Periods and water-based camps

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP-- surely the camp has faced this before. Frankly, I'm surprised it isn't on their FAQs or something. I would reach out to them and ask about the logistics of it.

Agree. Highly doubt they have zero access to bathrooms all day

If they are rafting all day long then it makes sense they do not have access to bathrooms. They likely just pee in the river or in the woods on breaks.

OP - can you find a woman who works for the camp, call and ask for advice. I would be worried swim suit bottoms could fail when she is out of the water. Does she have a good friend going with her that can help (I am thinking help deflect from kids noticing she is changing or leaked on a towel.).

[Anonymous]

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

Many people can't use tampons - but I assume you can't imagine a world where everyone is not like you.

[Anonymous]

To help put this in context, my son did a similar day camp around that age. You drop the kids off at a school or community center - which is likely closed. They all hop in the camp’s car or van and drive several hours. Then they fish, raft, etc, and then drive back. The counselors at my son’s camp were just guys who like to be outdoors. They kept the kids alive, but would even forget to break for lunch - or tell the kids to leave their lunch in the cars and then realize the lunch break was somewhere else. So no - no way in hell would they have been able to deal with period logistics. Maybe if there are girls on the trip, they will ensure there is one female counselor.

Of course they have plans for if a kid gets sick or diarrhea- the kid stays at home and does not go to camp.

The biggest problem I see if your daughter will be in a wet swimsuit for hours (so all the absorbency will be used up) and then will have to sit in a car for an hour or two. Getting period blood on the car seat would be horribly embarrassing, not to mention not so great for the owner of the car. So maybe pack a properly colored towel for her to sit on.

There will likely not be anywhere to easily change, but if she has friends going they could work together to make it clear before they get back into the van, they are going to change in the woods and then look out for each other. I do think it’s worth trying to talk to a counselor and devise a plan. Maybe they can always stop at a gas station on the return trip. Or at least explain that your kid will be sitting on a towel on the ride home and to not give her a hard time about it.

[Anonymous]

She has to figure tampons out. Women go on long hikes and camp all the time, where bathroom and garbage access is limited. You take a bag and dispose of it in sealed bag and carry it with you until you can dispose of it. It isn’t a big deal- unless you make it one. In which case you shouldn’t go on trips where a standing bathroom isn’t available.

[Anonymous]

I would skip this type of camp. It truly sounds awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She has to figure tampons out. Women go on long hikes and camp all the time, where bathroom and garbage access is limited. You take a bag and dispose of it in sealed bag and carry it with you until you can dispose of it. It isn’t a big deal- unless you make it one. In which case you shouldn’t go on trips where a standing bathroom isn’t available.

Those women absolutely love the outdoors and camping. It’s ok to want access to the bathroom. Really it is.

[Anonymous]

Idk, in my experience outdoorsy men are pretty crunchy. I don’t think they’d be phased by this and I would be really shocked if there’s not a woman in management. Also wherever they put in the rafts probably has a bathroom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She has to figure tampons out. Women go on long hikes and camp all the time, where bathroom and garbage access is limited. You take a bag and dispose of it in sealed bag and carry it with you until you can dispose of it. It isn’t a big deal- unless you make it one. In which case you shouldn’t go on trips where a standing bathroom isn’t available.

She literally doesn't. There are more ecological alternatives to tampons. It's funny the poster above is talking about taking all this trash and packing it out like it helps the environment.

Would your daughter use the cup? If not - would she use period swim bottoms?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She has to figure tampons out. Women go on long hikes and camp all the time, where bathroom and garbage access is limited. You take a bag and dispose of it in sealed bag and carry it with you until you can dispose of it. It isn’t a big deal- unless you make it one. In which case you shouldn’t go on trips where a standing bathroom isn’t available.

Those women absolutely love the outdoors and camping. It’s ok to want access to the bathroom. Really it is.

Of course. But then don’t sign up for this type of activities that bathrooms and garbage cans scarce of you don’t want to/can’t deal with it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She has to figure tampons out. Women go on long hikes and camp all the time, where bathroom and garbage access is limited. You take a bag and dispose of it in sealed bag and carry it with you until you can dispose of it. It isn’t a big deal- unless you make it one. In which case you shouldn’t go on trips where a standing bathroom isn’t available.

She literally doesn't. There are more ecological alternatives to tampons. It's funny the poster above is talking about taking all this trash and packing it out like it helps the environment.

Would your daughter use the cup? If not - would she use period swim bottoms?

1) cups are way more difficult to use than tampons
2) she won’t have access to running water to wash her hands
3) the cup needs to be emptied and reinserted- how would that go, with dirty hands, in the woods, with no water to rinse the cup, or your hands?
That sounds way worse

[Anonymous]

How do they poop?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She has to figure tampons out. Women go on long hikes and camp all the time, where bathroom and garbage access is limited. You take a bag and dispose of it in sealed bag and carry it with you until you can dispose of it. It isn’t a big deal- unless you make it one. In which case you shouldn’t go on trips where a standing bathroom isn’t available.

She literally doesn't. There are more ecological alternatives to tampons. It's funny the poster above is talking about taking all this trash and packing it out like it helps the environment.

Would your daughter use the cup? If not - would she use period swim bottoms?

1) cups are way more difficult to use than tampons
2) she won’t have access to running water to wash her hands
3) the cup needs to be emptied and reinserted- how would that go, with dirty hands, in the woods, with no water to rinse the cup, or your hands?
That sounds way worse

Cups are supposed to last 12 hours, they hold way more than a tampon
On the other hand, if it fails it will be an embarrassing disaster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She has to figure tampons out. Women go on long hikes and camp all the time, where bathroom and garbage access is limited. You take a bag and dispose of it in sealed bag and carry it with you until you can dispose of it. It isn’t a big deal- unless you make it one. In which case you shouldn’t go on trips where a standing bathroom isn’t available.

She literally doesn't. There are more ecological alternatives to tampons. It's funny the poster above is talking about taking all this trash and packing it out like it helps the environment.

Would your daughter use the cup? If not - would she use period swim bottoms?

1) cups are way more difficult to use than tampons
2) she won’t have access to running water to wash her hands
3) the cup needs to be emptied and reinserted- how would that go, with dirty hands, in the woods, with no water to rinse the cup, or your hands?
That sounds way worse

Cups are supposed to last 12 hours, they hold way more than a tampon
On the other hand, if it fails it will be an embarrassing disaster

As an adult woman, who’s had zero issues with tampons starting at 11, I could not get a cup to work. I’ve tried several times over the years. On the one occasion I did manage to get it in, the seal was so strong, I couldn’t get it out. I had to pull so hard that when the seal broke and it came out, blood flung all over the bathroom. It looked like a murder scene. That isn’t to say some women don’t have great success with cups, but there a much higher change for things to go wrong and it can be a big challenge to get the hang of them and get a comfortable fit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She has to figure tampons out. Women go on long hikes and camp all the time, where bathroom and garbage access is limited. You take a bag and dispose of it in sealed bag and carry it with you until you can dispose of it. It isn’t a big deal- unless you make it one. In which case you shouldn’t go on trips where a standing bathroom isn’t available.

She literally doesn't. There are more ecological alternatives to tampons. It's funny the poster above is talking about taking all this trash and packing it out like it helps the environment.

Would your daughter use the cup? If not - would she use period swim bottoms?

1) cups are way more difficult to use than tampons
2) she won’t have access to running water to wash her hands
3) the cup needs to be emptied and reinserted- how would that go, with dirty hands, in the woods, with no water to rinse the cup, or your hands?
That sounds way worse

Cups are supposed to last 12 hours, they hold way more than a tampon
On the other hand, if it fails it will be an embarrassing disaster

It is safe to keep a cup in for 12 hours before taking it out and washing it. It doesn't mean it lasts for 12 hours. Teens typically use relatively small cups. It really depends on the flow how long it lasts.

[Anonymous]

I would honestly try the period swimsuit. Don't use it for the first time at camp. If it works it is much easier than fiddling with tampons. At camp she can go behind s tree and change when needed ( you have to have extra period swimsuit bottoms to last the whole day).