HELP! Tampons for my young daughter??

[Tiger Lily]

Hello All,

My daughter started her period in December 2005 at age nine & turned 10 in February 2006. She is not on any type of regular schedule yet, and in fact is only having it for the fourth time right now.

This is the first period where it is 'real'...not to be gross but it is a full fledged stream this time. She is a competitive gymnast....she spends a lot of time at practice & I spend a lot of $$:) I let her miss practice this week b/c she had to use the thick pads & she felt uncomfortable going to practice with them. They are only allowed to wear gymnastic shorts over top their leo's for safty reasons & these types of shorts in all honesty do little to hide a pad made for a woman on a little girls body. Missing practice all the time is not going to work, because they are expected to be there & they take it pretty serious.

Well, anyways.....she asked me last night if she could start using tampons. I had bought some of the super small ones last year just in case her cycle came on & she had a gym meet. Thank God, that didn't happen. BUT, what do you ladies think? Is she too young?? Do you think it would be bad for her health??

I didn't start my period until I was almost 17, so I'm unfamiliar with young ones having to deal with this. Any advise would be soooooo greatly appreciated!!:)

[Necee419]

I think so long as you instruct her carefully on how to use them and get her the lowest level of absorbency, she should be fine. Because of the risks of toxic shock syndrome, it is important that she use the smallest ones and change them frequently. Other than that, I think she will be ok.

[Janet]

I think it would be best to talk with your gyno first before making any decisions at this time. Take your daughter so she will be use to asking and answering these type of questions with her gyno. :)

[Taurus Babe]

I think it will be fine. Tampax makes "Junior" tampons, so I'm sure there's a reason that they are called juniors. As we know TSS is a risk when wearing tampons, but most cases are from people leaving tampons in for over 8 hours. I say that because when buying your daughter tampons, you don't want to go over board with worrying about TSS and buy her itty bitty ones that may cause a leak which would lead to even more embarrassment. My absolute favorite: Tampax Pearl! Go with the regulars to start with, I really don't think she's too young, or her body is too small for tampons. Good luck with your daughter.

[Tiger Lily]

Thanks for the input ladies!

I think my biggest fear is teaching her how to use them, if that is what I decide to do (we've already about made it through this week, so I have time to think about it until next cycle). Like I said, I was older, so I read the directions that came in the box & I was fine. Besides, admittedly, I lost my virginity b4 I started my period so I wasn't worried about inserting a tampon.

But, I don't know if my 10 year old would be able to understand what to do the first time. Have any of you had the luxury of teaching the art of inserting tampons yet? I don't think I could do it for her because I'd be afraid of hurting her. Plus, could you imagine the memory that would stick with you of your mom doing this to you!! How embarrasing this would be by the time you were a teenager!!:)

Yikes, I swear!!! Have I mentioned that I have not had a period in 4 1/2 years???? Now this!!:)

[Ponyup]

I'm no help I was nearly 16 when I had mine. The girls on the softball team talked me into using them so there I was at home reading the instructions with my one leg propted up on the tub trying to get it in. It seems like something you would want to do alone. I would explain how to do it to her & give her the directions & see if she would like to try on her own. Tell if she can't get it that it's no big deal it's hard the first couple times it just takes practice. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't of wanted my mom inserting it for me or hovering over me while I tried to do it. Just make sure you are available for questions.

[Taurus Babe]

How about you give the the directions (it has pictures) and tell her you'll wait outside and if she has any questions you'll be right there to help her. Also tell her that it's okay if it takes 10 different tampons until she get is right!

Check this out:

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/tampon.html

[Necee419]

Well, you can't exactly do it for her. But the box instructions offer a few ways of insertion. Talk to her about it. She can experiment with a few ways until she gets comfortable inserting them. The first time I ever tried tampons, I wasted half the box just trying to figure out how they went in.:eek: But through trial and error you find the way that it is most comfortable to you. Plenty of young girls like gymnasts, skaters and swimmers use tampons at a young age, so she should be fine. She is well ahead of the game because she has a mom who is willing to guide her and talk to her about these things. My mom said her mom NEVER even uttered the word period to her and she had to figure things out on her own. I think it is great that you are so open with your daughter. She is very lucky to have such a good mom!!:)

[Tiger Lily]

I'm no help I was nearly 16 when I had mine. The girls on the softball team talked me into using them so there I was at home reading the instructions with my one leg propted up on the tub trying to get it in. It seems like something you would want to do alone. I would explain how to do it to her & give her the directions & see if she would like to try on her own. Tell if she can't get it that it's no big deal it's hard the first couple times it just takes practice. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't of wanted my mom inserting it for me or hovering over me while I tried to do it. Just make sure you are available for questions.

I remember me & a girlfriend coaxing another friend to use a tampon for the first time. We were all about 16 & wanted to go swimming. What an adventure it was. None of us had a drivers license but we snuck my sisters car and drove to the store. On the way home, we stopped at a gas station so my sister wouldn't notice the change in her gas gage. You should have seen the gas guys face when we said "please fill it back to a quarter of a tank". Anyway, we got home & waited for our friend to come out of the bathroom successful & ready to go swimming. Well, she walked around on her tippy toes with her butt sticking out for the rest of the day. I guess she didn't get it in far enough. Silly story, really, but it was soooo funny then!

[Tiger Lily]

How about you give the the directions (it has pictures) and tell her you'll wait outside and if she has any questions you'll be right there to help her. Also tell her that it's okay if it takes 10 different tampons until she get is right!

Check this out:

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/tampon.html

This was a good article! I've printed it out to take home. Thanks:)

[Tiger Lily]

Thanks for the nice comments necee! We are very close....it was just me & her until she was five. I've always believed in open communication & have instilled that in her.

[Ponyup]

This was a good article! I've printed it out to take home. Thanks:)

You may not want to do this, but my doctor said there BC pills that he perscripes for athletes that limit how often you get your thing. I know it would be scary to think of your 10 year old on BC pills, but if she is a serious gymnast this may make her problem less of a problem.

[hle_625]

Ok girls dont laugh at me but..... I have never like tampons! Something about them completely freaks me out! They are never comfortable for me so I spend my whole day thinking about them if I have one in. And I get all squirmy at the thought of one being inside of me all day long! Im weird I know :rolleyes: I just never liked them from the beginning!

[Tiger Lily]

You may not want to do this, but my doctor said there BC pills that he perscripes for athletes that limit how often you get your thing. I know it would be scary to think of your 10 year old on BC pills, but if she is a serious gymnast this may make her problem less of a problem.

I'll tell you the truth, my daughter has a medical condition where one of the symptoms was precocious puberty. She started breast development at age 2, but the problem was not identified until she was about 4. By the time she was 5 she was on medication to stop further development, including her period. She went off the medicine at age 8 & I was advised that it would take about a year for her to go back to developing. So, it was no surprise that she was a young starter although I hoped she would not be. But, I would be afraid to stop her period again:)

Thanks for sharing the information though. I can see how it would be useful to others.

[Ponyup]

Ok girls dont laugh at me but..... I have never like tampons! Something about them completely freaks me out! They are never comfortable for me so I spend my whole day thinking about them if I have one in. And I get all squirmy at the thought of one being inside of me all day long! Im weird I know :rolleyes: I just never liked them from the beginning!

For about the first 3 months that I used tampons I felt uncomfortable like they were falling out or something, but after a while you get better at putting them in & then forget they are there.

[Janet]

Oh I never liked them either. My uterus was tipped back a little bit and everytime I would sit it would hurt. I was stuck with those awful pads!!!

[Shannon]

I started my period at 14 and my Mother gave me a box of pads. I had extremely heavy periods and they just did not work for me. I had to teach myself how to use them because my mom didn't know how. The first couple of times you hurt yourself, but then you get the hang of it. I don't think being a virgin is even an issue. If her flow is heavy, she may need to use a bigger tampon. It never bothered me. Oh by the way, I admire you for having such an open relationship about such things. My period apparently didn't even warrant a discussion. I am glad that Mothers are capable of sharing in these rites of passage.

[Marilyn]

I ask our pediatrician soon after my daughters started their periods, and he said there is no minimum age, it's all a matter of preferrence.

My daughters are totally different, one uses tampons, one uses pads. When they were young, the tampon companies would send you a starter kit for young girls with a little book showing how to use them from a young girl's perspective. My daughter who uses tampons says the Tampax Pearl have the easiest to insert applicator and they have wings so they absorb better.

I had a hysterectomy 12 years ago, so I'm not personally up to date.

Wishing you and your daughter the best with this and her gymnastics!!

Are there olympic rings in the future????

[Tiger Lily]

I ask our pediatrician soon after my daughters started their periods, and he said there is no minimum age, it's all a matter of preferrence.

My daughters are totally different, one uses tampons, one uses pads. When they were young, the tampon companies would send you a starter kit for young girls with a little book showing how to use them from a young girl's perspective. My daughter who uses tampons says the Tampax Pearl have the easiest to insert applicator and they have wings so they absorb better.

I had a hysterectomy 12 years ago, so I'm not personally up to date.

Wishing you and your daughter the best with this and her gymnastics!!

Are there olympic rings in the future????

I hear you.....I had a hysterectomy about 4 1/2 years ago & I definately don't miss it! I will admitt, every once in a while I will look at a friends baby & feel a little sad, but I wanted to finish having kids by the time I was 30 (just a personal preference) & so the surgery just insured that:)

No, I don't think we'll have olympic rings in the future. She didn't start until she was 8, so she's at a fairly low level for her age. BUT, she's pretty darn good & most importantly, she LOVES it!!

[BabyNicole]

Ten is kinda of young. Yikes! Then again, I was 11 when I got mine, but I didn't start using them until I was in HS (about 14). Just tell her to be EXTRA careful!! My mom left a tampon inside her for about a week. She went to the DRs b/c she was having stomach pains and he pulled it out. :eek: Thank God she didn't get TSS. She didn't use one after that, and she didn't want me to either. But, I did anyway.

Oh yeah, what if the string gets "lost" and she can't find it? Will she be okay at 10 with "searching" for it?

[BabyNicole]

I ask our pediatrician soon after my daughters started their periods, and he said there is no minimum age, it's all a matter of preferrence.

My daughters are totally different, one uses tampons, one uses pads. When they were young, the tampon companies would send you a starter kit for young girls with a little book showing how to use them from a young girl's perspective. My daughter who uses tampons says the Tampax Pearl have the easiest to insert applicator and they have wings so they absorb better.

I had a hysterectomy 12 years ago, so I'm not personally up to date.

Wishing you and your daughter the best with this and her gymnastics!!

Are there olympic rings in the future????

I've actually been using Playtex Regular plastic applicators all my life. They slide in a lot easier than cardboard. I do not like Tampax, they don't slide out as easily and are not as comfortable inside for me. :o

[Janet]

How is your daughter doing??? Has she had a chance to try them yet? Tell us what she thought of them.

These little girls are growing up so fast....:)

[Courtney]

Well this conversation was started a little while ago so this info may be too late to help but I'll share anyway. When I first started my period I wasn't able to get the hang of the whole applicator thing. I did however want to use tampons rather than pads so my mom got me the O.B.'s without the applicator. You have to use your finger which was kinda gross but I was able to insert them without a problem. Plus they are pretty tiny and fit in your pocket without a problem so no one knew I was taking one to the bathroom. My sister had a cousin who was the same as me and she told her about the O.B.'s so she started using them too. After a while I was able to switch over to an applicator but in the beginning the no applicator was a life saver for me. Anyway just thought I'd share. Hopefully everything is going ok.....