Tampon help

Hi, I'm a 15 year old with who needs some advice about tampons. I've had my period since I was 11, and I've used pads since then. But I've always had trouble with them leaking, and have been wondering about tampons. I tried them once but I was not able to get them in (sorry if this is tmi) and I just gave up. Any tips on trying again or any alternatives to prevent leaking??