Kids and Deodorant & Girls and Shaving

When I was 11 I had b.o. for the first time and I didn't know it. I got teased. Because of that, I had my 9 year old start wearing it just in case. That way, she will never have the opportunity to stink, lol!
As far as shaving goes, my sister made my niece wait until she was 12, but she snuck it in before that. Shhh... Don't tell my sister that I know! :)
I'll let me daughter shave as soon as she is interested. So far, she's not.

I agree with deodorant when needed, and shaving when teasing or self-consciousness becomes a concern.

I hope you'll help your kids choose a deodorant that has as little scent as possible. I'm one of many, many people (some estimates are as high as 1 out of 5 people) who have chemical sensitivities, and other people's freshly-applied toiletries can make me so ill I have to leave the room / committee meeting / restaurant / church service / movie. I can't even consider going to a wedding or funeral. So there's a matter of balancing needs (like my husbs. armpits) with my need to breathe safely. Please help your kids understand!

I don't think there is a set age. I think they do it when it is appropriate.

My daughter was shaving by the 10 and was wearing deoderant by 9.

I am not one to set a rule on an age for shaving, etc. I think if it is something that bothers the child then it hurts their self esteem which in turn is negative. This is an age when we need to make sure the self esteem is strong. There is a lot of hormones, emotional and physical changes going on at this age.

I think deodorant is not about vanity at all and should be used the first time they start to smell like B.O. and not just a hot sweaty little kid. No matter what age that is.

As for shaving, I don't have a daughter but I know I would let her shave when it starts to hurt her confidence. Someone else asked this question a couple weeks ago and this is the answer I posted there.

I shaved at 11 but had thick dark hair and pale skin and wanted to shave sooner. I don't think that this isn't the same thing as makeup. It can definitely affect a girl's self esteem. And as far as giving in to peer pressure- Isn't that why we all shave? What other reason is there really for doing it? Yes, kids are too mature these days but that isn't their fault, and they shouldn't be "punished" for that fact. That is how I looked at it when I couldnt' shave and do things I wanted to, as a kind of punishment because HER mom wouldn't let her do it. Just because my mom did something at a certain time didn't mean it was relevant to my current situation. My mom was very odd about things like this sometimes, and really, it just made me feel like I couldn't come to her about concerns about my body. When she put her foot down on shaving and using acne facewash and no tampons, I felt like she would never listen to me about things like that, and so I stopped coming to her. I would rather have my daughter (if I ever have one) come to me and let me help her to find an appropriate solution for whatever her problem is, instead of going by the ads in magazines and articles that weren't necessarily appropriate. I certainly don't think parents should give in on any little thing to their kids, and this is definitely a good time to have conversations about self esteem. But I don't think encouraging self esteem requires withholding things like shaving to make them stronger. Just my two cents, I hope it helps.

I was not allowed to shave until I was 12, and it really hurt my self confidence. All the girls in my grade (6th - 7th) were shaving their legs and wearing a little bit of makeup, and I was still coming to school looking like I belonged in 4th grade. I never wanted to wear shorts or pretty dresses because I would get teased. I'd wear long jeans even in the summer if I could get away without my mom making me change into "summer clothes". It was so embarrassing.

I have a house full of boys but if I ever do have a girl I will totally let it be her decision. Even if it sounds young...( as long as we aren't talking like, Kindergarten or something)..... I'd supervise, and teach her how to do it the right way. I wouldn't be opposed at all to an age of 9 or 10.

As for deodorant, I'd definitely let them start wearing it as soon as they began to need it - or maybe even a tad earlier, just to get the hang of putting it on before they dress.

My son is 11 and his arm pits are starting to stink. When ever the kids start getting smelly (and the age will vary for every child) is when to start with a deodorant. As for the shaving, this also varies with age, hair color / texture, etc. And peer pressure can be a pain in the neck.

For deodorant, as soon as they start to smell. For some this may be as young as 7 or 8. As for shaving, I started in Jr. high since we all had to wear gym shorts and change in front of others.

My 5yo needed deoderant for about 3 months. Now at nearly 8 he's starting to need it again. I don't know if it's going to be another hormone phase or permanent. Either way works.

Shaving... I started at right around 9... but I'm a brunette who was on swimteam. That year my hormones kicked in and I 'needed' to.... aka the blonde baby hairs started getting darker and longer. I have adult friends who are blonde, who can get away with not shaving for weeks at a time, and didn't have to shave at all until highschool.

I'd say start using deodorant when it's noticeable that they are in puberty and beginning to have body odor issues.

My mom had a silly rule that I wasn't allowed to shave until I was 13. We're 1/2 Italian, I could have been shaving from the time I was 8 based upon my dark hair.

Thank Goodness I had 2 older sisters who kept razors in the shower and could sneak it while in there.

I'd recommend whenever your daughter gets to Junior High/Intermediate school as that's when differences become more apparent and kids become more self-conscious.

Hi,

Sorry I can't remember exactly what age they started wearing deodorant but I will give you a little piece of advice someone gave me.
Buy your daughter and electric razor first. It decreases the nick and cut possibility until they get used to the whole process.

Good Luck!

Everyone has an odor, some people it's stronger than others. So my response to the deodorant is as soon as it's needed. My daughter needed to begin using it at age 8. The other didn't start until age 11.

As for shaving legs, I basically feel the same way. When it becomes necessary. There was a post about this about 2 weeks ago. If you can find it, you'll find some great replys.

** The previous post was on April 8th.

I think that is going to vary. Put it this way- when the time comes for deodorant, you will know! I think shaving is something that girls start doing in 6th or 7th grade.

My girls are 11 and 13 on Saturday and they started shaving in 5th grade. They also have darker hair on their legs. The average is 5th, 6th, or 7th. By the time they are in 7th most of the girls are shaving and wearing make up (my girls are just now being allowed to wear makeup).

As for deodorant, it will depend on when they have oder under their arms. My oldest was in 2nd grade. My youngest was in 4th grade. Have your kids play outside and then see if they stink under their arms. We realizede this with our oldest at a pageant she was in and she was nervous and she lifted her arm up and whoa, I couldn't believe my nose.
Hope this helps. Good luck and God Bless.

I have a wonderful step daughter who is 9. She is a very fast bloomer and ever since she was 7 had a horrible odor from maturing a lot faster. All we would do was wash her and help keep her clean but still the smell would worsen. Around the age of 8 we started using an organic natural non smell roll on deodorant which has helped.

Now that she is 9 she has large amounts of under arm hair which is really causing a horrible smell to the point that I hear/see children pointing at her and calling her names like "stinky girl". I try to keep my boundaries as a step parent but I have helped raise her since she was barely even 3 years old. It breaks my heart to watch her distant herself. She doesn't have much friends, is always left out and blood or not she needs some good self esteem.

She doesn't want to wear short sleeve shirts because of what the other kids will say as most kids her age aren't maturing at her rate. So her father and I had the body talk last night actually and she was accepting to remove the hair from her under arms. Now her mother is all mad because it wasn't his place. When I pick her up from school she smells like a bag of onions and I could just imagine how confused/embarrassed she is.

I hope we're not wrong here but we just believe that showing her good hygiene techniques and how to care for her maturing body is crucial at this time. If a lot of hair is there it's ready to be removed as what we believe especially if it is making her embarrassed. There is no right age or time as every child is different and the best thing to do is to educate your children so they can stop being teased and help them with their self esteem.

I guess I'm Julia Roberts in Step Mom lol that is me to a T.

kids start wearing deodorant at different ages. basically if they stink they need it. Some kids wear it as young as 8 and others don't wear it until they are 12 or 13. All depends on their bodies.

As for girls shaving their legs it varies too. I told my daughter when she asked at 9 that she was too young and that once you start you will have to continue for the rest of your life. Well that kept her from it for a few years and she was 11 or 12 when she decided to shave her legs on her own as most girls eventually end up doing at some point. She didn't ask me she just found a razor in the bathroom and did it and got a little cut too. After that I showed her that using shaving cream or hair conditioners work well to make it more smooth to shave so she wouldn't cut herself the next time.
I know I was 12 when I shaved my legs and didn't ask my mom either.