Daughters First Period: Help Them Be Ready
Many women probably remember when and where they got their first period. A lot of us probably also wish we’d been a little more prepared.
If your daughter is approaching their first period, how can you help them be ready without embarrassing them -- and yourself? Make an action plan so you’re both ready.
Confront concerns. Your daughter is probably wondering what her period will feel like, how long it will last, and how she can take care of herself each month. Let her know that asking questions is OK, says pediatrician Cara Natterson, MD.
You can start with the basics: Explain that their first few periods will most likely be light, and they might not be regular in the beginning. The blood might be red, brown, or even blackish, and they should change their pad every 4 to 6 hours.
Dads, if this topic is outside your comfort zone, ask an older daughter or female relative to bring it up. Your daughter might be just as uncomfortable talking with you about their period as you are.
Make a period kit. Many girls fear they’ll get their first period at school or when they’re away from home. To help your daughter feel ready, buy a small zippered pouch and stock it with a couple of teen-size sanitary pads and a clean pair of underwear, Natterson says. Tell your daughter to keep the pouch with them at all times, and keep one with you, too, just in case.
Her kit can also be a way to deal with another of the biggest period fears: a leak. “Tell her that if her underwear gets soiled, she can just wrap it in toilet paper and throw it away in the little trash can in the bathroom stall” and use the clean pair in her kit, Natterson says.
Talk about tampons. While there’s no physical reason that most teen girls can’t use tampons from their first period on, Natterson feels it’s better for them to wait a few months. “Tampons are usually leagues beyond their emotional development at this point,” she says. If your daughter is very active, they may insist on trying them. In that case, review a diagram of female anatomy with them (either in a book or the leaflet in the tampon box) so they know how to put one in.