child has sore nipples

[tinkerbell99]

hi my 7 year old daughter has been complaining about her nipples being sore i told her that her breasts are going to start growing soon but i am unsure if its too early for them to start now and will i need to explain puberty to her a bit more i have told her about extra body hair but when do i tell her about periods? she is my first child and i want to be open with her about these things but my mother wasnt with me so i dont know when to have these talks with her

[callyann]

I have a daughter and 3 granddaughters and have always dealt with questions as they come in a simple but honest way. Each child developes at a different rate, my eldest grandaughter is still quite innocent at 13 and the 7 year old is very forward. The main thing is to make sure she understands things at her level and that there s nothing scary about periods etc. I'm not one of these people that try to make kids grow up faster than they should but realise there are things they need to know for their own safety. At the age of 15, my best friend rvealed that she thought she could get pregnant by rubbing noses with a boy. She got very angry with us when we tried to put her right and wehad to take her to the Domestic Science teacer to convince her. What I am saying is play it by ear, enjoy your mother, daughter relationship and be relaxed. Sorry for gabbling but I hope I have been some help. I am a youthworker and see first hand that the wrong approach can cause lots of problems and also that young people in many cases, both boys and girls have all the "technical" info and not enough of the emotional side of things.

[tinkerbell99]

thanks you did help alot i only told her about the extra body hair cos she asked me why do men have hairy armpits and chests and she asked if women get hairy too so i told her its all part of growing up and your changing from a little girl to a woman and she was fine with that answer but i did tell her that we dont get hairy chests lol

[onlyme26]

hello,

my nephew had that!! worrying i know!! but we found out it was the material off a new top he had been bought, was rubbing on his nipples and made them sore, ( something to think about)

but in a more realistic way, if i remember rightly i developed very early, it is possible that she may start to grow very slowly over the next few years, i remember having boobs at 9! not sure about 7.

i also have a 7 year old and i to wonder about when and what to tell her, tho the simple fact is, each child is different, if you feel she is mature enough to understand about growing up and periods, you could start to expalin it in a way she will understand, i cant see that it will do any damage, and if she is already experiencing pubity, maybe the sooner the better. i havent had to explain much to my daughter yet, she hasnt really asked many questions, tho i will make sure i do explain it all properly in the next few years before she hears bits and bobs from school ! and pieces it together wrong like i did hehe

hope this helps xx

[elaine33]

I do think the sore nipples is more to do with clothing irritation than development at the age of 7.
I think 7 is a little young to be talking about puberty. tell a child where babies come from, but keep the body changes talk for a couple of years time.

[tinkerbell99]

i told her cos she asked and she never asked me since and she thinks babies come from lots of kisses and at the moment im happy to let her think that maybe she is sore from her clothes cos with the hot weather she hasnt been wearing her vests

[lil75]

My daughter had this because of a top she wore

[digscorp25]

Hi, my mum introduced me to a book about periods when I was 10 called 'Have You Started Yet' . Don't know if you can still buy it but it worked for me. By the time I was 11 I had my first period and wasn't scared at all as the book helped. Good Luck when the time comes to tell her

[tinkerbell99]

i was 11 when i started too thanks for your advice and ill look for the book and give her it when shes 10

[ILNY]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Have-You-Started-Yet-S traight/dp/033033722X

[~max~]

My mum hadn't told me about it, but thankfully, I read an awful lot, so I knew what it was.
I was 11, and remember waking mum up at 6am because my pijamas were wet and I didn't know what to do...lol
She just smiled and made me laugh about me being a young woman now, and just showed me how to use a sanitary towel, and later on, she gave me light tampons and stayed behind the door of the bathroom in case I needed advice. All went fine. Kids are a lot more clued up than we'd think these days.
However, at age 7, I agree with the others that it is much more likely to be a reaction to her clothing.