Girls: Your Period at School

Managing your period at school can make a lot of girls, and their mothers alike, feel a little nervous. Luckily there are a wide range of products out there for your daughter to try, and many of these products can be total lifesavers when it comes to managing her menstrual cycle at school. The more open-minded you and your daughter are about the range of feminine hygiene products on the market today, the easier it will be to prepare your daughter for school without either of you needing to worry too much about managing her cycle. The biggest rule is to be prepared.

There are a wide range of products out there: liners, pads, tampons, and more recently; the menstrual cup. Liners and pads can be disposable or washable, and the menstrual cup is completely reusable. Tampons are the only menstrual product out there that does not have a cloth form. This article will explain how each of these products work. Later on, we’ll talk about what your daughter should have in her bag, and if applicable, in her locker at school. This should help ease some of the stress and make talking to your daughter (and shopping for her!) a lot easier.

Liners are small and fit into the underwear for those “just-in-case” scenarios. They can be disposable with adhesive on the back, with wings or without; or washable. In the case of washable liners, these are usually made of soft fabric, with wings and stay put with either velcro or snaps. You can buy reusable liners on Amazon as well as on a few other websites. These are what I would recommend for liners; they are disposable. I can’t personally recommend a reusable brand.

https://www.amazon.ca/Always-Protection-Daily-Liners-Count/dp/B008HQ8M6I/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=ultra+thin+panty+liners&qid=1591638475&s=beauty&sr=1-3

https://www.amazon.ca/Kotex-Barely-There-90-Count-450-fils/dp/B0797HP1FD/ref=sr_1_39?dchild=1&keywords=ultra+thin+panty+liners&qid=1591638475&s=beauty&sr=1-39

Pads are larger and slightly thicker than liners. They also can be disposable, with or without wings; as well as reusable. Reusable pads are the same idea as reusable liners, but they’re bigger. I personally have never used reusable pads, but you can get them on Amazon and on a few other sites; just like the liners. I don’t use disposable pads anymore, but these ones are perfect for beginners because they come in a variety of sizes and flow control levels:

https://www.amazon.ca/Always-Infinity-Overnight-Sanitary-Unscented/dp/B07QSCP79P/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=pads&qid=1591638998&sr=8-9

Tampons are different in the sense that they absorb the flow internally, so it never has to leave the body. So, say hello to swimming! Tampons come in a variety of absorbencies as well, and don’t come in a reusable form due to the risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) and other infections. Tampons should be worn for no more than eight hours at a time, and you should teach your daughter to use the lightest absorbency needed. In terms of tampons these are the ONLY tampon I would recommend:

https://www.amazon.ca/Playtex-Sport-Unscented-Protection-Absorbency/dp/B003VW895C/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=3TIV0DHF54TF2&dchild=1&keywords=playtex%2Btampons&qid=1591639397&sprefix=playtex%2B%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUE0RFRJRDE4NTNIUDkmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAzNTM2NTExTE1SSzlYQzgyRldCJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5NzM1ODMyTVBNUEM2TFpTRENSJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1

Finally, we move on to more recent technology: the menstrual cup. What the heck is a menstrual cup?! It started as the SoftCup; the only disposable cup on the market, and gradually evolved into a reusable flow control device that is completely sterilizable just by boiling! You can buy extra washes and things but the best cups are made of medical-grade silicone and can be boiled. The best part is, despite it taking a little longer to learn to insert due to needing more practice; you can use a cup for up to twelve hours without worry. Besides tampons, I occasionally do turn to the cup; especially when I know I’ll be on the go for a lot longer. These are the cups that I would recommend. Make sure to get yourself (or your daughter) the correct size (see box upon purchase).

https://www.amazon.ca/Tampax-Regular-Flow-Menstrual-Cup/dp/B07MY1M3T4/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=1Q8BRHF0RKJDK&dchild=1&keywords=menstrual+cup&qid=1591641602&sprefix=menstrual+%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzSE0zTzUyQjJZVkE3JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTYwOTExMldYSFNJT0dLTjA5UiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzYwNjU4MTUwWTE0TktMSVBETyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

https://www.amazon.ca/DivaCup-Model-Menstrual-Cup-New/dp/B07KGZ9NMV/ref=sr_1_27?dchild=1&keywords=diva+cup&qid=1591641689&sr=8-27

(Note that the Diva Cup link above is the new version and comes in models 0-2. The old Diva Cup design comes in sizes 1 and 2 only, making the new design much more suitable for women because there are now a wider range of sizes. Read sizing criteria on box before purchasing. If using the Diva Cup, the recommended soap (if you should choose to use a soap cleaner to clean it) is the Diva Wash cleansing liquid. You can also use it on your body, making it totally worth the money!)

When thinking about what to send your daughter to school with, you don’t need to stress one bit; it’s actually quite simple to put together a small kit for her to keep in her bag. All you need is a decent sized cosmetic bag to start, like this one:

https://www.amazon.ca/Organizer-Portable-Cosmetic-Waterproof-Toiletries/dp/B07RK2MF1N/ref=sr_1_22?dchild=1&keywords=medium+cosmetic+bag&qid=1591642057&sr=8-22

You’ll want to include the basics like hair elastics, hand sanitizer, lip balm, travel deodorant, and an extra pair of dark panties. Then, you’ll want to make sure she has these in her cosmetic bag every day: two to three liners for changes throughout the day (when she's wearing them during her expected “week”, or if she chooses to wear them every day regardless); three pads and two tampons. If she’s using a menstrual cup, I would still pack her these extras, but it is also smart to purchase a second menstrual cup for backup since they can’t always be cleaned right away. The good thing is that most menstrual cups come with some sort of case and, if it doesn’t you can get one for super cheap.

Happy shopping, and good luck!