When did you stock up in preparation?

[Anonymous]

For your tween’s period?

DD is 10, has ALL the signs and symptoms of the onset of puberty except for her period. She has 10yo classmates who have started. I didn’t start until I was nearly 13, but my mother wasn’t prepared. Should I stock up now? What did you get?

[Anonymous]

A pack of teen pads and put them under her bathroom sink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A pack of teen pads and put them under her bathroom sink.

What does your DD use to transport them at school. DD still has hallway lockers but in-room bathrooms. How mortifying it must be for these girls to have to carry a bag into the bathroom in front of the whole class!

[Anonymous]

Um ... I just gave her a makeup case from a friend, bought a pack of liners and pads, and tossed a few liners and pads in there and after she started her period. Then we went to Target and I bought whatever she wanted.

A couple months later she asked if she could use tampons and I ordered Playtex Sport (regular) on a friend's advice, got a crash course from a female friend of mine, and then showed DD a diagram of a woman's anatomy and re-explained how to put them in to her while we were fully clothed in the living room.

Then for a few months I got her a monthly "period box" that had different brands of pads, liners and tampons along with a cheap piece of jewelry or something. This let DD try a lot of different brands.

[Anonymous]

I bought pads and tampons well in advance. We discussed how to use a tampon and I told my daughter she could practice if she wanted so she would be ready. I put them in a drawer under her sink and didn't say anything else. By the time she got her period she knew how to use tampons and now only wears them (thinks the idea of a pad is gross) and period underwear to sleep in.

[Anonymous]

When she did FLE at school in 4th grade, then reminder each year. We had other conversations , but it was nice to do it in tandem with what she was hearing at school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A pack of teen pads and put them under her bathroom sink.

What does your DD use to transport them at school. DD still has hallway lockers but in-room bathrooms. How mortifying it must be for these girls to have to carry a bag into the bathroom in front of the whole class!

IME, kids talk so openly about having their periods that there is no embarrassment.

I bought a package of pads when mine was about 10. She was in middle school by that point.

[Anonymous]

For my older kid, I put together a little bag she could carry in her back pack - a small make up case with a couple of pads and some liners, and a spare pair of underwear (it was a lot less bulky than it sounds). She had no desire to try tampons for years.

For my younger kid, we already had supplies lying around from #1 so I used those to put together a similar kit. She ended up wanting to try different brands for comfort and, as a swimmer, asked to give tampons a go pretty much right away. I gave her a few verbal tips but she basically taught herself to use those from the package insert and trial and error.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A pack of teen pads and put them under her bathroom sink.

What does your DD use to transport them at school. DD still has hallway lockers but in-room bathrooms. How mortifying it must be for these girls to have to carry a bag into the bathroom in front of the whole class!

Cheap makeup case or pencil case from Target or Clinique or something.

https://www.amazon.com/Miayon-Countryside-Flower-Floral-Cosmetic/dp/B00EE4V0PM/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=tampon+case&qid=1620931421&sr=8-11

https://www.macys.com/shop/product/clinique-6-pc.-pops-of-happy-makeup-set-created-for-macys?ID=12145602&CategoryID=37070

https://www.target.com/p/sonia-kashuk-pencil-case/-/A-82117473?preselect=79223015#lnk=sametab

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A pack of teen pads and put them under her bathroom sink.

What does your DD use to transport them at school. DD still has hallway lockers but in-room bathrooms. How mortifying it must be for these girls to have to carry a bag into the bathroom in front of the whole class!

Backpack

Also it’s small enough to fit in a pocket to go to bathroom.

Also kids are not freaked out about periods like they were in the past.

[Anonymous]

She’ll use the large variety of hygiene products that are ALREADY in the house, because I have them on hand for my own needs?

I don’t understand why this is an issue.

[Anonymous]

Most schools where I am provide period supplies in the bathroom (I work for an afterschool program and we get free supplies from our city for bathrooms). If that's not already a thing you could ask the nurse/bring it up with the PTA.

[Anonymous]

I sent her to school with a small zip case with one thin pad and one panty liner starting in 5th grade. She didn’t get her period until 7th grade (during Covid so she was home anyway). She had also shown a lot of signs (breast buds, pubic hair, armpit hair) earlyish but didn’t menstruate until right before she turned 13

[Anonymous]

I had to go back and remember. My daughter is 16 now. But what we did was we discussed it before hand and then to transport tampons to school,!she wrapped them up and put them in her pencil case that was inside her binder. She had a huge zipper binder that she used for every course in the day. I honestly don’t even know what she does now since she does not like to carry a purse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
She’ll use the large variety of hygiene products that are ALREADY in the house, because I have them on hand for my own needs?

I don’t understand why this is an issue.

+1. Unless OP is a single dad (which I suppose is possible), don't you already have pads and tampons on hand? And if not, you buy some and toss them in the bathroom cabinet until the time comes. It's not like they expire. Hell, my 90 year old grandma still has feminine products on hand in the guest bathroom (she's got a passel of daughters and granddaughters) just in case.