First period - recommend a towel?

Madmel

Jaiden, DD1 turned 9 last week. Some of her friends are approaching puberty so I thought it would be a good idea to sit down and have a chat with her. Not very Moneysaving but I went to Waterstones and bought her a couple of books. They were both written specifically for girls, but included a couple of pages about boys.

We sat down together on my bed and read the book on puberty together. She asked quite a lot of questions and knows she can ask me or her Dad whatever she wants. I gave her the other book to read in her own time. It was a bit more specific to periods so I thought it better to leave that one til she's ready to talk about it.

Mooncups are fab! I know quite a lot of people who have tried them and loved them - personally I'd never use anything else if I could help it. I probably wouldn't start DD with it, but as soon as she felt ready for it, I wouldn't dream of stopping her.

They are different to tampons in that they collect menstrual flow rather than absorbing it. Many people who switch to Mooncups find that their periods become lighter and less painful.

Insertion requires a bit of a knack, but once mastered it's easy. You could practice mid-cycle so on a heavy day you aren't struggling to get it in . The people at Mooncup are really nice (no I don't work for them, but I have sold them through a different company) and they have a helpline. Try https://www.mooncup.co.uk

Poppy9

Two books my DD enjoyed when she was in Y6 were

Have you started yet?

Girls only.

A few of the girls had similar books and they all swopped around and compared notes. They loved the informal way they were written and that they appeared quite grown up books!

RoseFairy

ahh never thought i'd come across this topic - but glad i did!

i remember seeing mum taking out 'dr white's' and belt! and decribing in short to me 'you need them so you don';t have a baby'...???!!!!!! not quite sure what point she was trying to make! never the less, it was few months after that that i started 'spotting' i was only 8years old and was scared of using them big bulky pillows in my pants -iyswim!:eek:

Starting that young may have been common 'in them days' (quite a lonng time ago:eek: ), as mum actually bought me 'mini pads' ,.they definitely were not labelled as liners, though it's probably what it was used for, because although scared, i felt special that they were 'mini' for us young ones!

never have tried tampons - because of rumours that they gave cancer because of the bleach - i know things have changed since.

i used to, and still do, carry a small emergency kit in a small makeup bag, spare undies, couple of normal, super, and liners, poppets bag! and some of those wipes that came with the towels (i think its the always freshelle).

now my dd1 is nearly 8 and is looking physically mature - so not sure when to 'talk' to her - but i am already looking in stores now for 'mini's ' - just in case. however - theres none around ! i know they have gone ultra thinner these days but what to choose for if looking for a smaller size. even the liners are too small - i think ?!

any suggestions on this point - while on the subject?
thanks!

AnnieM_3

Thanks for the info about the Mooncup Jaiden - I have seen them advertised before, but always felt rather squemish about them.

Now I'm wondering if I should give it a go! The website is very informative. Not sure what OH would say to me boiling it up on the hob though!

Madmel

AnnieM, you don't have to boil it on the hob. A good clean should be enough, or you could microwave it for a minute or so. Remember, not *everything* that goes *in there* is sterile .

foreversomeday

Hi Annie,

There is a long thread discussing mooncups over on the green & ethical board *rummages for a link* - they are definitely worth a try as people only seem to report good things after they have started using them. However I wouldn't have thought most teenage girls would be into the idea as I know at that age I was so paranoid about everything period-related that I wouldn't have wanted to use anything reusable. - Having said that though my sister is 17 and uses natural sea sponges as tampons which get washed out, so it depends on the girl.

Here is the link to the mooncup thread. http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=196357

For your daughter, I used to use Always - the ones in the darker green packet were my favourite as I was a small person (although a late starter at almost 16) and I found the ones without wings bunched up, but those were the lightest with wings on and so didn't feel too bulky.

One thing I will mention though is as I have got older and started purchasing my own I really like Cottons towels as I find they make me feel less sweaty (sorry for the mental image - but I'm sure you ladies know what I mean on a hot day) They make pads, pantyliners and tampons all with more natural substances and you can buy them in some boots and Tescos. They are still disposable and are wrapped so that solves the "yuck" factor for teens, and as they are wrapped they fit into a pocket or purse in a school bag easily. I found my blazer pocket with the zip was the perfect size and the zip meant they didn't fall out!
Here's the website which contains the list of stockists to see if there is one you could easily incoporate into a weekly or monthly shop.
http://www.cottonsbrands.co.uk/


Hope this helps

Jaiden_2

Poppy9 wrote: »

Two books my DD enjoyed when she was in Y6 were

Have you started yet?

Girls only.

A few of the girls had similar books and they all swopped around and compared notes. They loved the informal way they were written and that they appeared quite grown up books!

Thx a lot for those links, i'm definately gonna get them and then have "the talk"
And cheers to foreversomeday for the mooncup link

DeeDee74

both those book's are really good..
got them both for my dd she's 10, lot's diffent info in them to...

misscomickat

I remember really struggling with tampons as a young teenager. But then I was given a free sample of a special version designed for young girls, they were very small, with smooth applicators. I would never use towels now, I can't stand them!

seven-day-weekend

Thank the Lord I never had a girl!!!

It was bad enough having my own periods for nearly 45 years without having to worry about towels and tampons and tins and wings for anyone else!

And the thought of those mooncups makes me heave.....:eek::rotfl: