Help with menstrual cycle products and sensory challenges

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My dd is 10 y/o with ASD (categorized as HFA) and began her cycle. She is fully aware of what is happening and in general is very hygienic. However, she is really struggling with wearing even panty liners. She has major sensory challenges with nearly all clothing, although I think some of it is behavioral (she is rigid about seasonal clothing changes, etc.). I cannot even get her to wear a coat in 20 degree snowy weather, so trying to get buy-in on sanitary products has been difficult. She is far too young for internal products, so I'm trying to find alternatives before she ruins her sheets and underwear. Interestingly enough, I discovered she is stuffing toilet paper in place of a pad and this happened once before when she was younger, due to minute amounts of wetness, and it resulted in an infection. I had to remind her of this incident to get her to stop, as it was a horrible doctor appointment for her. Does anyone have any ideas? I saw that Luna products have washable panties that are absorbent, but they're insanely expensive! Has anyone tried these with sensory issues and are they comfortable?

Thanks for the help.

My daughter is 11, and it has been an absolute battle. She is NT.

What exactly aggravating her? Is it the fact the pad is in her underwear or is it the tape/plastic or the feel of the pad?

For my daughter it was the pad. HATES it. So we got the teen tampons and tried that.
She is 5' 6" and 120 lbs, so she is an adult sized person.

Now she uses the teen/tween tampons and a panty liner.

I would just keep trying different types until you find one. My daughter can tolerate the longer, thin pads. It doesn't bunch up like the smaller ones.

It's crazy. My daughter started this year, but some girls at her school have had their period since 8 or 9.

So, I'm almost 40 and I use toilet paper. I know, weird and TMI. But, I can't stand pads or tampons, because I like to have the freedom to change every time I need to feel clean, which pads don't afford. Maybe you can go with her toilet paper predilection, but reinforce the idea that she has to refresh frequently? From your post, she had a bad experience before, but she's older now. I, for one, like the idea that I don't have to bring anything with me to the bathroom, and that I can refresh anytime I have to go, with no fuss. Maybe that could work for her too.

They're pricy but you might want to try the kind that is organic, or 7th Generation makes irritant free products that work.

Hi, I agree with waterfalls - see if she'll try an organic pad. I personally can't stand conventional pads they seem so synthetic and chemically and make me itchy (sorry tmi) whereas the organic cotton ones don't. Get a 'slimline' product with wings and encourage her to change it often. To me that's the most 'comfortable' way to manage periods.

I'm flat out allergic to the pads and tampons. I have to use cloth pads and a diva cup. The cloth pads are WAY more comfortable than disposable, however they need to be changed more frequently and obviously, they need to be soaked and washed. However in terms of comfort other than a little bulk, they are no different than underwear. ETSY has a lot of sellers, however if you go this route check reviews and make sure the pads contains PUL otherwise they won't be leak proof.

Reusable cloth pads were the answer for me.

Before that, I had to settle for ultra-thin pads (not something that existed when I was a teenager, but an invention I'm grateful for) and extremely tight panties.

My DD14 (NT, but with some tactile issues) has had her best luck with the super-tiny "teen" ultra-thin pads, or with changing her underwear multiple times a day (so far her flow is very light).

I am seriously thinking about sewing a few layers of old terrycloth toweling into a few pairs of her old panties and seeing if that works for her. If she'll toss them in my pad bucket instead of stuffing them under her bed anyway...

I strongly second the toilet paper idea, as long as she remembers to change frequently. Or, just have her wear multiple, regular panties.

Also, what about paper towels or art paper rolls ? The smooth, thin and soft kind ? I am thinking of those cheap brown rolls that might not irritate / aggravate her sensory issues. A 200 ft long art paper roll retails for under $20.

If it's just her age that's bothering you, that's no reason she can't try tampons. Just buy the tiniest ones you can find and let her try it out if she wants. I always hated pads. They're uncomfortable, they move around and leak, and they made me feel like a baby in a diaper. I was also always paranoid that other people could tell when I was wearing one. I started using tampons in high school, and it was such a relief!

As far as staining goes-- if it stays in the underpants, screw it, they're underpants. As in, under the pants. Personal. Who's-gonna-see.

Pads/tampons don't exactly prevent you from ending up with spots and stains on your underpants.

The only issue there is, unless she's bloody lucky (and possibly infertile), it's not going to stay light enough to get away with just bleeding into the underpants for long. Those light pubertal periods turn into the Great Flood for almost everyone.

And a big ol' period stain on the back of your pants does matter. Bleeding on your desk is a sanitary issue, and that big ol' stain will get the s**t teased out of you.

"Light pubertal periods"? Dang, were you lucky. I had the Red Sea 7 days straight. Thankfully it has dwindled over the years.

I hated pads. The feel of the pad made me miserable every cycle. I switched to tampons after awhile, and they were so much better!

I'd pick the smallest size of tampons, and have her try them. Also, some girls like to use a tampon applicator, but I found it horribly painful - let her decide how she'd rather get it in.

If they work for her, make sure to remind her to change them regularly - if she leaves a tampon in for more than 24 hours, she could get an infection.