Tween Period app
I’ve searched around online and have had little success finding a period tracking app for my 11-year-old who just started her period. She’d like to use an app to track, which I think is great and will work much better than old-school calendar for her (for multiple reasons).
However, it doesn’t seem like anything out there is meant for tweens. Most of them have fertility trackers built in and / or sex & body education, etc meant for older teens or women. I’m totally up for my daughter having good info but it has to be age appropriate. Has anyone found a decent app? (Btw, I did find one ‘Magic Girl’ which looked only ok but was age-appropriate. But it is no longer available.)
Please share any suggestions on period tracking for young tweens, apps or otherwise (though really she’s not likely to use a paper calendar accurately or at all).
Parent Replies
Hello,
This article does mention "magic girl" but other apps are mentioned at the bottom of the article: https://mamaknowsitall.com/best-period-apps-for-girls/
Hi,
I never found a tracking app that wasn’t fertility-focused (I needed it for myself), so I just use the calendar app that is already on my phone. Depending on the app, you can even set up separate calendars for different needs (school assignments, appointments, etc.) and see all of them at once, or select which are visible. When I have an upcoming doctor’s appointment, I put the info in a spreadsheet and email it to my doctor. Your daughter certainly doesn’t need to do anything like that, but depending on her personality she might enjoy graphing what she is learning about her changing body.
Another approach: Have you suggested that she look at the available apps to see if one ‘speaks’ to her. She can ignore the stuff that doesn’t apply to her, but will have that available to her as she gets older and it becomes relevant.
SF Mom
If she has an Apple product, their Health App has "Cycle Tracking" which seems pretty straightforward and not fertility based.
My daughter uses Flo, which she started using as a young teen. I wish I had access to this resource when I got my period. If you are menstruating, knowing about ovulation is age-appropriate. Regardless of being sexually active or not, understanding what is happening at different points in your cycle is helpful. For years as a teen (with no interest in fertility) I was perplexed by monthly changes in my body (not just having a period), and an app that could explain these would have been appreciated. Knowledge is good!