OT: What age to start shaving legs?

[ksumn1]

I'm in almost the same boat as OP. My DD is 8 (9 in Nov) and is a larger girl. Wears a women's size 7 shoe, is 5' 1" and is already developing a little. She is "fluffy" and built just like her Dad was at her age, bless her heart. She not too worried about shaving, but did ask about the hair that was showing up down there. I took that as an opening to have the developing, period and boys talk. At her age, I wanted her to be prepared about how to handle it should she start her period at school, because I'm afraid she will start early.

I figure she'll probably start shaving around 11 or even earlier depending on the situation at school with what all the other girls are doing.

My mom bought her some training bras just a few weeks ago, because DD asked her to. She was afraid that I wouldn't get one for her because she's not old enough. It's borderline whether she actually needs it but if she's self concious, then it's time.

It's all soo hard. My mom never talked to me much, other than to tell me to get a pad out of the cabinet when I started my period in the middle of the night. I was scared to death. Oh, and that sex is bad, don't do it. But she never quite expained exactly what "it" was. By the time I figured it out, it was too late and the deed was done (Yes,I was THAT naive)

I want to be open and honest with her and have her know that she can talk to me about anything, no matter how embarassing. But it's hard to figure out what's age appropriate, and what's not.

 

[WildGrits]

Instead of shaving, maybe you could get her some VEET.

If your DD likes American Girl, Then please invest in their book The Care And Keeping Of ME. It is written for a young girls level. And no speak of the S-E-X subject.

I have been a GS Leader and SUM for 10 plus years, and I haven't seen a book better for the subject of physical maturing yet.

 

[jenrein]

oh my....so I posted yesterday no period yet right? My daughter called last night. She is on a 10 day vacation with her grandparents she sees once a year and she started her period yesterday. I asked what she did and she talked to gma who went to her aunt and they got her hooked up with some supplies. We talked about it a lot so she knew what to expect. I just feel so horrible that it had to happen with almost strangers

 

[WildGrits]

OH Jenrin,

I'm sorry you were not there to share this occasion with her.

I think that is pure luck that a change in environment brought it on. I was always like that. Packing a suitcase was a guarentee that I would get one.

I hope this was a great bonding moment for her and her grandmother. What a great way to open dialogue about how things have changed since her generation.

 

[bennythepug]

my dd is 12 and started shaving this summer. She will wear a camisole bra under protest and is starting to realize that she does need one. She has not gotten her period yet.

 

[sjms71]

Instead of shaving, maybe you could get her some VEET.

If your DD likes American Girl, Then please invest in their book The Care And Keeping Of ME. It is written for a young girls level. And no speak of the S-E-X subject.

I have been a GS Leader and SUM for 10 plus years, and I haven't seen a book better for the subject of physical maturing yet.

I was going to recommend this book too. My DD 9 has this book it is very tastefully written.

 

[Becky2005]

I will agree that if she's asking, she's probably self-conscious. For me, I always had fine hair and never really needed to shave until teen years.

HOWEVER, my oldest sister has very dark hair and I know she would confide in me that she hated it because for some bizarre reason my mom only allowed us to shave up to our knee? I don't know what the deal is with that but probably to my advantage because I almost never need to shave above the knee now since I didn't get the dark hair genes.

It was a big deal. I also remember a friend of mine who was younger, who had blonde hair but she had a lot of it on her legs & she hated it but her mom wouldn't let her shave because she was "too young".

I distinctly remember both of the conversations and just how awful both of them felt with not being allowed to shave. My DD got the dark hair gene that my sister has, so as soon as she started asking about shaving her legs. I immediately went and got her a razor, showed her how to do it, etc...

I think she was probably in 4th grade at the time. She's still not consistent as to when she shaves but I knew the fact that she was asking, it was bothering her & I remembered those conversations with my sister & my friend.

I think I got her started in bras about 5th grade and we have just recently upgraded to "real" bras even though she's not exactly huge but with being in middle school *I* like the little more padded bras that I know others don't like but basically the other just fabric ones, weren't doing what I considered an appropriate job covering what she needed covered. We found ones that we both could agree on (she's like me in doesn't like the decorations since they will show through the shirts & trying to find a plain old white bra (I think they are called t-shirt bras now?) is near impossible. They ALL seemed to have some design on it or something.) We finally did get some though, so we are both happy with it.

As for periods, who knows -- it varies. I found out my sister was 11 when she started but I was 13. My DD is convinced she's not going to start for oh forever (I get the typical teen look of thinking I've lost my marbles when I suggested she take some supplies to camp recently "just in case" ). She's a gymnast though, so it's quite possible she won't start until she's 15, 16, 17 or stops gymnasts or ????? who knows.

 

[MidgeD79]

My granddaughter turned 11 in June. She started her period in January, wears a bra (she's bigger than her mom, although that's not saying much lol). She shaves her underarms about 2x a week, I'm not sure about her legs. She wears a size 8 shoe and junior size 7. She was 8 weeks premature weighing 4 pounds. Her mom (my daughter) died 4/29/06 so I'm "filling in". We are all very proud of her.

 

[jstbcuz]

My oldest daughter is 14 and has been wearing a bra since kdg. Not that she needed it, just that she thought that was the coolest thing. I think she started shaving in 6th or 7th grade...........is just now developing and hasnt started her period. She weighs approx. 100 lbs and is a long distance runner.
Im thinking any time now.

She also has a 11 year old sister, that hasnt started shaving, but has very hairy legs. She hasnt even asked to shave tho. She's about as big as her big sis, and already is starting to develop. So Im sure she will start sooner than the other one.

I am also a teacher and it is amazing to me to see kids in 3rd and 4th grade more developed than I am and already dealing with the period issue.

 

[teresajoy]

Oh, I wish I hadn't found this thread! It makes me realize my Arminda is getting to "that" age! She turned 9 in May. I noticed that the hair on her legs is getting darker, but if she isn't going to say anything about shaving, neither am I!

She's had a bra since she was like 2. My sister bought it for her. But, that was just becasue at that age, she had an obsession for bras, and really wanted one! But, the other day she started asking when she could wear a bra, so we went out and bought her a few. She really wanted and underwire one, but I talked her out of it! It wasn't until she was trying those bras on though that I realized how much she had developed in the last few months.

I don't like my baby growing up so fast! I think I will look into that American Girl book. My neice (my brother's daughter) could use a copy of that too.

ETA: I think I started shaving around 6th grade. I didn't ask my Mom, I just did it. She was a little suprised, but didn't say much about it.

 

[deedeetoo]

My dd just turned 9. She has had hairy legs most of her life - fortunately its blonde hair so it doesn't show that much but I've wondered about this also. I'm hoping to hold off a bit longer.

She has no signs of needing a bra yet - flat as a board.

But here is a related question. This past year my daughter has developed adult type underarm odor. She now has to wash under her arms every morning and use deoderant. She has no underarm hair growth yet. When have dds started to need deoderant?

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

My dd just turned 9. She has had hairy legs most of her life - fortunately its blonde hair so it doesn't show that much but I've wondered about this also. I'm hoping to hold off a bit longer.

She has no signs of needing a bra yet - flat as a board.

But here is a related question. This past year my daughter has developed adult type underarm odor. She now has to wash under her arms every morning and use deoderant. She has no underarm hair growth yet. When have dds started to need deoderant?

I think my DD was around 9 or 10 when we started using deoderant. I guess when the odor starts, the hormones are in gear for things to come.

 

[java]

Oh I am of the as soon as she asks I would let her shave. My Mom had an age requirement and wouldn't let me shave until I was 13. I was being teased about my "bangs" (catholic school- knee socks- not a pretty sight) And I am a blonde- so it was light hair but still I got teased.
So as soon as my dd asks(she is soon to be 10) she can do it! I like the idea of an electric razor to start.

 

[AlyssinWonderland]

I'm looking for moms to tell me at what age their daughters started:

1. shaving their legs; 2. wearing a bra; and 3. their periods???

Well I don't have any children but I can tell you about me.
1. I started shaving when I was eight... I have really dark hair and did when I was younger too.

2. I needed a training bra when I was 7-8, and starting wearing a real bra when I was 9. I developed rather quickly.

3. I was 9 when my period started. I was really lucky because my mom and I had the period talk when I was 7 and she made sure to bring it up every couple of months. When I started school that year (4th) she made me carry a feminine pad in my bag at all times just in case. Of course it started in school but I was really lucky because my mom had me so well prepared. There was one other girl in my class that year who's mother hadn't told her yet. She of started one day in class too. I helped her out, but she was really scared, and it would have been much better for her to talk to a member of her family about it instead of a classmate she barely knew.

I would personally recommend you talk to your daughter soon and give her the book. Better to be safe than sorry! And while it might be uncomfortable to talk about this now there will be harder conversations later (ex. Sex, young pregancy, Std's, drugs, abuse, etc.) My mom and I were really close and she almost always told me how things really are. I'm really grateful, I was never one of those kids who couldn't tell her mom something because she was too old to understand...or too unapprochable with tough subjects. As strange as it sounds I think her trusting me when I was younger with tough subject matter, is one of the reasons our relationship is so good. Good Luck to you and your DD!

 

[Gillian]

DD is only 4, but I think she will need to shave as early as anyone. I'm seriously thinking about getting her waxing, because I think it's the best thing in the long run. I have also used Veet and it's very good, so I'd prefer her to use that over a blade or even an electric shaver.

 

[IDoDis]

My one concern about posting this info on these boards is that there are pedophiles out there who google words/phrases in searches to find this stuff. These guys are sick and they share the web site info with other pedophiles. I even saw a web site from a guy who listed good places to go to watch little girls and good web pages to view about girls ages 3 -11. So, be careful about any personal information you post (names in signatures, locations, etc...)!!!!!

My DD started shaving when she turned 11, although she started asking last summer. I bought her a purple electric razor.

Has your DD read the book, "Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret" by Judy Bloom. It is all about these three girls and their coming of age/getting their periods. It's very age appropriate and just a darling book. It was written in the 50s or 60s when they still used "belts" with their pads, so I had to explain that part to DD. She loved the book. I highly recommend it for any girl who is starting to notice changes and asking questions.

 

[dhcoffey]

My DD turned 9 in May and she asked to start shaving this summer. I have an older DD who is 14 and she sees her shaving and wants to, too. I bought the Veet for her so she wouldn't hurt herself and it's working great for her.

Heather

 

[Atchley]

I started using veet on my DD legs when she was 7 or so. I remember kids making fun of me because my parents would not let me shave my legs. The hair on DD legs is kinda dark, so I started doing this for her. I only do it maybe once every 3-4 months. Even less in the winter. Just enough to take most of the hair off. I'm trying not to shave yet because it seems the hair becomes more coarse. DD is 9 now. She is just starting to ask me to help her do this on her own.

 

[kangareaux]

In talking to other parents(Girl Scouts) most girls started about the same time they hit the 100lb mark.

Good heavens....mine may never start! LOL! She's going in the 4th grade and weighs about 50 lbs. She's healthy....just petite.

Of course, I clearly remember being very tiny at her age too. I think I was in the 3rd or 4th grade when I finally outgrew 6x clothes in width.

I think I started around 13 or 14. I didn't hit 100 lbs until I was in college. (Ah the good old days! LOL!) We will under no circumstances discuss what my weight is NOW.

DD has been asking to start shaving her legs too. Her leg hair is very light, but if it's bothering her, I'm probably going to get an electric shaver and give in.

 

[Becky2005]

Good heavens....mine may never start! LOL! She's going in the 4th grade and weighs about 50 lbs. She's healthy....just petite.

That's my DD...hence the reason I'm thinking, oh, 16, 17, 18 before she'll start. Literally when she started 6th grade, they didn't have a gym uniform small enough for her. The smallest they start is Child Large. Luckily, that year it wasn't required to get the ones the PTO sold, so she got away with a solid color shorts & shirt. The next year it was mandatory to get the PTO ones...we got the Child Large -- they are STILL too big on her. She can't get the sweatshirts they offer because she swims in them. She will be able to wear them for gym again this year. I'm thinking the shirt might just follow her to High School. I think the last time we weighed her a couple weeks ago she was somewhere between 65-70? pounds and she's 13. She's also in the 10% for her height though, poor thing but she comes by that naturally (I'm short, my MIL was even shorter than me!).