Period Product Options... Besides Tampons #shorts

What’s the BEST period product option for my daughter when she’s swimming??

As usual, the answer isn’t cut and dry. Every girl should be encouraged to do what she is comfortable doing, so here are a few suggestions for handling Periods & Swimming:

✨Get a period swimsuit! A quick internet search will yield plenty of cute, practical options for girls (and women)!

✨Teach your daughter how to use a tampon, cup, or disc and let her decide whether she wants to try it. Be sure to check SIZING: many companies have special teen lines that are slimmer and, in the case of cups, have easier pull tabs for beginners.

✨Empower her to “sit it out”: there’s nothing wrong with going to the beach and staying out of the water. You can still put on a swimsuit with a pad and just cover up with a pair of shorts or a swim skirt. Good friends won’t bat an eye— Cycle Prep girls are encouraged to pay special attention to times when friends ‘opt out’ of activities and respect that decision, no questions asked.

✨Empower her to decline an invitation: some friends may not be respectful of her wish to stay out of the water (I hate it when people throw me in!). If these are the sort of people she’d be out with, tell her it’s perfectly fine to take a rain check. You can even tell her to blame it on you so she doesn’t feel embarrassed.

✨If her period is very light, she could consider just putting on a regular, dark-colored swimsuit and going for it. The water pressure will keep flow in to a certain extent, so just have a towel handy as soon as she gets out and wrap it around her waste if she’s concerned about a little leakage.

✨If you’ll be doing water sports, she can wear a dry suit and keep a pad on underneath.

✨Bring back-up: Keep a discreet pack of supplies in your beach bag, so any tampons or pads that do absorb extra water can easily be changed.