Oh man!!! I thought 11 was young. That's when I started. My mom insisted that Stayfree thick as a brick pads were the best. Not fun at all. I felt like there was something wrong with me and that EVERYONE would know especially with this thick thing in my underwear. It wasn't until I was 16 that my sister told me about tampons. I felt more freedom. I am not sure what the appropriate age is for using them. You might want to inquire online.

Just tell her not to let it change what she does and who she is. Some of her other friends may have started as well and she just doesn't know it.

You'll be okay mom! Your little girl is growing up!


Amy

READ THIS! Go down to "Common Questions" and then scroll down to "Are Pads or Tampons Better".


http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/talk_about_menstruation.html

She has been absolutely amazing with all of it. Totally comfortable asking questions, not embarassed, etc. She did give the eye roll when I showed her a regular maxi pad--"i'm not wearing that thing!" She even said she was going to tell her brother because he'll find out sooner or later and she might as well just tell him.

Her great attitude sure helped me calm down a little. I've always been pretty upfront with both our kids about things, and making them comfortable with discussing things like this. Now, just to work on DH

I wish I had some of you guys as a mom. She was a nurse, but never had the talk with me! She also thought tampons were not healthy. Thank goodness I had two older sisters, so there was always a healthy supply of "products" in the cupboard! I was 13 and they were heavy at first and seemed to last forever. It was probably a good year before they calmed down. Thank goodness that has seemed to go the other direction for me the older I get. Phew!

My son is 10 and we are waiting for the squeaky voice change any day now! He was 8 when he needed to start wearing deodorant and laughs about his hairy armpits! LOL! What happened to our little babies?

i know how you are feeling right now.My daughter started when she was just 10 ,and happened at school,she didn`t called me at home but when i pick her up from school she was walking funny,so I asked her what happened and she told me . I really didn`t know what to say but .Well the other hardest thing was to tell my husband he was OMG NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! she is a baby he said. WELL needless to say my daughter and I went to walmart to check on all the products they have and brands and i let her choose .ONE thing Iknow for sure she hate the damn wings but thike the thins and long,she like always a lot.Funny thing is we get our period at the same time .POOR dear husband that has to deal with two grouchy womans at the same time. GOD BLESS HIM. WE are not easy to handle. I HOPE ALL GOES OK, AND NOT MUCH CRAMPS FOR HER. {{{{HUGS}}}} FOR YOU MOM.!!

The best thing any mother can do is talk talk talk to your kids early. My stepdaughter started while she was at our house. She was afraid, embarrassed, etc. to tell me. She used so much TP that she overflowed the toilet BADLY and it took us forever to clean everything. She still didn't tell me...I assumed that was from "going number two" THEN, she sat on our couch and proceeded to ruin the cushion. I'm not talking a spot or two...I'm talking a circle of blood under her that was about 12 or 14 inches in diameter and had gone ALL THE WAY THROUGH to the other side. Hers started with a vengeance! I couldn't understand why she didn't want to get off the couch. I asked her if she was okay and she started bawling and showed me. I did NOT spaz out on her, but I was first of all MAD that her mother hadn't talked to her and let her know it was okay and secondly horrified because it looked like she'd been shot.

She has had a horrible time with hers and that was 4 1/2 years ago. She literally sleeps on a garbage bag at night (just in case) and you can't find pads big enough to suit her. She is NOT a big girl either. She's a size 7 and extremely fit...so the maternity sized pads she wants to wear are sometimes hard to hide. She also has horrible cramping and gets VERY anemic. I suggested to her mother that maybe she should go to the doctor. She might be able to be put on the pill, just for her sake...nothing more. Mother freaked out thinking I thought her daughter should be on the pill-it's certainly not for sexual reasons!!!

Okay, sorry I hijacked the thread. Just letting you know it could be much worse. My own daugher started a year after my stepdaughter and we had talked about things YEARS before that, so she was okay with everything. She carries a pad in her purse all the time, just in case.

Keep your chin up, IT IS HARDER on US!!!

Patricia

I remember when I started my period... I was a few weeks shy of turning 10. My mom worked 3rd shift and got it one morning before school. My dad is that one who explained it to me. My mom never, ever talked to me about anything regarding periods or sex or anything (and she's the oldest of 5 girls). I remember being embarrassed by it, but I'm sure my dad had a pretty difficult time of it too.

I think these days girls are starting their periods earlier and earlier. Sometimes it depends on weight and others it's just genetic.

At 10, I'm sure she still seems like your little baby... way too early to be worrying about feminine products and cramping.

On a side note about tampons... I know that Tampax Pearl makes a lite days tampon that is really small.

Good luck!

Has anyone every tried these?
http://www.divacup.com/ I ordered one, but haven't received it yet.

I know how you feel. My daughter is 11 and the other is 9

Shelbur10 - bless your daughters angelic little heart for thinking all you had to do to have a baby is get married and pray for one! That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard! That innocence is absolutely precious.

Anyhow, my mom never talked to me about any of that stuff either but luckily, I have 3 older sisters who took care of all that good stuff! I was 11 when I started and I was abolutely devastated! I did not want to grow up so soon - I was still playing with baby dolls for goodness sakes! I'm dreading my baby girls going through that. They're only 2 and 3 years old but I know it will be here before I know it.

WOW!!! just stumbled onto this thread...... i'm just in tears imagining my babies getting their periods so early!!!! they're only 4 1/2 & 2, so there's still time, but yikes!!! 9??? that's sooo soon. i've heard lots about all the added hormones in stuff being partly responsible for girls maturing so soon. definitely will be buying organic dairy and meat from now on, might be expensive but my babies health is worth it!!!! didn't get mine til i was twelve.... was scared to get off the toilet.... i wrote a note on tp with my mom's lipstick and stuck it to the family dog under his collar (his name was pookie - GREAT dog) and sent him downstairs... mom came up after she found the note. she had talked to me about everything.... but i was still surprised to see red where there hadn't been red before!!! and the cramps....oh my!!! once a month my mom would have to come get me from school because i was doubled over in pain. they'd make me sooo sick..sweating profusely, dry heaving, headaches.... it sucked. finally my mom made me go to the hooey dr., and he put me on the pill.... what a difference!!!!! i think that was my junior year of high school... so i suffered with cramps for 4 years!!! hope my girls don't inherit that trait!!!
on a lighter note, my 2 year old has used panti-liners as stickers before and my oldest has already quizzed me about tampons..... they know the proper names for their parts.... hopefully i'll be able to keeps these lines of communication open with them. i never want them to be embarrassed to talk to me.

I started at 13 and I was the last in my grade to start. It comes earlier with every generation. Kotex makes some really tiny ones that are super slender and thin and work fantastically, with awesome adhesive. I got some free samples and think they're fantastic. You could try their website for free samples first to see if you like them.

Alright, ladies, this link is good for a laugh. It's a(n) SNL skit about "Classic Kotex" and, while many on here won't remember these, TRUST ME, it was as bad and as uncomfortable as it looks!!!

I was 11 when I got mine. mom was not one to discuss anything with us, so I'm lucky to have had an older sister. Tampons and pads were just always in the linen closet.

I had a very heavy flow and wore 2 pads to school so I wouldn't have to change during the day. I know, not good, but at the time, I had no one to teach me. Pretty sad now that I think about it. Anyway, I eventually got brave enough to read the directions on a tampon box.

Good luck to you and your daughter. I commend you for talking to her about it. I guess I should start mentioning such things to my daughter.