As women, do we talk enough to our men or daughters about periods? I’m not talking about trying to totally freak them out, but more about explaining the practicalities of them and what is available to use each month. I recently came across an interview with comedian Gary Meikle in which he talked about life as a single dad to his daughter. In it he mentioned how, when she started her periods, he realised that he knew nothing, and as a result he ended up asking the local shopkeeper for advice as to whether he should be buying tampons or towels for her.
For girls, getting their period is an inevitable part of growing up and I believe it is important to arm them with as much information as possible before that happens so that they understand what is happening to their body and can make informed decisions about what sanitary protection to use.
I was therefore intrigued to be asked to review a First Period Box from DAME with my teenage step-daughter. Back when I was a teenager we had a visit to school from someone that was referred to as “the Tampax lady” and that was pretty much it. I vaguely recall being given a box of tampons to try, but they were just one type and there was no real explanation as to what else was available on the market to use. The First Period Box can give girls today so much more.
The main thing that I really liked about the First Period Box is that they are very much designed with teenage girls in mind, rather than just being an extension of something targeted at grown women. The box contains a copy of the book Have you started yet? which is a brilliant way of explaining to girls what changes there bodies are going through and why. It is fair to say that in places it is quite explicit, but only in a way that I believe is necessary. It not only covers the physical changes that girls can expect, but also the accompanying emotional ones.
The box also contains a selection of pads and tampons (both applicator and non-applicator) and it is perfect for a girl to keep at home ready for when they start, so that they can also try a selection of products to find out which works best for them. I also think that giving them that selection helps to reinforce the message that we’re all different and what works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for everyone.
The other nice additions to the box are some disposal bags (to help reduce the amount of waste and plastic in our seas that comes from flushing used products down the toilet) and also a bag to keep their sanitary protection in at home, and a small zip up purse so that they can keep a couple in their school bag too. Finally, there’s a bar of chocolate. Simply because it’s a nice treat to have!
What is also really nice, and ties everything together, is the inclusion of a little postcard explaining the box’s contents – right down to identifying which tampon is which, because let’s be honest, I wouldn’t know!
Get 50% off Sanitary Owl’s First Period Box
If you’re interested in buying one of Sanitary Owl’s First Period Boxes from DAME then I’m delighted to say that being Mrs C readers can get 50% off, just by heading over to their website and using the code MRSC50.
Disclaimer: We were sent Sanitary Owl’s First period Box for the purposes of this review. All opinions remain my own.
LOL. this post made me chuckle. I wish we had had this when my daughter had her first period. I was woefully unprepared. I stuck her in the bath and did a midnoght dash to Tesco, where I discovered that, although I have bought tampins and sanitary towels for wives/girlfriends for years and years, I had not the slightest idea what a young girl would need on her forst period. So I bought one of every type of towel they had. And a bottle of gin for my nerves. When I got to the checkout it looked like that scene from Three Men and a Bay with the nappies. I got a very strange look from the checkout assistant, but brazened it out.
Brilliant story Billy! Hope the gin worked it’s magic for you. It’s a minefield out there – even as a mum!