Impending menstration...

[mothergoose518]

My 11.5 year old daughter is not far from starting her period. Frankly I think the only reason she hasn't yet is because she is so thin. I do *not* want her using commercial disposable pads and tampons.

My plan is to get her some cloth pads and eventually a Diva Cup. Has anyone else gone this route with their DD? How many pads do they need? (She is home schooled if it makes a difference.) The only time I ever use pads is for postpartum bleeding and miscarriages - I use my Diva Cup 100% of the time for menstruation.

Have any of your girls had any success using the Diva Cup? I doubt DD would be able to use that until she is older and her body has grown some... even then it seems to me they would be difficult for a girl who has never been sexually active. I dunno... I had given birth vaginally twice before I ever used one. Although I used tampons every cycle starting from my very first until I stopped using them 7 years ago. I used tampons for several years before becoming sexually active, but I know they are so very different from reusable menstrual cups... and those menstrual cups definitely have a learning curve!

[MusicianDad]

DD uses cloth pads that she made herself. She said she has 10 of them and that works for her. She said she snychronizes her laundry day with everything too.

I would start with pads and leave the diva cup up to her, to be honest. She will be the one who knows when she is ready, if she ever is.

[StoriesInTheSoil]

Maybe offer the possibility of using natural sea-sponge "tampons" also? They need to be changed more frequently than the Diva Cup but they are really imperceptible when they are in and they can be used for like 6 months. Also, no boiling like the Diva, they are easy easy easy to sterilize

I for one used tampons from the get-go when I started as a pre-teen. I couldn't deal with pads. (I now use a Diva Cup and sea sponge tampons.) I would just get her different things and teach her about all of them and let her decide!

[Adele_Mommy]

I started my period at 13 and I could not use tampons until I became sexually active. It was actually physically impossible. My mother was the same way so I thought this was pretty common, but after reading the posts on various threads in this sub-forum, I'm begining to think the women in my family are kind of freaks of nature in this area!

Anyway, I would stick with pads, but obviously my perspective is skewed. How many you will need can vary, but if she just wants to wash them once each cycle I would go with 12-14. I am a big fan of Party In My Pants pads. (I use them myself. My dd has not started menstruating yet.)

[iamme]

Originally Posted by mothergoose518

My 11.5 year old daughter is not far from starting her period. Frankly I think the only reason she hasn't yet is because she is so thin. I do *not* want her using commercial disposable pads and tampons.

My plan is to get her some cloth pads and eventually a Diva Cup. Has anyone else gone this route with their DD? How many pads do they need? (She is home schooled if it makes a difference.) The only time I ever use pads is for postpartum bleeding and miscarriages - I use my Diva Cup 100% of the time for menstruation.

Have any of your girls had any success using the Diva Cup? I doubt DD would be able to use that until she is older and her body has grown some... even then it seems to me they would be difficult for a girl who has never been sexually active. I dunno... I had given birth vaginally twice before I ever used one. Although I used tampons every cycle starting from my very first until I stopped using them 7 years ago. I used tampons for several years before becoming sexually active, but I know they are so very different from reusable menstrual cups... and those menstrual cups definitely have a learning curve!

Have you actually talked with your dd about all of this?

I ask, as I am pretty crunchy when it comes to these things-when I had female organs, I used cloth pads only.

When I talked to my dd about cloth pads, the Diva cup, etc.. she was so entirely grossed out by it all, that I quickly relaized that her body is her body-all I can do is provide the many options-but it's her decision regardless of how I feel about such and such.

[Linda on the move]

I gave my DD all options. I got a pretty box and cute stickers and stuff to decorate the outside, and filled it with all sorts of products (natural and not).

It's her body.

[karne]

Originally Posted by Linda on the move

I gave my DD all options. I got a pretty box and cute stickers and stuff to decorate the outside, and filled it with all sorts of products (natural and not).

It's her body.

Yes-they have to figure out what works for them. I gave dd a cool looking bag to keep some supplies in for her school locker. It's helping to eliminate the anxiety around being unprepared at school, or feeling like she has to go to the nurse. She just saw a commercial for some pads/tampons that look like they're packaged for tweens and teens, and she was all over wanting that!

[Katie T]

I agree to ask your DD what she thinks she will like. I use cloth pads and my DD is so excited to start her period so we can make her some. lol

[MilkbarMom]

My daughter is 12 and has only ever used cloth pads. She has disposables in our motorhome for when we are camping, but so far has never used one...just cloth. She has never had a problem with them at all. At night she uses a prefold diaper, since they contain over-night leaks better.

[ChristaN]

So, can I ask how we go about knowing that our dds are close to starting menstruation? My oldest will be 12 in about 4 months and I don't think that she is close, but another friend just had her young 11 y/o start quite unexpectedly. Her dd just doesn't look that developed yet. My dd has no underarm hair, so I figure that is a sign that she's still got some time. One of her friends had underarm hair for 18 months+ before her period started and another started almost immediately after she got underarm hair, so I don't know what the time frame from that milestone should be.

We're thinking thin pads when she gets there, though. I don't think that dd would be comfortable with inserting anything yet. It probably depends on the kid, though.