How to Handle Early Puberty

Statistics show that more children today are faced with early puberty. It is not uncommon for some children to enter puberty as young as seven years old. It is not yet determined what is causing this onset of early puberty, but it is thought that obesity might play a role. If your child is facing early puberty, there are some things you can do to help them handle it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Get active. If you notice beginning signs of puberty in your child at an early age, the best thing you can do for her is to encourage an active, physical lifestyle. Get the child out of the house and using her body. Sedentary lifestyles and obesity are thought to be contributing factors in early puberty.
2. Talk to you child. Explain to him the changes that are going on his body and what to expect as puberty progresses. Keep the conversation age appropriate and only discuss sex if you feel the child is mature enough to handle the information.
3. Bring the child to see her pediatrician. The doctor needs to be made aware of an early onset of puberty. In many cases it will be determined that nothing should be done other than to allow nature to take its course. However if the child is extremely young, the doctor might recommend hormone therapy to slow down the progression of puberty.
4. Pay attention to who the child's friends are. Often if a child develops physically younger then their peers, there is a tendency for the child to separate from their old friends and establish new friendships with older children. This can be dangerous and expose your child to things that he is not ready to handle.
5. Seek counseling if either yourself or you child is having trouble handling the onset of early puberty. Talking about the problem with a professional therapist can often make it easier to cope with.