How to Prepare Your Teen for a Sleepover During Her Period

It’s here! Puberty and peers!  Adolescence and adolescents!  Your daughter is likely growing more mature and staying over at friend’s houses to better define who she is and get a sense of her identity among her fellow female friends.  Chances are, this may happen to come up on the calendar the same time her monthly cycle either shows up for the first appearance or as a now-regular visitor.

How can you help her prepare for an overnighter without experiencing embarrassing topics or untimely leaks.  Her flow is no reason to miss out on fun!

1. Put on period panties before heading out the door. This will avoid the hurried rush to the bathroom after that first sensation of any discharge or draining.  This first pair of panties can absorb up to one tampon’s worth of any mishaps which gives her plenty of time and protection to get her pads or other products in place.  We recommend having a bag handy to place the panties in for washing the next day, without her having to ask someone else. The best news? Later in the night, when she is changing into pajamas, she can visit the restroom and quickly rinse her Apele panties, then let them hang dry while she changes or showers. Placing them in a mesh baggy to dry in her bag overnight will make for the perfectly private safekeeping until she can get them washed the next day.

2. Pack comfortable and concealing clothing. Wearing tighter clothing might not only make leaks more obvious sooner, but also can make your daughter feel uncomfortable physically, which can hint to her cycle. Adding a long shirt and baggy pants that are dark in color may be just the ticket to a stress-free and stain-free sleepover.

3. Pack pills. To avoid the obvious and oh-so-painful period cramps, send your daughter off with just enough OTC options to get her through the night.  It is best to keep it simple and easily accessible, providing just enough for her to take during that duration of time. Writing on a piece of paper or even with a sharpie on the bag the times and how many she would take may make it easy for her to quickly consume them and get back to the party!

4. Odor control is important too. Oftentimes, our hormones can give off new smells and though we may sense it more on ourselves than others, it is likely that your daughter may be a bit worried that it is offensive. Have her shower before attending the party and also consider sharing with her to place her deodorant on her inner thigh, just as she would her underarms. This has been known to help with pelvic area odor while also not being invasive or harmful to the private area.

5. Practice product etiquette. Make sure your daughter knows not to flush tampons or pads! They will clog the toilet and likely cause for discussion that can’t be undone.  Simply share with her how to dispose of her products in the trash can with toilet paper wrapped around products discreetly.  Ensuring she washes her hands and wipes the toilet seat thoroughly is helpful too to make her confident she hasn’t left any blood behind.

Ultimately, you would hope your child is staying with true friends that wouldn’t judge her or condemn her for a natural occurrence anyway.  These above tips, however, can serve as a helpful addition to your confidence pep talks and her positive peers.