FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kathy Pickus, 877-202-2702; info@dotgirlproducts.com
WORKING PARENTS, STAY-AT-HOME PARENTS, CARETAKERS AND THEIR YOUNG DAUGHTERS WELCOME 1ST PERIODS SOONER
THAN EXPECTED, SIGNALING THE NEED TO BE PREPARED IN A NEW WAY FOR BACK-TO-SCHOOL
(Seattle, WA – August 23, 2010) — With the recent news from Pediatrics about puberty coming as early as seven or eight years of age for girls around the world, Kathy Pickus — co-founder Dot Girl Products (www.dotgirlproducts.com) — says parents and their daughters should take a lesson from the Boy Scouts when it comes to back-to-school shopping: Be prepared. Pickus recommends that parents stock backpacks with one additional item that could come in handy so girls are not unexpectedly caught with their pants down and not knowing what to do when they see red.
“Let’s help our girls respond to this important milestone in their lives with confidence and the proper supplies at the ready, as opposed to experiencing awkward moments and disruption of their school days or their parents’ demanding work schedules to rush to the drug store to purchase feminine hygiene products,” Pickus suggests. She suggests that working parents, stay at home parents, caretakers and their daughters will all enjoy greater peace of mind knowing that the girls are heading off to school with backpacks well stocked with the supplies, information and understanding they need, just in case their periods begin unexpectedly at school.
The Dot Girl First Period Kit® offers everything a girl needs for her first period, including The Dot Girl Period Answer Book that is packed with frequently asked questions and answers about menstruation, five feminine pads, five disposal bags, one reusable heating pad, and two hand wipes. Everything comes fashionably packaged in a discreet carrying case that can fit in a purse or backpack. Purchases can be made from the company’s website atwww.dotgirlproducts.com for $22.99 each with quantity discounts available to those who purchase seven or more kits a time. Schools and non-profit organizations also enjoy preferred pricing upon proof of their non-profit status.
In an August 9, 2010 report from Pediatrics, 15% of 1,239 girls studied showed the beginnings of breast development at age 7. One in 10 white girls, twice as many as in a 1997 study, showed breast growth by that age, as did 23% of black girls and 15% of Hispanic girls. The median age of breast development fell from 10.9 years in 1991 to 9.9 in 2006, according to a Danish study published in Pediatrics last year.
The new study doesn’t explain why girls are developing earlier, but it did find heavier girls with a higher body-mass index were more likely than others to begin puberty early, says pediatrician Frank Biro, director of adolescent medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. A third of children are now overweight, and the early puberty trend could be related to the obesity epidemic, says Marcia Herman-Giddens of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
While First Lady Michelle Obama presses on to campaign against childhood obesity, that campaign is likely coming too late for many young girls who find themselves heavy enough for their bodies to signal the start of menstruation.
Tips to Guide Tweens and Teens about Menstruation:
Pickus says:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Pickus and her sister Terri Goodwin experienced awkward introductions to puberty as young girls. They created the Dot Girl First Period Kit® to help other parents address the topic of menstruation with their children and pave the way for more graceful introductions to young womanhood. Thanks to favorable reviews in national and regional media, The Dot Girl First Period Kit® has grown from a simple idea to one that is earning praise and awards, including the Mom’s Choice Gold Award.
“To date, our business has grown one online purchase and one favorable review at a time,” Pickus said. “It’s heartening to receive so many letters from moms and their daughters and even some dads, thanking us for creating a reason for their tweens to connect with them about this important time in their lives. We know the way families approach talking about puberty can have a dramatic impact on how they communicate about a great many other matters throughout life. That is why starting off right is important.”
Dot Girl Products Inc.
Started in 2006 by two sisters, Kathy Pickus and Terri Goodwin, Dot Girl Products has welcomed favorable reviews and media attention for The Dot Girl First Period Kit® from CNN, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Toronto Globe and Mail, and a host of regional parenting magazines and mommy blogs worldwide. The company distributes free “What’s Normal?” bookmarks to schools and non-profit organizations and welcomes requests to expand distribution about this important and timely information. Kathy Pickus is available for media interviews and welcomes product reviews from bloggers and journalists who write about issues facing parents and their teen and tween daughters. Learn more and purchase products to serve teen and tween girls anticipating their first period atwww.dotgirlproducts.com.
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