Buying Her First Bra

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Buying her first bra is an important step toward young womanhood for your daughter. It’s a big moment she’ll remember for years to come, so here are a few tips to help make the experience as fun and exciting as possible.

  • Bras are sort of mysterious to young girls – partly embarrassing because, well, it’s underwear – partly exciting because needing one means she’s growing up. She might feel ready to try one out, but nervous to talk to you about buying one. If you think she’s ready, it’s O.K. to bring it up to her. Tell her you’d like to take her shopping, maybe try on a bra or two while you’re at it. She’ll appreciate your bringing it up for her, and your doing it in such a nonchalant way will make her feel at ease.
  • Bralettes, training bras and teen bras are different names for the same item – small bras that lack underwire support. Sometimes they are available in the standard sizes, but most of the time they come in small, medium and large.
  • When you’re ready to head to the mall, you might want to pick one that’s a little out of the way, to avoid running into her classmates or friends. You might want to measure her at home before you head out, as this is the most embarrassing part of the process. Simply write her measurements on a piece of paper to take along, and off you go.
  • Make sure she knows that comfort is the most important thing to keep in mind when buying a bra. Help her put it on, adjust the straps and have her move around a bit so she can see how it feels. If it takes a few tries before she finds the right one, tell her it’s all right. A bra isn’t something you can just run into the store and grab. It takes some time to try on a few and find one that fits nicely and comfortably.
  • Most training bras come in white cotton. They’re versatile and can hide easily under most of her clothing. But, if you like, try buying her a more “fun” bra, too. They come in all kinds of colors and can make her first bra-shopping experience even more memorable.

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What others are saying.

amme, 5/10/2009 8:58:34 PM
picking out ur first bra is very hard because u dont know what size u r are anything but if u go to ur lolcal mall they will help u the best way they can

haley , 5/10/2009 9:00:50 PM
it is very hard to pick out your first bar but ask your mom and she should heip you make the right choice.

patty, 5/11/2009 6:48:18 PM
this web site have given me so much imfomation and i want to thank the creates of this web site!!!!!!

Sabrina, 5/11/2009 10:47:11 PM
I remember my first time buying a bra and I tried to do it alone. I was kinda too shy to ask for help. I tried like one on, and I thought it fit when I was in the store, but I took it off and didn't wear it again until the next school day.

A few days later, and it was Monday, I put it on and it didn't fit at all and was really uncomfortable.

The lesson here... Make sure you go with someone and really check to make sure it fits!

223, 5/12/2009 7:17:40 AM
hey , everyone i have a question if u have a bra and its way to small who do u go to like if u dont have a mom or anything what can u do ! eho did u go to ?please help me i really need some info which dont forget my name is 223 so plase send back to some answers please i really need some help !!!!!!

Sarah, 5/12/2009 9:05:54 AM
223, you can visit your local Victoria's Secret store and they can take your measurements for you. Hope this helps.

vicky, 5/12/2009 11:29:35 AM
what about when they can start shaving there legs.

Kris, 5/12/2009 1:52:03 PM
Hi 223,
Do you have a school guidance counsellor, favorite teacher or mom of a friend to ask for help?

Jessi, 5/12/2009 4:58:02 PM
some moms think getting a cheap bra as a first one is ok as it is just a test..no! I insisted on a pretty one as well as practical. Felt awkward wearing at first..girls must know this.

katie, 5/13/2009 2:37:40 PM
I am so nervous about my 2nd grader...is it far too young? She is super tall and looks about 11...but I do not want to push her to grow up! I have always taught her to not be ashamed of her body....the way I was as a child/preteen/ teen...
My concern is just not pushing her to grow up fast but being appropriate..

Lynnage14, 5/18/2009 11:27:37 AM
Just to the Moms..... I had to tell my mom that i thought I needed a bra (which i did) and it was realllyyyyy awkward, which I don't know why cuz she went out and bought me one the next day! But also, when i needed a real bra (lk not a training bra) it was also awkward to tell her. So if u think she's ready for a more advanced bra, just say something lk "Maybe I should get you a bra that would be better 4 u" and she'll probably want u to, especially if she's feeling self-conscious. One more thing, if u find a good bra for her, get a skin-colored one, and at least one colorful one for fun. It will be more fun for her and the tan one will be good under a seethrough shirt. Hope this helps :D

Mikayla, 5/27/2009 5:13:16 PM
katie if she's getting any signs of breasts(i.e. nipples show through some shirts) or if she justs wants one get her one. try your local target thats where we went and in the girls underwear/tights section theres lots of them, training and 'regular' ones too.

Rosalie, 6/9/2009 4:29:11 PM
my first bra was a size 32 a .

Jen, 6/9/2009 11:53:33 PM
Like many girls I had to buy my first bra alone. I was too shy to try it on in the dressing room. I took it home and it was a bit small. the next time I went bra shopping I had a bit more info and made a very good buy at Sears. It fit way better. Those of you who have a grownup to go with you, mom, friend, teacher, can make it a lot easier. Have fun!

sri, 6/21/2009 3:19:34 AM
how to use the pad......I need demo

Joyce, 6/23/2009 12:53:56 PM
I was hoping I would have a few more years to go but my 9yr old has now reached puberty so now its time to shop for some bras, she is a little bit shy about the changes happening but also excited about wearing a bra.

stephanie johnson, 6/25/2009 2:39:24 AM
i remembered when my mom bought me to a bra shop im so embrassed about it.. and i don't want to pick my choice in front of her.. haha so i buy one my own

Asya, 6/29/2009 7:44:06 AM
Hi.

boemo, 7/4/2009 1:55:34 AM
my first bra was ...exiting

Daisy.s finylas, 7/24/2009 6:46:13 PM
hi ppl.i need advice about my period AND my first bra,but right now i want
advice about my first bra.Now,i am a
bit crazy and i can't WAIT for my first bra but i am WAYYYYYYYYY too nervous to ask my mom tio go bra shopping with me.what do i do.

*******************************, 7/29/2009 10:29:21 AM
when i was in sixth grade we had 2 start changing in the locker room & i didnt have a bra so i told my sis wht happened and the next day home from school i found a pair of bras on my bed

someone, 8/11/2009 1:18:48 PM
im 14 and i wear a training bra. i thought it would be better if i asked some moms. i think i could wear a cup bra. how do i ask her? its really awkward to talk to her about this kind of stuff. like when i got my period it was really awkard. plz answer im going to high school next month so id like to start wearing a real bra.

embaressed, 8/13/2009 10:13:05 PM
im 13 and i way behind my friends development. i have starte dmy period and everything im just "small" i wear a cup bra to make it look like i am where they are, somone please help me!! im to embaressed to go to my mom bcz she wouldnt get it. help mee!!

someone , 8/17/2009 9:40:03 AM
embaressed im right there with you only im 14 and dont even wear a cup bra though id like to but no one on this site has answered my question yet plz answer my question!!!

Lynn, 8/20/2009 1:59:17 PM
someone,
what i did, was when i was at lk walmart or target with my mom, i went and tried a "real" bra on to make sure it fits. then i showed it to her and said that my training bras were to small and she got it for me! for me when it get bras, i always try them on before i show them to mom so that she doesn't have to wait for me.

Norma, 8/21/2009 3:08:36 PM
Girls: you don't have to feel embarassed, your moms have gone thru this too. maybe try writing a note mentioning it's time to go shopping for special girl stuff, she'll get the hint. Moms: start talking to them when they are young, share funny/embarassing stories w/ them. tell her that her friends are going thru the same things too. and if they haven't they will soon. and re-assure them, so they can feel comfortable talking to you.

someone, 8/23/2009 1:24:38 PM
thanx Lynn but how did u get to try it on w/o her? like what did u say? and plus it might be hard to go out alone cuz i have 3 other sisters who like to go shopping and im too shy to tell them the reason i wouldnt want them to go

Lynn, 9/2/2009 11:14:02 AM
to someone
well, when i'm at lk walmart, she lets me look at clothes and stuff while she gets groceries and she picks me up after shes done. maybe if she doesn't do that you could ask her to go to the clothes section with u and tell her something lk, "Umm mom, could you hold on while i try something on?" then if it fits you you could say, "mom, could we get this bra because i need a bigger one" and she'll probably say yes.
for ur sisters, u could tell them that u just want to go with ur mom to be alone with her.
bra trying on tip: always take other clothes to the change room with u unless ur at a bra store cuz then u won't feel so awkward.
once i went with a good friend who wears regular bras too, and my mom had dropped us off in clothes at target and we were running back and forth to the change room with bras trying to avoid my brother. hehehe then cuz we were the same size we were trying on bras and then tossing them over the walls of the change room to each other. it was really fun. but anyway, its sometimes easier if you have a really good friend with you. well, i hope i helped!

someone, 9/2/2009 4:56:19 PM
thank you sooooo much Lynn ill try that next time we go grocery shopping!!! :)

Lynn, 9/4/2009 10:05:33 AM
ur welcome!!!!! =)

person, 10/3/2009 7:30:47 PM
I am 14yrs.old...i am soo glad to read some other people are going through what i am too..the whole small thing. I feel so selfconcious..one of my friends(BEST!) encourages me and says everything is ok and not to worry which may sound weird, other "friends" make fun of me, say things, and just embarris me. I feel so behind in developement. Once my friend said i could borrow bathingsuit top, i said i would prefer not to, why? i am way way smaller than her, i kinda argued with her why i wouldn't, i was way to emberessed to say why, I am surprised she didn't think of the small thing. I am a little above average height, super skinny (not and eating disorder, which people make fun of me for too) no hips, and not developed....another thing to moms, start to be open with your kids early, i wish my mom was, then maybe i wouldn't feel so uncomforable talking about stuff like that to her. Sorry this is so long but it feels good to say something.

layla, 10/5/2009 9:06:27 PM
i am flat and i am 14. most of my friends are like a c cup by now.wat can i do to make them larger?

ashley, 10/6/2009 3:25:43 PM
I have the same problem. and im 14. i don't really think there's much we can do about it tho. But i was a 34 a before i got my period, but then like a month after i got it (may) i grew one size so now i am a 34 b. but still it seems like everyone is bigger.

brooke, 10/6/2009 3:30:57 PM
My breasts are humungous and it's so annoying. I'm bigger than my mom, and I have SO many stretch marks. Buying a bra is really diffucult since I am inbetween sizes C and D. I am 14 and when I was 12 I was a 36 B. That same year I grew 2 bra sizes! Having big breasts is not fun.

mariann, 10/10/2009 3:38:24 PM
Finding the right bra size is easy if you just go on the web. Playtex.com & Maidenform.com are 2 sites that I used with my youngest girl(12) to find her size. They tell you where to measure and when you put in the numbers, they give you a size that you can find at the mall or where ever. And don't worry about size because we come in many different sizes and it's all normal.

zoe, 10/30/2009 11:52:09 AM
My little girl (10) is now past the budding stage and wearing cup bras and her breasts were a bit tender so i bought her a couple of padded bras which had really helped and she's a bit self consious as one breast is a bit bigger than the other and they help even out her shape.

unknown, 11/2/2009 3:01:34 AM
im 13+ but im still wearing a trainig bra. I think im able to fit into a cup bra already but i do not know ow to ask my mother. She thinks that it is unnesessary and that i can continue to wear trainigs bras as she feels its much cheaper from where she buys it. pls help me!

rosee, 11/13/2009 3:57:15 AM
hi this is rose at the time of first bra buying i went to shop with my mom. she was suggested me. first bra size of me is 32a, but now 36.

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