Heading back to school can be daunting enough without throwing periods into the mix. For a young person getting their first period, there’s a lot to work out – what products to use, what to take to school, how often to change them, and for parents, where to even begin.
Research found that 45% of women felt unprepared for their first period. 7 in 10 women who felt unprepared describe their first period as a negative experience, compared to just 16% of those who felt ready. The same research shows parents are the difference. Women who felt prepared were more than twice as likely to have learned about periods from a parent (65% versus 29%).*
Parents have long improvised: makeup bags, spare pants and pads tucked into the bottom of a school bag. This back-to-school season, WUKA and Tesco are turning that homemade tradition into something every family can pick up with the weekly shop.
From 19 August until 29th September, WUKA’s Teen Starter Kit (£25) launches in 372 Tesco stores as part of ‘The Perfect Period Pair’ campaign with Tesco and WaterWipes, the first-time reusable period pants have been available not just in supermarkets, but in everyday local shopping too.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
- 2x WUKA Stretch™ Express Fit Midi Brief – a Tesco exclusive and the most affordable WUKA period underwear ever sold. Medium flow, absorbing 15ml (the same as 3 tampons or 2 pads), with a built-in absorbent, odour-proof gusset for up to 12 hours of leak-proof protection.
- Stretch™ Technology: each pair adapts to growing bodies, stretching across 3 sizes (XS-S-M and L-XL-2XL) and lasting up to 2 years, so parents save as their child grows. Every pair also saves 196 disposables from landfill, with a carbon footprint 5x smaller than single-use products.
- Rebel Girls’ “Growing Up Powerful” is a colourful guide to puberty and girlhood, packed with expert advice, Q&As and quizzes.
- A two-pocket reusable changing bag keeps fresh and used pairs separate for easy, mess-free changing on the go.
- A fun sticker sheet, all packed in a cool, clear WUKA travel bag.
The kit comes in two teen size ranges (XS-S-M and L-XL-2XL), recognising that young girls’ bodies develop differently. Available at a seasonal offer for a limited time, it’s an accessible way for anyone new to period underwear to try WUKA – while stocks last.
Sensory-friendly period care
The launch also spotlights sensory-friendly period care, an area WUKA believes is often overlooked. WUKA’s pants are designed without rustling, tags or a sticky feel, with ‘sensory friendly’ stickers on the kit helping families identify the feature in store particularly valuable for autistic girls, who can experience heightened sensitivity to textures, sounds, seams and labels. The initiative builds on WUKA’s work with the Autistic Girls Network to improve period awareness and resources for autistic girls.
WUKA founder and CEO, Ruby Raut, says: “We prepare our kids for the first day of school with everything they need – a first period deserves the same. Nearly half of women say they felt unprepared for theirs, but when parents step in early, that experience can change. Mums have been improvising first period kits for generations. Our first-ever starter kit in 372 Tesco stores means the kit is now sitting right there in the back-to-school shop, affordable, ready to go and stigma-free. It’s about girls supporting girls, and making sure no one feels alone when they get their first period.”
