What does your adolescent daughter know about keeping her female anatomy healthy? When she starts having regular periods, you know how important it is for her to feel confident that she is prepared for her period each month and that she understands feminine hygiene. This training could actually begin when your daughter is very young.

Start Early and Continue As She Grows

As soon as she is able to wipe herself after she goes potty, it is time to start the training. She is naturally going to start wiping from behind and clean toward the front. The problem with this plan is that she can spread stuff from her anus toward her vagina. This would be a good time to teach her about her vulva and show her why she should wipe herself from the front to the back.

A next landmark teaching time is when you notice a change in your daughter’s body odor. This tells you that special skin glands in her armpits and the skin of her vulva are starting to work. She has entered puberty! The sweat these glands produce is ingested by bacteria that live there. The bacteria produce a gas and that is her body odor. We spend a lot of time teaching about deodorant for the armpits, but this is also a great time to teach about cleanliness of the vulva. It’s simple. Warm water and a clean towel is about all she needs and the encouragement to cleanse each day.

Even if your daughter is older now, she can still benefit from your wisdom. Explain to her the basics of feminine hygiene during that time she is having her period. Give her the option to use a pad or a tampon and in what situations one might be better than the other. Changing them frequently is also very important.

Help Her Stay Informed

Helping your daughter to be informed about feminine hygiene is a topic moms and daughters can share through the years. The bond of womanhood is special and certainly even more special for moms and daughters.