How to Use Period Pants- A Guide for Parents and T(w)eens
So your child’s first period is around the corner and you’re thinking of starting them on period pants? Amazing! Not sure where to start? This guide is for you. Read on to find out more about how to use period pants, and how to help your child have a sustainable period from day one of her cycle.
Period pants for the first period
Without getting too mushy, we’d just like to say a great big THANK YOU from the entire team at WUKA for making such an important switch on behalf of your child. We hear from so many parents who tell us they wish period pants had been around when they were young- and we feel the same!
After all, we were brought up on disposables, hearing tales of our own mothers wearing sanitary belts, and feeling grateful we’d advanced enough to now have tampons with strings and pads with wings. But what we know now about the staggering amount of menstrual waste we contributed towards each time we had our period, makes this switch for our children even more important.
We’re nurturing a generation for whom a sustainable period is just a normal part of life, a generation who don’t need to make the switch, and who will never contribute towards the menstrual waste crisis. This is a generation who see period pants as the norm - and that’s just amazing.
So if you’re new to period pants and your child is new to periods, you’re in good hands here. So let’s dive in!
What are period pants?
Period pants look like normal underwear, and are worn like normal pants. The difference here is that you bleed into them when you get your period, and you don’t need to use pads or tampons. They’re a complete replacement for disposables.
How do period pants work?
The magic’s in the gusset! It’s made up of many highly absorbent layers which are designed to absorb your period flow, and to lock it in and away from the body.
🩸The top layer sits next to your skin and is made of super soft cotton.
🩸The middle layers work by locking in the fluid and preventing it from sitting next to your skin. This eliminates odours and keeps you feeling dry.
🩸The outer layers are breathable and moisture-wicking to keep odour and infections at bay.
How to care for period pants
If cared for properly, period pants will last for up to two years. It’s a good idea to rinse your pants as soon as possible after use, making sure to use cold water only. This helps to lift the blood from your pants, whereas hot water helps to ‘set’ the blood, making it hard to remove.
After rinsing, wash your period pants as normal- either by hand, or in the machine at 40 degrees. No fabric conditioner and line dry only to protect the absorbent layers.
Tip: Make rinsing part of your teen's routine. Lots of our customers do this in the shower, and stomp on their pants until the water runs clear!
Using period pants at school
Period pants are so much easier to use at school than disposables. First off, they're discreet. Because you wear them like normal underwear, nobody will ever know you're wearing them - no need to smuggle tampons up your sleeve, or to struggle with crinkly wrappers in a public bathroom!
Like with anything new, wearing period pants at school can take some getting used to. Our Teen Stretch
We also have leak-proof swimming bottoms for swimming lessons too, which can be worn under your child's usual swimming costume, or leak-proof swimsuits which conform to Swim England regulations.
Tip: Get your child into a good routine of changing and rinsing their pants straight after school, and keeping a stocked wash bag in their school bag just incase.
How to choose the right period pants for your child
There are lots of different styles of period pants out here, but we’ve kept it simple for teens. First periods can be erratic in both flow and timing, so until your child knows her flow, we recommend looking at absorbency first.
Shop by flow
Our Heavy Flow period pants for teens are designed to hold up to 20ml blood,
which is the equivalent of three pads. They can be worn for around 4-6 hours on heavy days, and as your child gets to know her flow she’ll have a better idea of how often to change them. We recommend taking a spare pair to school just in case
Our Super Heavy Flow period pants for teens are made with extra absorbent layers in the gusset (four, instead of three) and can hold up to 60ml blood, or 8 pads worth. These are great for girls with a really heavy or unpredictable flow, or just for peace of mind if they (or you) are worried about leaks. The extra absorbency means they can be worn for up to 24 hours, which is great for peace of mind.
Shop by style
Our best selling period pants for girls are our Teen Stretch™️, and they’re a firm favourite for parents too. Unlike other period pants, these are multi-size. We use Stretch™️ technology to allow one pair to stretch up to three sizes, meaning they accommodate for not only bloating but for growth spurts too.
Available in two sizes (1: age 8-12, and 2: age 12-16) they’re a great option for anyone in-between traditional sizes, and once you make the initial investment, you wont be forced to re-buy in six months when your child is growing out of other pants.
Our new Teen Stretch™️ Boxer Shorts are perfect for school too - providing a little extra coverage, lots wear them confidently under their school skirts. These are available in two sizes, in black or blue.
The Teen Stretch™️ period pants in heavy flow are available in black, blue, red and light nude colour, and can be bought as individual pairs, or in cycle packs of three or five.
Our First Period Kits are a great way for parents and kids to learn more about period pants and puberty. The kits come with your choice of book ( ‘The Autism Friendly Guide to Periods’ or ‘Girls Guide to Growing Up Great’), either a pair of our Teen Stretch™️ period pants in Heavy Flow or Super Heavy Flow, or our Teen Stretch™️ Boxer Shorts and a wash bag.
Period School Set
Buying a School Set makes sense for a lot of parents. Choose from:
- Limited Edition WUKA x Green People School Confidence Kit, featuring a pair of our Teen Stretch
™️ Boxer Shorts and a Green People organic deodorant - Period School Set 7 pair Teen Stretch™️ Seamless Heavy Flow
- Period School Set 7 pair Teen Stretch™️ Boxer Shorts
- Period School Week 5 pair Teen Stretch™️ Super Heavy Flow / Heavy Flow
- Period School Set 2 pack Teen Stretch™️ or 4 pack Teen Stretch™️
Period Sleep Set
Lots of teens (and their parents!) worry about leaking during sleep, and that's why we always recommend a Sleep Set too. Choose from:
-
Period Sleep Set 2 pack / Period Sleep Set 4 pack - featuring our Ultimate
™️ Boxer Shorts and Basics Hipster period pants, plus a wash bag - Period Sleep Set 5 pack - featuring our Teen Stretch
™️ for Super Heavy Flow
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