Ok Mom's I need your help. My daughter is 4 and is experiencing underarm odor. I didn't know this could happen to someone so young. I would like to know if any of you have had this occur in your children or someone you know and if so what you did about it? I don't want to put deordorant on her because I think she is too little. Please advise. Thank you.
Thank you Kristin. I feel a little better hearing your story. I started puberty at 8 and that's when i had the smelly arms and had to start wearing a training bra. I start my period at 10 1/2. I'm just hoping she won't develop too early. The things we mother's have to worry about.
Thank you all so much for the advice and suggestions. I will look into Organic milk even though she doesn't drink much. I can get her to drink a little bit in the morning. I called her Dr. and she will see her Friday to make sure she is not starting puberty. It's nice having a place to go to talk with other Mom's. Continue giving good advice.
UPDATE!!!
We went to the Dr on Friday and she said my daughter is not going through early puberty. She does not have underarm or pubic hair and she is not budding so she is fine. Just stinky underarms. She told me to use deordorant so I got a natural deordorant that is hyper allergenic. Thank you all for your responses and help.
You may want to take her to her Dr. She may have some kind of hormonal imbalance that needs to be looked into.
I agree w/ Denise, go w/ organic milk. When I was in school, we researched the hormones in milk & onset of early puberty. There seems to be a correlation.
I see you have a bunch of answers already, but I will share my daughters story with you. At the age of 4 she started to have the "adult" body odor smell. Not funky, but B.O. This went on for about 2 weeks until I noticed her areola getting puffy. She is a thin girl, so it wasn't chub. Then it looked all too familiar as when I was 10 starting to develop. I took her to the doc., and he dismissed it because it was early to tell anything....but mommy instincts kicked it. I persisted she get sent to a specialist. So she went to an endocrinologist to have some testing done. My sweet little girl tested positive for Precocious Puberty. She was 4 years old starting puberty. I was shocked and mortified. At that time I had never heard of that. The endo. wanted to start her on Lupron a synthetic hormone to suppress the receptors in her pituitary gland. They also tested her brain for tumors and did an ultrasound of her ovaries only to conclude there is no known reason why she started early (idiopathic)
We were able to reverse the breast growth for about a year by going to a Naturalist and putting her on a regimen of drops and pills I had to crush up for her. Then my hubby got laid off and we couldn't afford the Naturalist for a while. Insurance doesn't cover Naturalists. We did not want Lupron in her system.
We put her on fortified rice milk too. Couldn't afford only organic food...but if you can, do it. Avoid soy as much as possible, it is an estrogen mimic.
My daughter is now 8 and looks 11. She has underarm hair, pubic hair, body odor, breasts that are a little larger than mine (I'm not exactly large) and she's tall for her age.
My advice to you is to watch for any other signs of puberty such as puffy areola. I'm not saying that this is what is happening to your daughter, but rather I'm sharing our story so you can be aware of the possibility.
My daughter has had this problem since she was 2. We mention it each visit to the pediatrician. They always says that some kids just get it. I put a post up here about 2 years ago, and unfortunately didn't really get any helpful answers. Some people suggested rubbing a potato on her pits, some watching her diet, some switching her soap to regular adult soap. So, I tried it all. Potato didn't work. Bathing daily helps. Drinking more water helps. She is 6 now, and the Dr. finally said it's ok to let her wear deodorant. I guess our girls will always just have to be a bit more aware.
I would absolutely put deodorant on a kid who smells bad, regardless of age, Afterall, you've been washing her hair because it's dirty from birth, what's the difference?
There are many natural products available if you are concerned about chemicals. Why not try one?
:)
You may want to use deodorant soap under her arms for her bath.. Then make sure it is is rinsed off and then that the under arm is completely dry..
If this does not help, I would mention it to the pedi..
My daughter started with the stinky pits when she was around 5. And she'd been on organic milk since day one (also organic meats, cheeses, veggies, etc). She also bathed regularly. To this day, I don't know why she had underarm odors so young. She DID start puberty at 8 and now, at 10 1/2, has JUST gotten her period (yeah, it's been an interesting week). So I figure she's just a super early developer. She eats the exact same stuff as her little sister and SHE doesn't have any of these issues. My youngest, at 8, smells like a clean baby, and has the body of a 5yr old boy. NOTHING like her big sister at that age. And I DID make her wear deodorant. There are ones out there made specifically for kids called Growing Basics. My daughter uses Lavanilla (pricey but all natural and smells awesome).
I had the same problem. My daughter (now 6) had underarm odor starting at age 4. When I did bring it up to the Pedi. they told me as long as there are no other signs (hair growth, or budding) that to just put deodorant on her. So I bought the natural crystal and it works great. She has had no other signs and it been doing great! The only problem is remembering to put it on :)
My mother-n-law said that my sister-n-law was the same way so I think it's just in your genes. Some mature faster then others. Good Luck!
This happened to my son at around 4-5.
You might think this sounds crazy, but I urge you to give it a try.
Switch your milk to organic. Try it for 2 weeks.
My son has never had that issue since once I switched to organic milk.
Of course, he's now 8, and he occasionally gets a bit "funky" after sports, etc.
He also uses Toms of Maine deodorant which has no aluminum.
Good luck!
My son had underarm odor when he was a few months old. It could be something she's eating or hormonal. I've read that chemical exposure to a fetus can definitely cause hormonal issues after birth, which could very well be the issue with my son since he was exposed to topical steroids through most of my pregnancy. And that's not the only effects he's had. He was born with 2 extra fingers & torticollis which all could have resulted from drug exposure.
Once I started using scented soaps on my son the odor went away. We're currently using Gold Bar Soap from Melaleuca which is all natural. You can also find other natural scented soaps in Whole Foods or any health food stores.
