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The Best Period Pants for Tweens & Teens (2023)

12 July 2023  |  Admin

This post was inspired by this video from the lovely Claire, our product development manager.

Claire has just been on hols with her family. Even though her daughter SWORE she wasn’t due on, Claire packed some of our period pants just in case...

Which was lucky because her daughter’s period arrived early.  Thankfully,that meant she could wash and dry one pair while the other pair were being worn!

Period Pants are amazing period care for teens and tweens. They're a brilliant choice when preparing your child for their first period. None of the faff or stress that we had as youngsters, trying to silently open rustling pads and tampons in a cramped toilet cubicle.

And from what I hear from my girls, dealing with your period in toilets at school is best avoided as they tend to be so dirty!

If you're thinking of purchasing period pants for your child, we appreciate there are lots of options. Period underwear brands vary.  And it can be tricky to know what size to buy for your child as child and adult sizes vary so much (check out our sizing guide for Cheeky pants).

You can choose from online specialists like ourselves who have been in the business of ‘Simple Reusables’ since 2008, to High St options like M&S and Primark.

Here at Cheeky, we're never ones to shy away from comparisons with the competition. That's because we know you can google, just like we can! So we pulled together this list of the best period pants for teens and tweens, 2023:

 

Cheeky Bamboo Period Pants

‘Feeling Fancy’ - Bamboo Period Pants - Cheeky

We’re going to start with some of our own pants, purely because these are featured in the video above. 

These low rise period pants are great for normal flow and with cute side panels look just like regular underwear!  They'll replace around two to three regular tampons worth of flow.

Absorbency Level: Regular

Absorbency Area: Front to rear waistband, perfect for all activities and sleeping

Sizes available:  Adult size 4 (Approx age 10 to 12 child) to size 24

Material: 

Outer Body - 95% Bamboo 5% Spandex 

Absorbent Lining - Cotton/Elastane (95% / 5%) 

Middle 80% Polyester 20% Nylon

Waterproof layer of Oeko-Tex certified TPU

Price: £13.49 (also available as multibuy, 3 pairs for £30, 5 for £49, 7 for £66)

Trial Period: 100% Happiness Guarantee

Customer Review: "Comfortable, and pretty so you can still feel nice even when you’re on your period. No leaks. Only comment for improvement is that it would be great to have a seamless option to give less of a VPL- however these are much better than another brand I’ve tried!”

Modibodi Hipster Bikini

Modibodi Hipster Bikini

 

Modibodi are online specialists in period pants. They have a wide range of styles available including their ‘Red’ range which are specifically aimed at teens and tweens. We particularly like these cute bikini style period pants which have absorbency to front and rear waistband so are good for heavy flow and sleeping.

Absorbency Level: Heavy

Absorbency Area: To front and rear waistband

Sizes available: Age 8 to 10 and Age 14 to 16 currently available

Material: Not specified

Price: £24.00

Trial Period: 60 day risk free trial

Customer Review: "Amazing Undies"

Wuka Stretchy Teen Pants

Wuka teen period pants

Wuka (which stands for Wake Up, Kick Ass) are also online specialists in period pants. Their teen range of period pants focuses on stretchy pants which will grow with your child. We particularly like these red ones, but they are also available in black and purple.

Absorbency Level: Moderate to Heavy

Absorbency Area: Mid Gusset only (be careful wearing these if you sleep on your front or back due to limited absorbency area)

Sizes available: Age 8 to 12, Age 12 to 16

Material: Not specified

Price: £17.99

Trial Period: 40 day satisfaction guarantee

Customer Review: "Amazing product. My daughter prefers wearing pants to pads. She says they are really comfortable & makes her feel confident when on her period."

Cheeky Period Shorts

Cheeky Bamboo Period Shorts

These high-waisted period shorts are the favourite period underwear in my house.

Claire’s youngest daughter also loves these shorts because they’re made from supersoft bamboo which stops chub rub on her thighs (her words, not mine!)

They’re great under school uniform too as they’re shorts but are equally as good for lounging and sleeping as they have absorbency to front and rear waistband.

Sizing tip - this bamboo material is super stretchy so size down if unsure.

Absorbency Level: Heavy, high absorbency suitable for 12 hour overnight use and heavy flow days

Absorbency Area: To front and rear waistband

Sizes available: Size 4 to 6 to size 22 to 24

Material:

Lining layer:95% cotton+ 5% Spandex

2nd layer:280G 80% Polyester+ 20% Nylon

3rd layer:TPU+100% Polyester

Outer layer:95% Bamboo+5% Spandex

Price: £15.99, available as multibuy 3 pairs for £30, 5 pairs of period pants for £49, 7 pairs for £66

Trial Period: 100% Happiness Guarantee, love them or your money back

Customer Review: "I have only just discovered these and I love them!! They look ginormous but are so soft and comfy and provide me with a better night's sleep knowing that I will be protected from any leaks :-)"

 

Nora Period Bikini Style

Nora Teen Bikini Style Period Pants

Nora are an off-shoot of Tots Bots which have been making reusable nappies for more than 20 years in the UK. They have now branched out into reusable period products, including reusable pads and pants. They have a smaller range of styles available, however we think these bikini style pants are super cute for teens.

Absorbency Level: Regular

Absorbency Area: Gusset only, be careful wearing overnight due to limited absorbent area

Sizes available: Adult size 8 to size 20

Material:

Main Body: 95% Organic Cotton and 5% Elastane.

Wicking Layer: 100% Polyester

Absorbent Layer: 80% Polyester, 205 Polyamide

Barrier Layer: 100% Polyester with PU coating

Price: £17.95

Trial Period: No trial period

Customer Review: "I've found these pants so comfy. My period can be a bit up and down flow wise and being able to just wear a pair of the moderate pants and not worry was such a god send! I'd definitely recommend these and they look really nice on too! Everyone needs a little confidence boost during their period!"

Cheeky Boybriefs

Cheeky Boybrief Period Pants

Alongside our shorts, these are our most popular period pants for teens and tweens due to their funky styling. As with all Cheeky Pants, they have absorbency to from and rear waistband as standard and are available in regular and heavy flow options.

All period pants should be washed in cold water and air dried if possible to protect the waterproof layers.

Sizing tip - these tend to be snug around the legs, so size up if unsure.

Absorbency Level: Regular or Heavy Flow available

Absorbency Area: To front and rear waistband

Sizes available:  Size 2 adult (age 8 to 10 child) to size 22 adult.

Material:

Body: Cotton/Elastane (95% / 5%)

Waterproof layer of Oeko-Tex certified TPU

Outer: Cotton/Elastane (95% / 5%)

Price: From £13.49, available as multibuy 3 pairs for £30, 5 pairs of period pants for £49, 7 pairs for £66

Trial Period: 100% Happiness Guarantee, love them or your money back

Customer Review: "Really pleased with the quality of this product. Comfortable and reliable for a teen with heavy flow."

 

Marks & Spencer Period Bikini Style

M and S Period Bikini Teen

Everyone knows Marks & Spencer, they have been a High St stalwart for aeons. Whilst you won’t get the specialist help that online brands offer (like our period questionnaire for example or helpful articles on how to choose the right period pants), you have the convenience of being able to walk into the shop and walk out with your period pants. We like these bikini style pants, priced at £20 for 3 pairs, they're good value too.

Worth pointing out that M&S period pants only have absorbency in the gusset, so not great for overnight.

Absorbency Level: Moderate to Heavy

Absorbency Area: Gusset only

Sizes available:  Adult size 4 to size 20

Material: 46% cotton, 46% modal and 8% elastane lycra® (exclusive of trimmings), Gusset (of underwear) - 100% polyester, Gusset (of underwear) - 84% polyester, 16% polyamide

Price: 3 pairs for £20

Trial Period: none

Customer Review: "Really pleased with these knickers. Very absorbent. Only negative is that they could do with some extra protection in the front gusset to prevent leakage at night"

Primark Period Mini Briefs

Primark Period Pants

Primark are another very well known High St brand, best known for cheap fashion and homewares. Their period pants top our list of the cheapest period pants we could find in our ‘best period pants brands’ list. Again, absorbency is only in the gusset of their knickers, so we can't recommend them for overnight or sleeping. However they're a great price at 3 pairs of mini briefs for £16.

Absorbency Level: Light to Regular

Absorbency Area: Gusset only

Sizes available: Adult XS to XL

Material: Elastane 6% Polyester 94%

Price: 3 pairs for £16

Trial Period: none

Customer Review: none available

If you're considering period pants for your child, we hope this has helped give you some options. And if you’ve enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy:

3 for £30
5 for £45
7 for £56
Feeling Cosy - Bamboo Period Shorts
£13.49
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About the Author: Helen Rankin founded Cheeky Wipes, the original reusable wipes kit back in 2008 after disposable wipes caused her eczema to flare up. 4 kids later, internal period protection such as tampons or menstrual cups were no longer an option for her and she went on to develop their range of 'Simple Reusables' to include period pants, reusable sanitary pads and reusable makeup removing pads.

The Cheeky customer services team pride themselves on providing honest, friendly advice and just LOVE to chat pee, poo and periods all day long, helping people make the switch to reusables! The Company was recognised for their hard work in developing environmentally friendly products with the Queens Award in Enterprise for Sustainable Development in 2021.