I need period help....period

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, period underwear is GREAT! There are expensive brands like Knix and Salt, but amazon cheapstuff is just as good. I don't do the period undies to soak up "stuff". i put a pad on the undies. It's just good backup in case of leaks and stuff. Best to get pads with "wings".

Yes to this. Cleaning period underwear is gross if you actually use it on its own.

Always uses a numbering system for pads 1-5, 5 being the heaviest. Get a few and talk with her or she can figure out when to use what.

Someone mentioned a diva cup. I would let her lead on that and just get some tampons first. The diva cup is great but hard at first even for me. See if she wants that or ask her after she uses tampons for a couple months.

[Anonymous]

Wow, the internalized misogyny on this thread is kinda intense... Period blood isn't "gross" unless you have the mentality of a middle-school boy. It's normal. You don't have to finger paint with it, just accept that it's part of having a body that bleeds regularly. It's not dirty, and the shame language on here is misogyny. It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to be squeamish about periods.

OP, pads come in teen sizes and start at 1. A 1 or 2 will provide plenty of coverage. Get the kind with wings so they stay attached better. Tampons come in light, regular, and then a bunch of "super" that will probably be overkill for your teen. Start with a brand that offers an applicator. They come with instructions and are pretty straightforward. Cups/disks are great for some women, and a nonstarter for others. A suggestion might be to take your kid to Target or the like and let her pick out what she may want to try for herself. Don't buy too much of anything. Your kid will have preferences, and will find what works best for her. If you have extras or rejects, donate them to a womens shelter.

Period underwear are great on their own on light days, and a good backup on most days. follow the washing instructions. Your kid can rinse them out in the shower and hang them to dry between washings, or just throw them in a bucket until the end of her cycle, soak twice to rinse, and then wash according to directions. Yes, there's blood. It's not "gross" it's just part of having a cycle.

You don't sound as likely as some of the women on this thread to pathologize or stigmatize this, so good on you for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, the internalized misogyny on this thread is kinda intense... Period blood isn't "gross" unless you have the mentality of a middle-school boy. It's normal. You don't have to finger paint with it, just accept that it's part of having a body that bleeds regularly. It's not dirty, and the shame language on here is misogyny. It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to be squeamish about periods.

OP, pads come in teen sizes and start at 1. A 1 or 2 will provide plenty of coverage. Get the kind with wings so they stay attached better. Tampons come in light, regular, and then a bunch of "super" that will probably be overkill for your teen. Start with a brand that offers an applicator. They come with instructions and are pretty straightforward. Cups/disks are great for some women, and a nonstarter for others. A suggestion might be to take your kid to Target or the like and let her pick out what she may want to try for herself. Don't buy too much of anything. Your kid will have preferences, and will find what works best for her. If you have extras or rejects, donate them to a womens shelter.

Period underwear are great on their own on light days, and a good backup on most days. follow the washing instructions. Your kid can rinse them out in the shower and hang them to dry between washings, or just throw them in a bucket until the end of her cycle, soak twice to rinse, and then wash according to directions. Yes, there's blood. It's not "gross" it's just part of having a cycle.

You don't sound as likely as some of the women on this thread to pathologize or stigmatize this, so good on you for that.

Sorry, but it’s ok to call gross things gross. That isn’t misogyny. Handling bedsheets with vomit or child’s underwear they pooped in is gross too. Soaking and dumping bloody period underwear water isn’t pleasant..nor is having it drip bloody water while transferring to the washing machine or wringing them out by hand. Things can “normal” and still be gross. Or worse is the dried crusty period underwear your kid forgot to put into a soak bucket and left in their laundry basket for days.

[Anonymous]

My DD got her period at almost 10 and was a swimmer.
Always brand sells “ teen” pads. She’s 13 now and uses those. Talked about tampons, no interest, I would have some in the house but don’t force if not interested.
We bought the bikini bottom Ruby Love swimwear. She wore it under her one piece.
She carries a small pouch to school with 2 pads in and a clean pair of underwear. I think leggings as well are overkill Burt that’s just me.
One thing to note. I had told my kid to change pad when using the bathroom. It didn’t occur to me that she doesn’t pee all day at school most days. So the first day at school I ask how everything went down there and she shrugged and said she didn’t know. I asked why she didn’t know and she said because hasn’t needed to use the bathroom she didn’t know.
So we had a conversation then about that.
If your kid is a camel like mine you may need to be more specific.

[Anonymous]

The hard thing about your situation is that I think a lot of girls use pads at first and at some point, when they're more comfortable, try out tampons. With your two sports, she'll need tampons right away.

When my girls were tweens, I got period underwear and told them to use it with their pad. I, myself, didn't really trust that period underwear would entirely do the trick but it was a great backup.

I've recently also seen period swimsuits, that I would also buy in your situation as a backup with a tampon. If it's allowed, I might also get period swim shorts to wear over the swimsuit/leotard? But I'm not sure if that's feasible in terms of uniform or norms in your practice sessions but if she's apprehensive about being surprised the first time, then this would alleviate that anxiety-- she could wear them all the time as a 'just in case.'

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The hard thing about your situation is that I think a lot of girls use pads at first and at some point, when they're more comfortable, try out tampons. With your two sports, she'll need tampons right away.

When my girls were tweens, I got period underwear and told them to use it with their pad. I, myself, didn't really trust that period underwear would entirely do the trick but it was a great backup.

I've recently also seen period swimsuits, that I would also buy in your situation as a backup with a tampon. If it's allowed, I might also get period swim shorts to wear over the swimsuit/leotard? But I'm not sure if that's feasible in terms of uniform or norms in your practice sessions but if she's apprehensive about being surprised the first time, then this would alleviate that anxiety-- she could wear them all the time as a 'just in case.'

This is overkill. The average teen could probably free bleed through a practice without any obvious leaking, and a period swim suit is plenty. It's only us older women, esp. biological moms, who have to worry about the industrial strength super tampon + period suit + strict half hour time limit on a swim.

A black period swimsuit isn't going to show blood. A plain black swimsuit is unlikely to show evidence of bleeding during an hour of practice either, unless her cycle is heavy enough that you should probably get her checked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, the internalized misogyny on this thread is kinda intense... Period blood isn't "gross" unless you have the mentality of a middle-school boy. It's normal. You don't have to finger paint with it, just accept that it's part of having a body that bleeds regularly. It's not dirty, and the shame language on here is misogyny. It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to be squeamish about periods.

OP, pads come in teen sizes and start at 1. A 1 or 2 will provide plenty of coverage. Get the kind with wings so they stay attached better. Tampons come in light, regular, and then a bunch of "super" that will probably be overkill for your teen. Start with a brand that offers an applicator. They come with instructions and are pretty straightforward. Cups/disks are great for some women, and a nonstarter for others. A suggestion might be to take your kid to Target or the like and let her pick out what she may want to try for herself. Don't buy too much of anything. Your kid will have preferences, and will find what works best for her. If you have extras or rejects, donate them to a womens shelter.

Period underwear are great on their own on light days, and a good backup on most days. follow the washing instructions. Your kid can rinse them out in the shower and hang them to dry between washings, or just throw them in a bucket until the end of her cycle, soak twice to rinse, and then wash according to directions. Yes, there's blood. It's not "gross" it's just part of having a cycle.

You don't sound as likely as some of the women on this thread to pathologize or stigmatize this, so good on you for that.

Sorry, but it’s ok to call gross things gross. That isn’t misogyny. Handling bedsheets with vomit or child’s underwear they pooped in is gross too. Soaking and dumping bloody period underwear water isn’t pleasant..nor is having it drip bloody water while transferring to the washing machine or wringing them out by hand. Things can “normal” and still be gross. Or worse is the dried crusty period underwear your kid forgot to put into a soak bucket and left in their laundry basket for days.

This is a false dichotomy. Vomit is supposed to be gross to us, as it tells us that we should avoid the illness that caused it. Most of us poop in a toilet, so poop that's out of place is also considered gross (and a biohazard). Menstrual blood where it should be isn't "pleasant", sure, but the opposite of pleasant doesn't have to be "gross". You can just accept that it's a normal part of having a body that bleeds.

[Anonymous]

Our female pediatrician offered her help when DD, who is a dancer, needed to use tampons. DD would have been mortified if I had "helped" her to figure it out.

[Anonymous]

My kid thinks blood is gross

I never did care so it's weird to me

I guess she's not cut out to be a surgeon

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, the internalized misogyny on this thread is kinda intense... Period blood isn't "gross" unless you have the mentality of a middle-school boy. It's normal. You don't have to finger paint with it, just accept that it's part of having a body that bleeds regularly. It's not dirty, and the shame language on here is misogyny. It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to be squeamish about periods.

OP, pads come in teen sizes and start at 1. A 1 or 2 will provide plenty of coverage. Get the kind with wings so they stay attached better. Tampons come in light, regular, and then a bunch of "super" that will probably be overkill for your teen. Start with a brand that offers an applicator. They come with instructions and are pretty straightforward. Cups/disks are great for some women, and a nonstarter for others. A suggestion might be to take your kid to Target or the like and let her pick out what she may want to try for herself. Don't buy too much of anything. Your kid will have preferences, and will find what works best for her. If you have extras or rejects, donate them to a womens shelter.

Period underwear are great on their own on light days, and a good backup on most days. follow the washing instructions. Your kid can rinse them out in the shower and hang them to dry between washings, or just throw them in a bucket until the end of her cycle, soak twice to rinse, and then wash according to directions. Yes, there's blood. It's not "gross" it's just part of having a cycle.

You don't sound as likely as some of the women on this thread to pathologize or stigmatize this, so good on you for that.

Sorry, but it’s ok to call gross things gross. That isn’t misogyny. Handling bedsheets with vomit or child’s underwear they pooped in is gross too. Soaking and dumping bloody period underwear water isn’t pleasant..nor is having it drip bloody water while transferring to the washing machine or wringing them out by hand. Things can “normal” and still be gross. Or worse is the dried crusty period underwear your kid forgot to put into a soak bucket and left in their laundry basket for days.

+1 I agree

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow, the internalized misogyny on this thread is kinda intense... Period blood isn't "gross" unless you have the mentality of a middle-school boy. It's normal. You don't have to finger paint with it, just accept that it's part of having a body that bleeds regularly. It's not dirty, and the shame language on here is misogyny. It's one thing to be ignorant, it's another to be squeamish about periods.

OP, pads come in teen sizes and start at 1. A 1 or 2 will provide plenty of coverage. Get the kind with wings so they stay attached better. Tampons come in light, regular, and then a bunch of "super" that will probably be overkill for your teen. Start with a brand that offers an applicator. They come with instructions and are pretty straightforward. Cups/disks are great for some women, and a nonstarter for others. A suggestion might be to take your kid to Target or the like and let her pick out what she may want to try for herself. Don't buy too much of anything. Your kid will have preferences, and will find what works best for her. If you have extras or rejects, donate them to a womens shelter.

Period underwear are great on their own on light days, and a good backup on most days. follow the washing instructions. Your kid can rinse them out in the shower and hang them to dry between washings, or just throw them in a bucket until the end of her cycle, soak twice to rinse, and then wash according to directions. Yes, there's blood. It's not "gross" it's just part of having a cycle.

You don't sound as likely as some of the women on this thread to pathologize or stigmatize this, so good on you for that.

Sorry, but it’s ok to call gross things gross. That isn’t misogyny. Handling bedsheets with vomit or child’s underwear they pooped in is gross too. Soaking and dumping bloody period underwear water isn’t pleasant..nor is having it drip bloody water while transferring to the washing machine or wringing them out by hand. Things can “normal” and still be gross. Or worse is the dried crusty period underwear your kid forgot to put into a soak bucket and left in their laundry basket for days.

This is a false dichotomy. Vomit is supposed to be gross to us, as it tells us that we should avoid the illness that caused it. Most of us poop in a toilet, so poop that's out of place is also considered gross (and a biohazard). Menstrual blood where it should be isn't "pleasant", sure, but the opposite of pleasant doesn't have to be "gross". You can just accept that it's a normal part of having a body that bleeds.

NP. Stop it with the militant feminism. Leaking blood is gross. Sometimes you can even feel the clots pass. I had a heavy flow before industry came up with all these undies, swimsuits, and whatnot. So poor tools to cope.

It's gross when your skinny scabbed knee bleeds through your jeans. And it's gross at work when your tampon plus pad aren't enough to keep you from having an accident.

Maybe it's normal. But it's still gross and I am enjoying menopause tremendously now that I'm done with "the curse". The only positive thing about my period ever was that it meant I wasn't pregnant (when I didn't want to be) and that I could get pregnant when I did finally want to have kids.

PP, don't invalidate my lived experience. Periods caused me way more laundry work, hassle, and embarassment than two kids' worth of poopy diapers.

[Anonymous]

Sign her up for a period subscription box. That way she can try many different pads and tampons to find what brand/size/type works for her. Playtex tampons come with a pamphlet that has both images and words explaining how to insert. I went through that with my girl in the living room, fully clothed, with a diagram of the specific body part on a screen in front of us and unwrapping a tampon and explaining each step of the pamphlet. Lot of laughter.

[Anonymous]

I think you are putting way more thought into what your role needs to be. She will have friends that have already had a period- unless she gets it at 10. Between a friend’s help and the picture/instructions that come on a tampon pamphlet she will be ok.

[Anonymous]

If she loves her bedding and happens to have light a colored, solid fitted sheet, it’s a good idea to get a patterned, colored base sheet and then she can use that when changing sheets before her period starts.

Throwaway undies are fine. Throw away bedding gets expensive!

[Anonymous]

If you can afford to, go organic:

https://mylola.com/products/first-period-kit?variant=41452938854446