Daughter with Body Odor

Dear J.;
My wife told me that Lemon Juice will also get rid of the odor. She saw it on one of the shows she likes to watch. Just rub a little under each arm & see if that helps?
Blessings;
Rodney

Forget about "Six years old is too young for a deodorant." You're ready for deodorant when you stink, and she does, so she is. There may be some metabolic problem, so take her to the doctor quickly, but meanwhile use what remedies are available for the problem, like strong deodorant.

It seems that children today go through things much earlier than we did as children. My nine year old has had to use deodorant since he was seven. His armpits smelled awful! Buy her some deodorant and try it for a week just to see how it goes. You really do not want others to smell her, especially other children.

This started at our house when my daughter was 4!! She is 5 1/2 now so it has been going on for some time.
She gets hot really easy and every time she gets really hot she gets underarm odor. It's horrible ! We consulted the doctor and he told us to use the dove unscented deodorant on her and pay attention to what kind of soap we use on her. Some soaps can make it worse. We usually use baby wash on her. I have noticed when I use my own oil of olay on her it does tend to get worse. Good luck !

My grandaughter is 7 and she started having underarm odor at 6 also. My daughter bought her some girls deodorant and it solved the problem.

We were told that girls are maturing at a lot earlier age than when we were little and some of it is due, to excessive growth hormones in our meat and poultry. I don't know if this is really the reason, but Jade is starting to get puffy breasts and she is only 7. She is a very slim girl also, so I know it isn't from her weight.

You aren't alone, but they make a deodorant just for little girls by degree I believe.

I have sons and they have always had bad under arm order. We switched to a soap that was deodorant or antibacterial. This did help. The dr. thought that it was just because of not getting all the bacteria off. We also used powder/cornstarch under the arms as well.

The easiest way to explain this is that what goes in comes out again. I suggest you take a close look at your daughter's diet. If she eats lots of fresh fruits and veggies, (try finding a salad she likes, make it for her often, and leave beautiful bowls of ready-to-eat fruit on the kitchen counters) she probably won't have this problem. Drinking sufficient water is also helpful. Maybe you can supply her with her own water bottle, so you can check her fluid intake. A few foods that can add to the problem are dairy products (cheese, milk, ice cream are all big culprits), and garlic or onion in large amounts. Sometimes high protein diets can cause this also.If it does turn out to be the dairy products, maybe you can start introducing soy and or almond milk and cheese. If none of these things help, check with her doctor. There is a nice salt deodorant that you can buy in health food stores that is basically a block of salt that you rub under your arms, and can help keep the odors at bay. And it is a great idea after an hour of heavy exercise, to have her shower to get rid of those odors. Have you ever smelled a locker room?
Good luck!

My four year old has the same issue. I brought it up to her DR. and she said to use a deoderant made for teens. It makes my daughter feel grown up and now she does not have to hear the comments.

I agree with most of the mom's advice, so I wont bother repeating it, but I do have something to add. As far as being too young for deoderant, if the doctor decides this is just natural and something she will have to deal with in the ways the rest of us do, you should understand what body odor, particularly from the underarms, is. It is the smell put off by bacteria that lies there (naturally, we all have it) when it puts off waste. So, deoderant not only helps fight the stink, it keeps underarms dry and less hospitable for that bacteria. If it is her diet or something else leaking through her pores, then of course your doctor will help you deal with that. I just wanted to give you a little info on the body and how it works as far as helping you decide if she is too young for deoderant or not in case there is no problem at all, just the natural order of things. =)

Good luck!

My baby was born with the same problem and even had hair on her private area.The doctor said her hormone level was to high for a baby and sent us to a pediatric endocrinology.J. some kids do start to have underarm odor at the age of six and I often hear its little girls.I have a ten year old boy and just started wearing deodarant at age nine.

Hi~
Someone else had a question like this several months ago, but I don't remember the responses.

Just keep in mind that different odors/smells are really offensive to some people and the same odor/smell might be pleasant for someone else! Has anyone else commented on her smell or admitted to you that they noticed the odor? Of if you are pregnant, odors can be REALLY intensified just by that! Hope you find a solution without you and she being embarrassed too much!

God bless & Happy New Year!

Although I agree with everyone else that you need to report this to your doctor first, here are some other ideas.

Cow's milk and beef have hormones that have been associated with earlier signs of puberty in our children. If you provide organic milk/meat, than that wouldn't be the case with your daughter.
If she has spent much time taking prednisone or prelone or other steroids for various medical problems like bronchitis or poison ivy, her puberty might be stimulated early.
Try organic antiseptic bath products - soaps, organic shower wash.
If you use baby powder, use talc-free.
I would try a little dusting of baking soda under her arms before I tried baby powder. And/or put a little vinegar in the washing machine rinse cycle.
Good luck! Let us know what works and what the doctor says!

I can tell you from personal experience that chemicals in the diet can contribute to body odor. Check out www.feingold.org. Feingold is a 30 yr old non-profit organization whose purpose is to inform the public about petroleum-based artificial ingredients in our food supply. These harmful additives cause ADD,ADHD and many other physical side effects. Our bodies are designed to remove toxins, and one way it does this is through perspiration. Since changing to an all-natural diet, I've noticed a huge difference in my daughter's body odor and mine as well. Keep in mind, it may take a couple months to notice a difference.

I agree with the moms that you need to ask the doctor first. Make sure there is nothing medical going on. If there is nothing medically wrong, you should get a natural deo at a health food store and also look for supplements for her to take (at the health food store) that have chlorophyll in them. You can also look at her diet and see if there might be something that she is having a reaction to. But the chlorophyll helps by deodorizing the body from the inside out, and it really works. Good luck!

I do not have this problem with any of my children but I think I may have a solution. I have a 7-year-old son who still does not wear deodorant, however, I remember one day when he was 6 he had underarm odor after playing. So I bathe him and put Johnson and Johnson baby powder directly under his arm and spread it out and I haven't had any problems since. I thought he was too young for deodorant too so I did what I thought was best and it worked!! He takes his baths at night and I do it and in the mornings before school I wash him up and put some on again. Good luck!

I agree with Melody T. Take her to the pediatrician and possibly an endocrinologist. It could be a sign of early puberty and in that case a symptom of something else. I have Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and actually started having body odor, body hair and sparse menstruation around the age of 7. Unfortunately these symptoms were dismissed by our country doctor so I didn't get any treatment until I was 23 and moved to Nashville. Anyway, it may be nothing but it may also be something and both you and your daughter will feel better to have it checked out.

First of all, was she born really small and/or is she really overweight now? If she is overweight it could be adiposity signals. There are many things it could be. It is a possibility that she could have a problem with "adrenal androgen stimulating hormone". This basically means that she is developing way to fast. Does she have any pubic hair, or hair on her legs or under her arms? If not, she may very well begin that soon. Sometimes this happens and they really don't understand why but could be a gradual process intrinsic to the adrenal glands. Not to scare you but sometimes that can be associated with Addison's disease or T.'s syndrome or even tumors. There is a condition of a prerelease of sex hormones from the adrenal glands: DHEA and DHEAS. These sit on top of the kidneys and sometimes become mature and release hormones way before they are supposed to. This could be caused by a number of things, one being a tumor causing the release depending on her symptoms, there is something called premature adrenarche. Here is a link that you can read about this: http://www.ecureme.com/emyhealth/Pediatrics/Premature_Adr...
None the less, I don't want to scare you, I just want you to be aware that it could be serious and she needs to be checked out. I am not saying this is what it is. It is possible that it is none of those things but it does need to be brought to the pediatricians attention. She really needs to go see a pediatric endochronologist to find out if there is a problem or not. If nothing else, peace of mind is very valuable.
good luck, let me know how it all turns out.

My daughter is 8yrs old and she has body odor when she plays hard too. I got her deodorant and she's better now.

.

My six year old has it too. The crystal stick (salt stick) also comes in a spray and now roll on. Much easier to apply. Good luck.

try using natural deodorants that you can find at Whole Foods or stores similar to that - not as many chemicals in them, so that may make you feel better about her using them.

Schedule a complete physical for her with your pediatrician and tell the pediatrician about the body odor. In the meantime give her showers more frequently so that she is not embarrassed or made fun of by other children for the odor.

That is something you should not worry about. My daughters both over thirty experience (odor) at a young age. At that time I tried a deoderant soap. If that doesnot help try a natural deoderant. I wouldn't use any of the over the counter deoderants. Which I didn'tknow about then. Children are coming to age a lot earlier now so don't be surprised if her areas of development will be sooner than you would think it to be.

they make deodorant for kids try that. some kids just need it some stink more than others. its not a bad thing just have her put some on its better than no one wanting to play with her b/c she stinks! good luck and talk to your doc about it

J.,
I can totally understand what you're going through. My daughter started with armpit odor at about 2 1/2. It wasn't her diet (at least not that the pediatrician ever told us), and the docs didn't seem concerned, as long as there were no other signs of premature puberty. They just told me that kids get smelly. I wasn't happy w/that answer, so my husband suggested we try using a deodorant stone (a crystal, not really deodorant like the commercial kind). We tried it, and it stopped the odor almost immediately. The kind that I bought I got at Whole Foods, and it's called Lafe's Natural Crystal Deodorant Stick. My daughter is now 5, and we're not having to use the stick every day.

I would suggest saying something to the pediatrician, and if they don't have any suggestions, try the crystal.

Good luck!
D.

My 6 year old daughter has the same issues. I talked to her pediatrician in the summer and he said that it is perfectly normal for girls to start developing some signs on puberty as early as 6 or 7. She is showing no other signs yet (thank God!) The doctor suggested that I get her the antipersperant made for young girls. We got Degree "Girly" because it had the best scent. You just have to remind her everyday to use it. We ended up setting ours by the toothbrushes in the bathroom so she woudl remember to do it each morning. Good luck!