Packing her first kit for school, camp or a sleepover

A mum's checklist for the moments she's not at home.

Camp week. Sleepover season. The first term back when her cycle is brand new. These are the moments mums lie awake worrying about, because there's no easy way to call home and there's nothing worse than getting caught out in a sleeping bag. If sleepovers are the bit on your mind, we've got a whole mum's guide to sleepovers and first periods too.

Not sure if her first period might land while she's away? Take our quick first period quiz to spot the signs before the trip.

Here's what we pack and why, in the order it matters.

The first thing in the bag: two pairs of leakproof undies

One on, one in the bag. That's the rule.

The reason it's two and not three or four is that ours have full gussets, edge to edge. She doesn't need a fresh pair every few hours like she would with a pad. One pair gets her through the day. The spare is for the morning of day two, or for the unexpected-period scenario where camp lands a week earlier than her cycle predicted.

If her cycles are heavy, pack three. If you're packing for camp specifically and it's a 5-night trip, the Sleepover & Camp Kit comes with the right count built in. For full period-week coverage you can also add the Tween Period Underwear 5-Pack ($99).

The bit nobody packs but should: wipes

Individually wrapped intimate wipes. Two minimum. More if it's a longer trip.

These are not for daily hygiene. They're for the moment something goes sideways. The day she didn't know her period was about to start. The night she leaked in a sleeping bag. The hour between getting changed for swimming and the bus leaving.

Wipes are the bit that turns "I had to phone mum from camp" into "I sorted it out in a bathroom stall and went back to the activity."

The pouch (so she doesn't have to explain anything)

Our discreet waterproof pouch fits in her sports bag, school bag or pillowcase without looking like anything in particular. It's pink-ish and looks like a small make-up bag, which means she can grab it and head to the bathroom without anyone asking what's in it.

This sounds small. For an 11-year-old at her first camp, it isn't small.

The laundry bag (yes, take it)

If she ends up wearing the spare pair and the first pair needs to come home dirty, the laundry bag means it goes in a sealed, breathable pouch that lives at the bottom of her backpack until she gets home. Not in a Woolies plastic bag that everyone can see through. Not loose in her wash bag.

This is genuinely the difference between her enjoying camp and her dreading the bus ride home.

Heat patches (the secret weapon)

If she gets cramps, pack two air-activated heat patches. They stick to leggings or undies, work through clothing, and provide hours of warmth. For girls with painful cycles, especially first-period cycles, they're often the thing that lets her stay at camp instead of going home. If cramps are a regular thing for her, here's more on heat patches for period pain.

Even if she doesn't normally get cramps, pack one. First-cycle pain is unpredictable.

What we don't pack

• Tampons if it's her first or second period. Not the moment to learn insertion.
• Pads alone without the undies as backup. Pads slip during the activities camp is built around.
• A big bottle of paracetamol. Most schools and camp organisers have strict rules about medication. Heat patches are drug-free, so no permission slip needed.
• An obvious "period kit" labelled as such. Discretion matters at this age. The pouch handles it.

The actual checklist

For a 2 to 3 night trip:

1. 2 pairs leakproof undies (3 if heavy)
2. 2 to 4 intimate wipes
3. Waterproof pouch
4. Laundry bag
5. 2 heat patches
6. Sticky note from you in the pouch saying "I love you, you've got this" (not joking, do it)

Want a printable version? Here's our full school and camp period kit checklist.

The kits we recommend for this

The Sleepover & Camp Kit ($65) was built around exactly this checklist. It's the one we recommend most for camp and sleepover season.

For first-period prep at school, the Ultimate First Period Kit ($85) has more wipes and the heat patches included. If you just want to get her started, the First Period Tween Starter Kit ($49) is the easy entry option.

For NDIS families

Both kits can be funded through her core supports or consumables budget when they're part of her continence or personal-care needs. We invoice plan managers direct, usually inside 48 hours. Full how-to on the NDIS page, and our NDIS period kit guide walks through it step by step.

Camps and respite stays are exactly the moments NDIS funding is supposed to make easier. Period kits are an easy, sensible way to use it.

Pack the wipes. Pack the pouch. Pack the note.