4 Year Old Has Cold and Cough Breath Smells Weird

I would have him checked for diabetes. That is one of the symptoms. Fruity smelling breath

no no no! don't wait to find out about diabetes, or you could wait too long! please have his blood sugar checked asap!!!
my husband is diabetic, i know firsthand of the dangers of waiting!

If you have not done so already, you need to talk to your dr. Asap. Also think about any other symptoms your child might have, so you can report these to him/her IE: weakness, sweatiness, excessive hunger or thirst... Fruity and sweet smelling breath could be a sign of diabetes. As the grandmother of 2 , a diabetic myself and a nurse, this could be serious. Hopefully it is not, but talking to your doctor sooner rather than later is the best advice. Good luck!

Fruity/sweet smelling breath could be a sign for other medical issues. I would call and just inquire with the doctor about it. I know for a cough or cold it sounds kind of crazy but when I hear fruity or sweet smelling breath I think of diabetic. It could be related to whatever else he has going on, I don't want to alarm you. An inquiry wouldn't hurt this time around.

sounds like a sinus infection

Dear K.,

Is there any chance that he stuck a piece of fruity-smelling candy up his nose? Sometimes kids go through phases where they do weird things like that. It could possibly be lodged way up in there. One of my daughters did it with corn, and a few days later a crayon. We couldn't suction them out, so we had to take her to the ER both times. If inspection of his nose doesn't reveal anything I think it would be a good idea to have him checked out by your doctor on the off chance that he could be diabetic. I have no experience with diabetes myself. My gut just tells me that would be a good idea. Good luck--K.

Sometimes bacteria from infections can have a smell. Strep throat makes the breath smell, but it smells like pennies and not fruit. When I got a staph infection inside my nose it had a strange smell that was somewhat sweet. I would take him to the doctor to be checked out!

I don't want to freak you out but a fruity sweet smell to the breath can also be a symptom of diabetes and is sometimes precipitated by a virus. My husband is a type 1 diabetic and I wouldn't have known about this if he wasn't.

here's a url that gives you some info:
http://health.ivillage.com/di/0,,3xdh,00.html

If you look at other symptoms and you think it's a possibility I would take him to the pediatrician just to be safe.

Does your 4 year old pee a lot and does it also smell sweet? Sorry to say this but he could be diabetic. The cough and cold could be totally unrelated. I am diabetic and my breath smells sweet when I eat the wrong things (too many sugary carbs). It's a simple test to see. Hemoglobin A1C is what it's called. I honestly hope it isn't this because the little thing will be in for a life of diets and daily shots. I take 4 a day. 2 different insulins as well as oral medication too.

A little about me. I am a 51 year old grandmother of 2 boys,and mother to 2 boys. I am a seamstress working out of my home which makes our house the local hangout durring the summer for the boys and their friends. I am aslo an avid volunteer with our local PTA. C.

Hi,
My daughter also has a cold and cough and I noticed her breath smells too. She also had her adnoids removed this year and I noticed her breath always smelled then too. Even more so. She did have 90% blockage from her adnoids.
Now that they are gone, I only notice it when she is sick. Maybe it is just because of the infection?
Maybe your childs doctor would know more?

I don't know why this could be, but I know my aunt always said that she knew when her kids were about to get sick because the got a "metallic" smell to their breath. Maybe it is just your son's body chemistry. At least it doesn't smell bad! Hope he feels better soon-my girls have the same thing right now.