one actually.

Whilst I do it now would never of thought when younger and I did get caught short.

MoFro · 14/01/2022 13:49

Chocolate and hot water bottle
I took mine to theatre to make her feel special as she was first of her friends to start aged 11
Bought nappy bags for her to dispose of pads

No to period party!! She kept it private

KittensTeaAndCake · 14/01/2022 13:50

Period party? I couldn't think of anything worse.

Slingingcontest · 14/01/2022 13:59

I did what you did plus cake! Liletts used to do a starter pack which must still exist I imagine.
Since then, we acquired wheat bags you can heat in microwave for cramps, and you can also buy heated pads from the chemist that stick on when cramps are severe.
Some parents of my acquaintance bought their dd's a bunch of flowers/a cactus to mark the day.
Obviously, be open to questions.

And if you are involved with class rep /PA at school, it's always worth enquiring whether girls have adequate, clean, private toilets at school to deal with periods and have adequate emergency supplies. Many teens girls find this subject very difficult to talk about this to teachers etc, so it's one area where parents can really advocate for them. It turned out that the facilities at my dd's school were so awful, the pupils avoided drinking water and peeing regularly, never mind dealing with periods, so don't assume all ok!

blacksax · 14/01/2022 14:12

Takes all sorts I suppose.

Original poster

StationaryMagpie · 14/01/2022 14:15

thank you!

I'm not too concerned about the school, its a new build and they're signed up to the Red Box Project, so she should be good if she has any issues at school!

OP posts:

gabsdot45 · 15/01/2022 11:08

My DD started at age 11 and quite quickly we realised that the teen pads were useless. Little girls can have grown up lady periods.
I get her the always delux pads. They're very absorbent. Also she puts an incontinence sheet on her bed.
She has a little purse with supplies in her school bag all the time too.

RoseAndRose · 15/01/2022 11:13

I don't come from a culture that celebrates the menarche, so we didn't do that.

I did get her some donuts though - a favourite comfort food.

I had towels and the Lillets starter pack in the house ready for when.

And I signed her up to a period tracking app (which we both have on out phones - it's not as creepy as it sounds - she knows she's scatty and that I'm more likely to remember to input!)

cherryonthecakes · 15/01/2022 11:33

I just secretly gave her some extra chocolate. She wouldn't want the other family members (all male) knowing so this seemed like a discreet and appropriate way to do it.

piney07 · 15/01/2022 11:39

The best thing I ever heard as a teen was the sex education nurse telling us about the “time” (maybe made up) she was wearing jeans and unexpectedly got her period, and she had to wad up some toilet paper to create a pad in a jiffy.

This message lasted throughout my whole life and I never felt ashamed or abnormal if I was caught out and needed to use the toilet paper trick! Similarly normalising night time bed leaks etc would be good, “comes out in the wash don’t even worry about it just strip the sheets as soon as you can”.

RoseAndRose · 15/01/2022 12:07

Good point - making sure they know to soak blood stains in cold water and tell you if they have something extra to go in the wash are both v handy

Original poster

StationaryMagpie · 15/01/2022 12:22

@RoseAndRose

I don't come from a culture that celebrates the menarche, so we didn't do that.

I did get her some donuts though - a favourite comfort food.

I had towels and the Lillets starter pack in the house ready for when.

And I signed her up to a period tracking app (which we both have on out phones - it's not as creepy as it sounds - she knows she's scatty and that I'm more likely to remember to input!)

i use Clue, its a life saver now my cycles have started to shorten! Its rarely wrong.

OP posts:

MeltyFireSurround · 15/01/2022 21:38

I would have been mortified by any fuss made at all so I assumed the same for DD. I gave her some pads, showed her how they stuck on to pants and told her to let me know if she needed anything else.

Umbella · 16/01/2022 14:43

I had made a gift box ahead of time with a range of san pro plus some comfortable things like a nice new hot water bottle, cashmere socks, PJs, smelly candle, chocs, herbal tea, plus a silver bracelet. Gave it DD to open on her own- I wanted to mark it as a special thing but not to make her cringe too much.

Umbella · 16/01/2022 14:44

Should add we’d also talked about how to use pads etc before.

Echobelly · 16/01/2022 14:46

Not much - asked what products/pain relief were needed and bought them! Also said to let me know if pain gets really bad each time as there is prescription stuff that helped me and my sister.

KiloWhat · 16/01/2022 14:49

Bar of chocolate and an app. And how to tell you when she needs more pads. If you have a shopping list she might want to write it on there rather than ask.

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