Developing Too Early??

I really hate to tell you this, being the mother of 5 and 6 year old girls, but I started to develop when I was 7 or 8. It is very young, but it does happen.

growing up, one of my cousins started her period when she was 8. i think sometimes girls just develop early. also, i have no idea what your diets are like, but are you eating animal products that are organically grown/raised or conventionally raised? i am a middle school teacher and am surprised at how early some students develop. i often speculate if it is due to the family eating meats, eggs, cheeses and drinking milks that are full of hormones. a great resource for feeding your family and raising children who are healthy and wise is the Weston A Price Foundation, they have a journal publication you can find on-line called Wise Traditions.

i agree that it is good to speak with her doctor about it. perhaps you may even want to go visit a homeopathic or more holistic doctor as well. they will look at the situation in a more holistic manner than a conventional western doctors who, i have found, only seem to tell you what is wrong without actually telling you what the true cause and solution is.

in any rate, celebrate your daughter's development into this next phase of her life and let her know how blessed women are to experience this side of nature!

K.,

Girls are developing earlier and earlier these days. I got my cycle when I turned 9! So start talking if you haven't already about her body, different changes that will occur and how to deal with them. Make a list for the doctor's appt-- they can help you with her transition into puberty.

Molly

I have young boys myself, but I was a third grade teacher for years and had at least one girl start her period in class each year. I never would have thought I would be handling a girl getting her first period as a third grade teacher, but I did. I suspected growth hormones, as Meredith mentioned, and each of these girls was at least a bit overweight, which I think starts to happen as you hit puberty so maybe excess weight in certain areas (hips, etc) is a trigger or a symptom for early menarche. I would definitely talk about this with the doctor. I just wanted to share that I had at least one girl out of 20 start her period in my classes, so I don't think it's that uncommon.

My 9-yr. old daughter started getting hair under arms (and other places) this past year and developing breast buds. I got her a tank style sports bra and deoderant. She thought they were both cool because her friend had them and the deoderant smelled like berries. The underarm hair was pretty long and showed when she wore sleeveless shirt and bathing suits. It didn't bother her too much, but I was afraid that the kids would start teasing her. I got her some cream that you put on the hair for 5 min. then wash off in the shower. The hair comes right off. She doesn't get teased by the kids now or have to start shaving yet (she is just too young to shave!) I don't have the name of it because my girlfriend squeezed some of hers into a container so I could try it on my daughter. I am sure you can find it on the internet or in a drug store. If anyone really is interested, email me directly and I will find out the name for you.

I'm not sure if anyone mentioned this, but there is an American Girl book called The Care and Keeping of You ($10) which explains growing up/puberty/pimples/body odor/etc. for young girls. It deals with it in a realistic and basic manner. It will be easy to read for your daughter.

About a year ago, I took my daughter to the doctor, the doctor mentioned that the average age for girls getting their periods now is 10. Yes, that's right, the AVERAGE age is 10!

My daughter is 10 1/2 and started wearing little sport bras about a year ~ 18 months ago when she started developing breast buds. Some girls wear tanks or cami tops with the little shelf bras built in (they don't "fit" my daughter right and were uncomfortable for her. Target has some cute little bras, as does Justice for Girls - watch for sales! Just simple fabric, no padding, no cup sizes, just the measurements (size30 bra-size10 tops), they pull on, no hook and eye closures.

I had her get them early so that it wasn't as big of a deal if she didn't wear them every day and could get used to the feeling of wearing them. It's now at the point that she definitely needs them with some tops and can still get by without them with others.

If you have friends with slightly older girls, they might have some to pass down to you. We've gotten some in hand-me-downs and passed some along ourselves.

Hi K., my neice developed early...she started getting pubic hair around this age......I think there are some books out there that will help you and your daughter....in explaining what is going on. Your pedi should be able to help refer you to those books...

I started to develop around 8-9 - I was mortified! I was also the tallest kid in class until 9th grade & size 10 feet!
I was a bookworm - no sports other than riding my bike or rollerskates once in a while - I think if I was more active things would have slowed down a bit. I was also being molested - which my Dr. said can trigger early puberty. Probably not the case with your daughter - i hope. Anyway - if she's not active or a little plump that can make things start sooner. Be encouraging, don't let her feel "defective" or wierd, be prepared for her to get teased a little - she'll need your support and guidance. Don't just tell her you think she's beautiful - kids know you're SUPPOSED to say that! Judy Bloom wrote some great novels for young girls about puberty - funny and informative - you should read them first and them read them with her to open up a dialog on an otherwise awkward subject.

Dear K.,
All girls develop differently. Trust me.
My mom was 11 when she got boobies and periods so she made sure my sister and I knew all along what to expect.
My little sister started "devoloping" when she was 10. I was 13 at the time and....nothing. The magical world of being a girl didn't hit me until I was 15.
We had the same mom and dad and were raised the same so these things happen when they happen.
I think the main thing is to let your daughter know that what is happening to her body is perfectly normal and all girls go through it. Sooner or later.
Her body may be going through changes, but emotionally she's still a little girl. She's still a kid. She's not automatically a woman now. She just needs reassurance that life as she knew it isn't going to be over because of it.
It's no easier being a late bloomer than an early bloomer, but with love, we get through blooming when it's time for us to bloom.

I wish you the best.

I had a student once who started to develop in 2nd grade. Her parents took her dr. at Stanford University Hospital and put her on hormone treatments.It helped, I guess. I had her a few years later and found her to be a mood teenager. Some days happy, other days withdrawn, and many days absent.

Good to talk to the dr. about this. I'm sure he can run some tests.

I teach 4th gr. and the vast majority of my girls begin to develop breast buds toward the last 1/3 of the school year and will return to school in the fall well developed. My girls are generally 10 most of the year.

S

K.,

I just went to the Dr. on Thursday with my 7yr old daughter with questions about development. She stated that there are 3 stages of developement the breasts, body odor and then the period. She also stated that the average age for menstruation is 9 yrs old. So for now she told us to keep an eye on our daughter. She did state that the one concern with starting menstruation too early is that once they start they only have 2 more years to grow and that will be their adult height. That is why she said to keep a close one on our daughter. She did say that there is a bone scan that they can do of the wrist which will show their true puberty age. All and all I guess it sounds as though for now-a-days your daughter is following the normal trends. I know it is quite scary isn't it.

Good luck with your daughter.

Unfortunately, this is becoming a common occurence with girls due to all the hormones in meat and dairy products. Also many of the plastics we use release compounds that disrupt or confuse the endocrine system. It seems that girls are developing a couple of years sooner than they should have based on the age when their parents began developing and going into puberty. Many of the schools are now showing the puberty films in 4-5th grades. There is not much you can do but educate your daughter about what is happening to her body and get her some undershirts and/or training bras. Think about having the talk about getting her period as well...our friends daughter started her period between 10 and 11, which was early compared to when her parents went into puberty. There have been some great posts on this site about books to buy to help start these kinds of discussions. Good luck!

hi K.-
i have a neice who developed very early (tallest girl in class as well), she was a size C in her bra by the time she was TEN and now at 15 is a DD! i think that the more matter-of-fact that you can be talking about it and the more esteem-building activities she is involved in the better, for her! we're all shaped differently and develop at our own pace...kids will tease because of their OWN insecurities...as long as she has good self-esteem she will weather her differences (or perhaps it's better phrased as "uniqueness"?)in growth from her peers...one tip from me: i find it very important that as she is deveoping that you make sure her undergarments fit right: my sister would put my neice into VERY tight sports bras, in an attempt to "tamp down" those boobs but the result is that my neice spilled out over the top/sides of them and they looked HORRIBLE!!!! they made her boobs MORE noticible because they looked so bad in the ill-fitting bras...
anyhow, best of luck! the physical stuff isn't even the hard stuff (i realize it is to the kids!)for us moms, it'll be the hormones in about 3-5 yrs that're gonna throw you for a loop!
lots of love and smiles and appreciation and support of your girl's growth and changes to ya!
:)
S.

It was about 2 year of warning before my 11 yr old "matured". She handles it quite well.
Having a dog that went into heat, really was helpful.
My daughter has thin friends that matched her.
It may be more intense exercise helps delay this.
My kid didn't eat much hormone foods, nor scented lotions oils perfumes and sprays household stuff that bio mimics hormones.

my daughter is now 7. she started to get pubic hairs at 5, but they were very fine, so I didn't worry too much. Then the next year they started to thicken and get longer. So I took her to the drs. and they did some hormone testing and everything was normal, and they couldn't figure why she got them so early. I was in 7th grade, but don't know about my sisters. If all fell in the norm, then they told me I shouldn't worry and I trust her dr. as well as the specialist that we took her to. Girls are developing earlier than before, it's no shock anymore. I've heard part of it has to do with the lights in that are used in buildings now.