I’ve been a mom of “littles” for so long that my identity is linked to that life stage. My youngest is three, so the label still fits, but times are a-changin’. One of my oldest daughter’s BFFs started her period three months ago, and it gave me pause. My daughter is nine, and I’ve been talking to her about puberty for a long time, but hearing her friend’s big news spurred me to action.
I started thinking about what I’ll do when she tells me that she’s started her period, and I had no plan. I remember what a nightmare day that was for me: My mom yelled downstairs for my dad to “run to the store for some maxi pads.” She’d had a hysterectomy years prior, so it was excruciatingly obvious that the paraphernalia was for me, and I was mortified. I took what was tossed my way and just went with it even though I later found that there were products much better-suited for my size and flow.
Because of our puberty read-alouds (That sounds so corny!) and the candid conversations that followed, my daughter is way past the embarrassment thing which is pretty cool. In fact, she’s so looking forward to every stage that I’m afraid that she’ll ultimately be disappointed.
Menstruation is not exactly Disney World, but who am I to burst a happy bubble?
She recently asked if she can have a period party to celebrate with her friends when her time comes. I thought that was a ridiculous question, but a quick google search assured me that it’s a real thing. Call me lame, but I’m thinking that we’re not going that route though I can appreciate her desire to do something special. I’m not baking a red cake and passing out tampons to her peeps, but I do plan to have a mommy + daughter weekend away to celebrate, bond, and envelope her in all kinds of special attention. I’ll be taking her to Serenbe – a place she adores. We’re going to stay in one of rooms on the grounds of Serenbe Inn. This is THE place. She will love it! Yes, it’s expensive. That’s why I’m planning now.
But before we can go away, we’ll have to deal with some basic logistics, if you know what I mean. I searched online for a cute period box or some type of kit, but none of them had all of the components I was looking for, so I created this one myself.
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Here’s what I ended up with:
- Happy 4 Life Essentials Organizer. Yes, this is a diaper caddy, but it’s exactly what I was looking for. I wanted a cute, spacious, compartmentalized container that she will enjoy and be able to re-purpose once the novelty of the kit wears off.
- KUPIDER Waterproof Toiletry Bag. This little bag is adorable. The fish pattern is modern and fun, and she can carry it around as needed without anyone suspecting that it contains her period gear.
- Charcoal Bamboo Microfiber Menstrual Pads. Shopping for reusable cloth pads reminded me of perusing cloth diapers – so many brands and cute patterns. I’ve never used them myself and couldn’t decide which brand or size to try so I also got these…
- Luna Cup Washable Menstrual Cloth Pads. Both these and the Love My set above come with a little matching zipper pouch “wet bag.” I don’t know how she’ll feel about washable pads, in general, but I’m presenting them as a normal, viable option. I want her to have the unbiased freedom to make her own choice.
- Always Disposable Pads & Pantiliners. Even if she uses the washable cloth pads, I’m sure there are times when she’ll prefer the convenience of disposable items. Or maybe she’ll want these all the time. I bought three packs of several different sizes – larger/high absorbency pads, regular pads, and slender liners.
- Anna & Eric Leakproof Period Panties. These panties claim “to give extra protection against staining your clothes and sheets during your menstrual periods. No more embarrassing stains on clothing or mess of cleaning the mattress.” One of the worst parts of having a period – especially for a young girl – is the fear of leaking through your clothes. These panties still require a pad (some period panties don’t), but they have an extra layer of protection to help with leaks.
- Tansan Leakproof Period Panties. I included another brand in a different size because really, I have no clue what I’m doing. I’m throwing darts and hoping that something sticks.
- Celebrate Your Body (and Its Changes, Too!): The Ultimate Puberty Book for Girls. We’ve already read two books together, but I got this one for her to read by herself. I did a lot of research to find just the right book, and this one is a winner. It’s age-appropriate, encouraging, and kind. It doesn’t cover sex, boys, or eating disorders which makes it a great option for younger girls to read alone without Mom needing to hover and discuss every other page. The author, Sonya Renee Taylor, is doing some amazing work aside from this book, and yes, that little black girl front and center on the cover won me over!
- [Update August 2023: By the time I gave my daughter this period kit, she had mostly outgrown the book, so I advise that you give your daughter the book when she’s younger, before she needs the kit. After reading the book cover to cover, I used an x-acto knife to remove a couple of pages that I didn’t feel were appropriate for my child. You could also use a Sharpie marker or tape a piece of paper over the areas you wish your daughter to skip. In my case, it was only portions of 2-3 pages, so this wasn’t a big deal, and I really love the rest of the book. You’ll need to read ahead and make the right choice for your family. This applies to ANY puberty book.]
- Other books we’ve used: Ready, Set, Grow!: A What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Younger Girls and Growing Up: It’s a Girl Thing: Straight Talk about First Bras, First Periods, and Your Changing Body. WARNING: I tore out page 80 from the Ready, Set, Grow book before reading it with my daughter because it discusses the pleasure of touching yourself and…well…umm…I felt that was a bit much. Also, the book mentions several times about how it’s okay to talk about this stuff with your friends. I’m all about girlfriend chats, but I’ve instructed my girls NOT to bring these things up with their friends unless they mention them first because I don’t know what moms of young girls want them to know. But when they’re older, it will be totally fine. Other than that, we enjoyed these books!
- Amelery Sterling Silver Mother Daughter Necklace. This is not actually part of the period box, but I plan to give it to her when we have our weekend away. My girl loves jewelry, and I think this piece is so full of meaning. The interlocking circles loosely represent the symbol for infinity, a nod to the infinite power of a mother’s love – it has no end. Sweet, right? And let’s keep it real…For that price, I will feel nothing if she breaks it on the trampoline or leaves it at the pool because she will. And I can just get another one.
I spent $125 on the whole kit. On one hand, that’s outrageous for a period box so feel free to freak out for a moment. On the other hand, it was a good investment. The disposable stuff was $23 of it, and that’s going to be needed sooner or later. The rest of it is non-consumable, so I will actually save a ton of money in the end if she chooses to go the reusable route. The book is invaluable. The necklace will make her smile, and it was 10 bucks. When I think of how different her experience will be from mine, I know this splurge was well worth it.
So that’s where I am. The period kit is hidden in an ugly cardboard box on the top shelf of my closet, waiting to make it’s debut. It was fun to put together, and I think it will help meet her practical and emotional needs when the time comes.
This is so beautiful. Being a girl mom definitely has its perks but who knew one of them would be puberty.
Right! Who knew? It’s totally scary and super fun at the same time.
Thanks Amber! I am totally stealing these ideas.
You’re welcome, and go for it! I can’t believe that our girls are big enough to be thinking about all of this. Time flies 🙂
I’m a kid and making myself a kit this is so cute and cool
I love that you think it’s cute and cool! I haven’t given it to my daughter yet, but I’m excited to do so – especially since you just gave it the kid seal of approval 🙂
Hi, This is great! Thank you!! What were the two other books you read with your daughter on puberty?
You’re welcome! The other books we used (which I’m going to be reading with my 2nd daughter this school year) are: Ready, Set, Grow! A What’s Happening to My Body? Book for Younger Girls by Lynda Madaras (https://amzn.to/33wTgSG) and Growing Up: It’s a Girl Thing: Straight Talk about First Bras, First Periods, and Your Changing Body by Mavis Jukes (https://amzn.to/2XvHy73). WARNING: I tore out page 80 from the Ready, Set, Grow book before reading it with my daughter because it discusses the pleasure of touching yourself and…well…umm…I felt that was a bit much. The only other thing is that the book mentions several times about how it’s okay to talk about this stuff with your friends. I’m all about girlfriend chats, but I’ve instructed her NOT to bring these things up with her friends because I don’t know what their moms want them to know. But when she gets older, it will be totally fine. Other than that, we enjoyed these books.
I started when at the pool with cousins! I was about to change into my bathing suit when I discovered it and had to suddenly pretend I didn’t want to go in, and my dad had to go buy pads because my cousin only had tampons! So put a pair of underwear and some pads in the glovebox just in case it’s not at home!!!
Ooooo…That’s brilliant advice! I certainly had NOT done that, but I will today. Thank you!
This is PERFECT! I will be putting together a cute kit as well, and yes! Page 80 will be taken out. I’ll be more mindful on sizes of pads. My sweet girl is only 65lbs and still wears size eight in girls. 10/12 for length but most brands swallow her. I’m concerned how the pad will fit her panties 🥴 I LOVE the idea of a staycation in honor of her cycle.
So glad that you were able to find something useful here. I can’t believe how quickly our babies are growing up! They were JUST walking around in their Daisy vests a few minutes ago, it seems.
Wish this had been a thing when my girls went through puberty–well done!
Thank you! I definitely would have enjoyed this when I was a girl. I’m sure my daughters will come up with something better by the time they’re mothers!
Amber, thanks for this. I am all for helping my little girl go through what can be a very difficult process. Like you, I had a different experience than what I want for my daughter. My mother was older and I had a lot of sisters, so they were my introduction to “the period life.” I have been planning for my daughter’s day and hope it goes as well as I have in mind.
You’re so welcome! It’s such a weird thing to be writing and talking about, but I think planning ahead and thinking through it all will help shelter our girls from some (most?) of the awkwardness.
Has anyone used the period undies brands? Any “real” feedback? I’d love to get my daughter some, but hate the idea of the trial/error for something like this.
Love this list though!
I got several shark themed plastic coated pencil bags (from Office Depot) and embroidered my daughter’s initials on one, and a few of her close friends initials on the others. It’s something they each have in their locker and know that each other has as well, so that if one of them starts while at school they can help and support each other.
I want to create a community of period positivity and then start a trend of shark themed parties! (I refer to my “time of the month” as Shark week)
I love the idea of her and her friends having supplies to share, as needed! It’s cool that they have a little community and won’t be frantic if they start at school. And shark week is too cute! I haven’t tried that brand of undies, so I can’t speak to it. Maybe one of the other ladies will chime in though.
My daughter was taken to the hospital for what I thought was a breast lump, she was seen by endocrine and was told it was breast buds at 6years old. Now at newly 8 years old, they are telling me she will get her period in a few months. They want to put her on medicine to stop it because they are saying she wont grow anymore and it will be embarrassing for her to be in 3rd grade with a period. I decided against it because even though I’m in medicine and I see it has come along way, You never know how different drugs affect you in the long run. She now has acne and vaginal pains. I m sooo nervous for my baby. But I am now putting together a blooming box for her. Any advice you could share even thought you shared so much!!! I appreciate it
Hugs to you! I’m sure that must be a difficult transition for her and tough for you to navigate as her mom. I don’t have any advice other than keeping the lines of communication open and making sure that you talk to her a lot about the changes she’s experiencing and how best to handle them. Reading books together, shopping for fun bras, helping her with hygiene, etc. You got this, Mama!
I love that you put this together and I always come back to this post as I think about what’s ahead for my daughter. Thank you for your writing about your plans. And I LOVE the book!!
I’m so glad that you find this helpful! Can you believe that it’s one of the most popular posts on my site?