Bad Odor for 3 Years Old Toddler, Need Deodorant Suggestion...

My sister's son, when he was really little, just stunk all the time. The only time he smelled good was when he was in the bathtub all lathered up in baby wash. The minute he got out, though, the smell was still there. My sister took him to the doctor to find out what was up. Apparently, he had stuck a piece of cushion from the couch, the yellow stuff that's inside the covering, way up his nose. It was rotting! The doctor removed it and the smell went away. You never know what kids will do.

M.,
Interesting how people can be SO sure that a child cannot have BO...I know differently. Last year (when my son was about 5) I noticed BO too. Directly in his armpit area. Nothing else going on. Just BO. No medical issues, no couch cushion up the nose! Just BO directly in the armpit area that would knock you out of your shoes! LOL
After researching the chemicals in deoderant, I bought some natural deoderant--Tom's of Maine. Nothing with aluminum. It helps a lot. I just use O. swipe on each pit after his bath.
BUT, what is more interesting was that I read about milk and the hormones in it. I switched my son to organic milk, and guess what? No more BO! If I were you, I'd switch for a week or two and see if you, too, see a difference. I can still tell the difference when he has "regular" milk products like a milkshake, etc. because the milk issue seems to have solved it and we don't put the deoderant on every single night, although my son kind of likes to do it now. :-) Good luck!

Is it like a body odor that we would get under our arms if we didn't use deodorant, or something else? I wouldn't use a deodorant on your child at this age, I think you should talk to your doctor before trying anything like that.

If he sweats a lot maybe you should give him a little powder down before he goes to school and see if that helps. I remember smelling the stinky boys after they played hard at recess, but this was at the age of 8 or 10. Ask your pediatrician and see what they say.

hmmmm a 3 year old shouldn't have B.O.

So you need to check on a couple of things....
1. what did he eat at preschool...maybe you are thinking the smell is body odor when it is just stinky food emanating from him.
2. did a big stinky kid wrestle with him?

If your kid is stinky when he is not at preschool (smell didn't come from there) then you need to take kid to pediatrician. If he has a bad smell there might be something wrong with him.
Good Luck

Is the smell/odor actually coming FROM his armpits?
Put your nose there and smell it.
Then you will know, for sure, if it is his armpits odor, or another kind of odor he is perhaps picking up via his clothing/at school/etc.
Or could it be his feet, smelling?

All the best,
Susan

If a child has excessive BO or sweat before puberty, then you may look into a food allergy/intolerance. Food can cause your body to go into overdrive if there is a reaction one being sweat which would cause a smell in hair, armpits, groin, and feet. Wherever their are glands, you will find reaction. Something to consider.

I would look into what the smells are in the pre-school. Ask questions. Odors can be picked up from other sources. Deodorants are full of toxins that you would NOT want your 3 year old to absorb. It is very unlikely that he is perspiring in that way yet - it usually happens with adolescence.
Hope that helps!

I agree, 3 year olds don't have BO. That comes with puberty (yay testosterone). Usually if a kid smells bad, they either: haven't had a bath in WAY too long, they got into something, something is wrong medically that is causing the odor, or– and I really don't mean to gross anyone out– they are not doing a good job wiping themselves off when they go #2. (Sorry, but that was my experience with a particular little boy, so it occurred to me.)

I would first investigate the pre-school, and talk to the teacher if you need to. Then see if you can pinpoint where the smell is coming from on your son. Again, sorry if I gross anyone out, but you can sniff your son out or sniff the different articles of clothing after he's removed them for bed.

God bless!
M. D

Make sure all of the food he is consuming is hormone-free and unprocessed. I would not put deodorant on him, though. Try to handle it from the inside before you try to tackle it from the outside.

What did he get into at daycare?

I had to laugh at Natalie's response because my son did the same thing. He stuck a lima bean up his nose and it stunk. If you think that is a possibility don't try to remove it yourself, take him to the pediatrician.

Hi M.,
Odor comes from the inside. Deodarant masks a smell it doesn't help control it.
Look at what he is eating. Breakfast is HUGE - is his breakfast processed? milk? cereal? toast? juice? all of those may very well not be digested properly and may very well add to an unpleasant body odor.
Whatever he eats throughout the day can be the reason why he has BO.

Please DO NOT start with deodorant. If you must look for NO ALUMINUM and NO SLS (Sodium Laurel(th) Sulphites)

Nutrition is my specialty.

B.
Family Success Coach

He shouldn't have any BO at his age. I'd look into what he might be eating that has an effect on his hormones. Ask your pediatrician, but don't use deodorant unless the Doctor recommends it.

I can't think of any reason why a toddler would need a deodorant. I would investigate what it is about preschool that gives him a bad odor. Get to the bottom of that first. Could he be around preschool/daycare providers or other children that have strong food odors that are being absorbed by his hair or clothing?

Just out of curiosity, does he eat a lot of fast food? The hormones that come in burgers and chicken from places, just in my opinion, cause premature growth with kids' hormones. When my daughter was about 5, I noticed one day her armpits kinda stunk. I bought her some teen deodorant, but since then I've also limited fast food to once every couple of weeks or so and she hasn't had any problems since. I don't know all this for sure, but I have a hard time not believing that fast food and girls started puberty earlier than we did when we were kids aren't related. There are too many hormones being used in meats now for it to not be coincidental