Category Archives: All Things Puberty

What is going on in the world of girl’s puberty.

Below Your Belt: How to be Queen of Your Pelvic Region

Our partners at the Women’s Health Foundation have released their new book Below Your Belt: How to be Queen of Your Pelvic Region. Below Your Belt: How to be Queen of Your Pelvic Region  The book is specifically aimed at tween girls and addresses topics that aim to establish life long pelvic health.  Topics include bladder and bowel health, menstruation, pelvic hygiene and even menopause!  Dot Girl Products is honored to be included as a resource in the menstruation chapter.  Needless to say, we highly recommend this book!

Dot Girl supports the mission of pelvic education by distributing the ‘Potty Pledge‘ in all of our shipping booklets.  We encourage you to read more about Below Your Belt: How to be Queen of Your Pelvic Region.  Now also available as an eBook at Amazon.com.

Instagram, Early Puberty, and the Truths Needed to Raise a Tween Girl

There have been several great articles in the news over this past week centered around tween girls.  We thought we would share them all in one big post.  A little variety for everyone.

The first article, and closest one to our heart as it deals with periods and puberty, is from NPR News.  The book A New Puberty is reviewed via an interview with the authors Julianna Deardorff and Louise Greenspan, two California based researchers.  Pay particular attention to the comments if you are grappling with this issue as several parents have shared their experiences with their daughter and early puberty.

An eye opening article for any parent whose daughter uses Instagram is The Secret Language of Girls on Instagram by Rachel SImmons. Read how this popular social media tool can be a blow to a young girl’s self-image in the constant competition for ‘likes’.

And lastly, enjoy this very heartfelt article from Galit Breen – 14 Essential Truths About Raising a Tween Girl.  Ms. Breen offers what she considers the best wisdom on how to love and nurture the tween girl in your life.

Teach Girls about Menstruation with Free Bookmarks

Dot Girl Products is dedicated to the mission of helping every girl have a positive first period experience. We applaud organizations that provide programs for young girls and schools – both private and public – that strive to provide health education for their students.

We believe that the more accurate information a girl has about puberty and menstruation the better her chances are of growing into a confident, healthy woman. That’s why we’ve created the Dot Girl ‘What’s Normal?’ bookmark.

Available for FREE to schools and non-profit organizations, the ‘What’s Normal?’ bookmark is designed to dispel some of the fears that girls have around menstruation. It can also be used as a way to open up a dialog between girls and their parents who may find it difficult to broach the subject of menstruation.

Contact Dot Girl Products owner Kathy Pickus at kathy@dotgirlproducts to order bookmarks which will be shipped free of charge.'What's Normal?' bookmarks from Dot Girl Products

Below Your Belt Launches at Women’s Health Foundation

The Women’s Health Foundation has launched their Below Your Belt initiative aimed at educating adolescent girls about all things ‘down there’.  The initiative includes a community blog and soon to be released Below Your Belt book.  The book will feature The Dot Girl First Period Kit as a suggested resource for educating girls about menstruation.

Below Your Belt

On the Dot – The Perfect Spot

On the Dot - The Perfect Spot

On the Dot – The Perfect Spot

I was recently introduced to a product that I just had to share with my readers.  Especially those tired of storing feminine supplies in plastic bags that always seem to rip apart and spill their contents.

The On the Dot storage box for tampons and feminine pads is new to the market and oh so cute.  Available in three different eye catching designs named after butterflies, the box is specifically made to discreetly store your monthly supplies while also being pretty enough to sit on your bathroom counter all the time.

The founder of On the Dot, Audrey Unrau, was inspired by her daughter’s self made box to store tampons and pads.  Audrey realized her daughter had a great idea and decided to design and manufacture the product.

Plenty of storage space for pads and tampons.

Plenty of storage space for pads and tampons.

Each box design has a butterfly handle to open up the storage compartment. Pulling up on the handle reveals the two part storage section.  The top compartment, meant for storing tampons, has a fold out front to prevent tampons from rolling out.  The second storage section is meant for storing any size feminine pads and is roomy enough to store several different sizes of pads.

The box  also has a plastic frame on the bottom to keep things neat and clean and protect against any bathroom water damage.  With three designs, there is one that will fit any bathroom decor.  The California Sister version (pictured) was specifically designed for young tweens.  The brightly colored box is a wonderful alternative to the plastic bags that feminine pads are sold in making having a period just a bit more fun for girls.

On the Dot has a community page where you can share your period stories and thoughts about the On the Dot product.  You can also participate in creating new designs for the boxes.  What a fun project for a mother and daughter to do together!

 

 

5 Tips to Talk to Your Daughter about Menstruation

Happy New Year from Dot Girl ProductsReposting our New Year’s advice from a couple of years ago.  May you all have a joyful New Year with your families!

Tomorrow starts the new year and that means it’s time for resolutions. If your daughter is approaching puberty and your resolution is to explain things to her, here are 5 Tips to help guide the discussion about menstruation:

1. Don’t leave it up to the schools and Internet websites to deliver the information. Make time to connect with your daughter to talk about this important milestone, make sure she understands the information, and feels comfortable asking questions.

2. Share your own memories and experiences from this time in your life. Did you have any embarrassing moments? Where were you when you started your first period? When did you buy your first bra? Sharing your stories will help your daughter realize that she is not alone in this experience.

3. Ask other women in your family to share their stories which will provide a sense of family togetherness and will give your daughter an idea of how times have changed. For example, girls today don’t have to deal with the belt and napkin. It used to be that feminine hygiene products were not even advertised on TV.

4. Schedule a field trip with friends and their moms to the local drugstore to explore the feminine hygiene aisle. Today, these products are displayed abundantly, just like shampoo and other personal care essentials. A trip like this reinforces that these products are a normal part of life.

5. Remember to keep the lines of communication open and start early. Being open and honest with your daughter when she is in her early years will lay the foundation important conversations to take shape as she grows older and has even more challenging questions and issues on her mind. Try not to have one big talk. Instead, slip in nuggets of information into normal everyday conversation. And don’t wait for your daughter to initiate the conversation because she may be too embarrassed to do so.

The Best Resources for Talking to Your Daughter About Sex

The Best Resources for Talking to Your Daughter About Sex

The Best Resources for Talking to Your Daughter about Sex

Don’t keep sex a secret from your daughter!

Parents: It’s time to show your daughters (and sons too) some love.  October is National Family Sexuality Education Month as promoted by Planned Parenthood and a coalition of non-profit organizations since 2002.  This month is the perfect time to prepare yourself to have some sex talks with your daughter.  The goal? To educate kids about sex, love, relationships, menstrual periods, body parts and so many other topics that your daughter wants to know about and you might be afraid to talk about.

Dot Girl is here is help with the discussion.  I’ve put together a list of some resources for you to draw from.  Use one, use them all, but use them to talk to your daughter about sex.  Research shows children want this information from their parents, not their peers.  She may not appear to be listening, but really she is.

Planned Parenthood Tools for Parents

Start with the premier provider of sexual health services.  Watch the first video to get your courage up and then watch the rest for tips on what to say and when to say it.  Most importantly, pay attention to the information on how to help your daughter delay her first sexual experience and then how to help her stay safe if and when she does start.  Risky behavior is not something you want your daughter to engage in.

What She Must Know About Contraception

Methods of contraception have multiplied over the past 20 years.  Need help explaining which is which to your daughter?  This infographic from Greatlist will help.  Review all the methods, some won’t be appropriate for a girl in her teens.  But better to know what is available early before it is too late.  And make sure she knows that contraception is a joint responsibility for both partners. More thoughts on this topic here.

Dr. Laura Berman

Yes, she targets adult sexual relationships.  And yet there are times when she has good advice for parents too.  Catch her on Oprah.com for a great article about Having the Sex Talk with Your Kids.

KidsHealth.org

A great site courtesy of Nemours, this site has plenty of information for girls about puberty and what bodily changes to expect.  Review the information and share with your daughter.  There are also resources for parents.

Remember, the more information your daughter has about sex, the more informed she will be about sex.  The more informed she is about sex, the safer she will be having sex.  Good Luck!