Periods and water-based camps

[Anonymous]

So I guess I’m still getting used to my daughter having a period but I didn’t really consider my 13 year old having her period while at rafting day camp. There are apparently no bathrooms. Tampons are not really super comfortable yet for her - and even so, it’s not like she could or should wear one for 10 hours. She could wear a period bathing suit - but again, for that long? What do teen girls do for these types of camps when there are no facilities?

[Anonymous]

They get excused. I would not make my DD go to this if they didn't want to. If they did, I'd help brainstorm ideas.

[Anonymous]

This is a weeklong rafting camp - each day they go rafting all day, and then go home each night. So yeah, I guess we could forfeit the entire week. But as of now, she wants to go, so I’m trying to help figure out some ideas.

[Anonymous]

There are no bathrooms? How does that work?

[Anonymous]

There r period swim bottoms. Check out ruby love. Works for my teen who won’t use tampons.

[Anonymous]

My kids inform me they pee in the river. (Yeah, I know… I don’t like that and it’s gross but that’s apparently what happens).

[Anonymous]

How do you parent a kid, not have them ready for tampons but put them in a rafting camp. Like come on

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There r period swim bottoms. Check out ruby love. Works for my teen who won’t use tampons.

We have a pair but I am trying to envision whether period swim bottoms will be able to hold essentially 9 hours?

[Anonymous]

Biggest tampon she can fit in there, and period suit or cup and period suit.

[Anonymous]

OP, is this a possibility you're worrying about or a thing that's happening now/next week? Most teens aren't so regular that you could really plan for this.

If the issue is being wet / in swim wear, I think period swim bottoms should be fine (put board shorts over in case there's an accident) and she can just sort of casually wipe her legs when she comes out of the water to be sure there's no drips showing. But also she has some time to get used to tampons: find her the small teen-friendly ones, with an applicator if she finds that easier.

If she's not getting that wet and she can wear pads instead, that's easier. Get her a cute "wet bag" to keep her personal stuff in, with a couple ziplocks inside, and she can just pack the used pads home after going into the bushes to pee.

[Anonymous]

So no kid poops at the camp? I mean I would be more worried about that.

She can wear shorts with period bottoms under. Just do dark colors. She can get in the river if she has to.

[Anonymous]

I don't have a teen girl, but I recently started using period panties myself. If you go the period suit way I think the answer is you buy a few bottoms and she brings a couple extras and two zip lock bags and changes after a few hours.

[Anonymous]

I was surprised but mine did okay with a cup. There's a learning curve to getting the fit right, but theoretically could last ten hours of not particularly heavy flow.

[Anonymous]

She can go on BCPs and skip the skip week. No periods to worry about. People do this sort of thing for weddings and honeymoons.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid that's anti tampons or cups. Get the period swim products from knix or ruby love.