8 Year Old with Breast Tenderness and Little Lump Behind Nipple

Completely normal. They don't just have puberty one day and it's over. It's a long process that takes time. This doesn't signify that she's going to start her period in the next few months either. It just means her body did something new that is part of a long process.

From what I've seen with our girls friends she was rather late when she started at age 12. Most started around age 10 or 11. Only one of her friends, at age 13, hasn't started their periods by the time they turned 13, so when they were 12 or younger. This one friend started in January.

Nipple soreness and the small nodules do happen this early. They won't start having breasts in a month, they'll continue with this pain and stuff for maybe even years.

I would definitely have it checked by the doc though just to rule out anything going on with her lymph nodes or something like that.

My daughter was the same. Everything started at 8. She would have lots of growing pains too! So the lump just sounds like puberty hitting. Expect a period within 2 years at most.

I started puberty at 8 (long before there were added hormones in food & milk). I started my period right before 5th grade. Please get her some age-appropriate books on puberty (sorry, I don't have suggestions for that but I know they are out there). Please also reinforce safe-body rules and let her know that any inappropriate attention is NOT her fault.

That is a totally normal time to start getting breast buds. It most likely will be a few more years before she starts getting her period. Puberty happens over the course of several years and has various, gradual steps before full maturity happens. Starting your period is one of the latest steps in puberty but always seems to be the one people think of as being the only part of puberty for some reason.
American Girl has a couple of books, "The Care and Keeping of You: The Body Book for Younger Girls" and "The Care and Keeping of You 2: The Body Book for Older Girls" that are really good and talk about all the changes to expect in the upcoming years as well as self-care help and encouragement. We also got "It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health (The Family Library)" By Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley. That's a bit more in depth but still written in a very age appropriate way.

It's puberty. My daughter got her first period at nine.

This is normal. The buds come in and sometimes slide around inside and feel funny.

Please start to talk to her about the changes coming up in her body. Get a book or two and read them together so that she understands what is going on. I hope you have been talking about the birds and the bees along the way as now is a good time to continue this conversation. There is a book called "What is happening to me?" That is or was out when my kids were growing up. The book tells the story of both sexes as to the changes in the body and it may be a good book for you. Review it before you give it to your daughter or read it with her.

Welcome to the world of tween and the beginning of mood swings.

the other S.