Daughter Has Body Odor

I personally wouldn't worry about it. If it's only during the summer and when she's outside and playing then the problem should go away when it starts getting cooler and she's less active with school. I wouldn't use deodorant on a child so young, instead when she comes in from playing you can just wipe her down with a cool cloth, it will take away the extra sweat and help cool her down. If she doesn't bathe every night it might be time to start. Also make her outside play clothing sleeveless so that she'll have a better chance of not being so sweaty while playing.

Good luck, I hope this helps.

My daughter was the same way. I asked the doctor and no concern was expressed. When my son turned 6 or 7, the same thing happened with him. I buy deodorant that is all natural. Look for products that are aluminum free. So far, the one that has worked the best is Tom's of Maine (a bit pricey, but worth it). We also tried Herbal Clear, but that has not done as well at controlling the level of odor. Keep in mind that you will have to teach her how to put it on right (or they just touch a spot and think it's good enough) and probably remind her every day. My kids are now almost 8 and 10 1/2, and I still have to remind the older one at times and the younger at least 1/2 of the time! ;)

My daughter has the same problem. I recently bought Tom's natural care odor prevention deodorant stick. It is aluminum free. I feel better having her us this. Hope it help.
P.

Hi L. D,
I am a mom of twin ten year old boys and the oldest sister of 6 brothers. One of my brothers also had very strong underarm odor around 6 years old. I distinctly remember my mom using a cream deodorant on him at that age. It was the same deodorant my grandmother used. I do not remember the name of it but it came in a small white jar with a red lid. None of my other brothers used deodorant before 11 or 12 so perhaps some children just have a stronger odor than others. I would suggest that if you want to try a deodorant with your daughter you buy a trial size of a very mild deodorant in case the formula is irritating to her skin. You also might want to try a 'baby powder' which would absorb wetness and help with odor. Good luck.
Y.

Congratulations L.- you ahve a kiddo who is enjoying her summer as she should outside sWeating, playing etc. I would say- leave it alone, bath her every night and just kind of deal wiTH it. You don't want her to have "ISSUES" about her body odor when she is older it can lead to a bunch of problems.... jsut smile WHEN YOU GET A WIFF and know that you are being a good parent who allows your kids to get dirty, sweaty and stinky all day and clean at night. These memopries are the ones that you want her to retain not "My Mom always thinks I smell" get what i AM SAYING?????

The same thing happened to my son when he was 6. I never thought about the deoderant not being safe. We just let him pick it out (after smelling way tooooo many) and remind to use it. It has kept the funky bo at bay.

I understand where you are coming from. My daughter is 7 and has the same issues. I started using suave when she was about 6 and it works fine and not to harsh on her skin. Try power fresh and just watch out for her skin.
M.

L.,
I see that you have received a lot of responses regarding use of deodorant and bathing.
I recently learned about somthing else that helps with body odor... PROBIOTICS. They help cleanse your system on the inside, which help with not only body odor, but digestion, and they also help your immune system.
It couldn't hurt to try - I even give probiotics to my 21 month old daughter. :)

I read through some of the responses and tend to agree with putting deodorant without aluminum in it. My young daughter started having body odor when she was around 4 years old. In the winter we tend to not need the deodorant as often. Sometimes she` just wears a fun body spray from American Girl or someplace like that. The one thing that I noticed lacking was the advice to watch for other signs of puberty. We first took my daughter to the ped about her body odor when she was 4. He advised us to watch for other signs (breast buds, body hair, etc). Since then, we have a new ped in a new state and she has advised the same thing. Body odor can be normal. But watch for the other signs. Hope this helps.

Might want to check w/ someone like Karen Marshall - natural med doc in Fishers, IF you're not too far away. There may be a toxicity of some form that is causing this. NOT uncommon for the toxic levels of XYZ to cause B.O. I did some research on this many years ago for someone in the gym.

My son was about the same age when we started him on deoderant. I don't let him use the sprays or anything. It helped tremendously. I would probably stick to something simple if she has any skin sensitivity with lotions or anything.

This was a huge step for me...I felt he was growing up too soon.

Dear L.,
I have gone on the internet to find something for body odor that is natural and inexpensive. I found that using vinegar and water works great and it non-toxic. Just get a small spray bottle and place half with distilled water and half with white vinegar. Spray it on, you will smell like a salad for a minute or so, then the vinegar smell dissaptes. You can use a hair dryer to help the vinegar dry more quickly. The vinegar will absorb her odor without the harsh chemicals in commercial deodorants. i hope this helps. L. J

My soon to be 9 year old daughter has been using the teen spirit deodorant since she was about 6 years old. I first noticed the odor on her when she was 4 but thought that was far too young to start so we monitored her until it became a daily smell. Also my 7 year old son has been using Tussy for at least 6 months now. I understand the reluctance to start but I used this as a way to teach good hygene for the little people.

you could try one of those crystal deoderant stones (from a health food store)-- it's made of mineral salts and is safer for the skin than all the chemicals in regular deoderant.

it may be a reaction to your washing detergent or synthetic fibers in her clothes. does she always stink, or only in certain shirts?

I have a 7 year old son and daughter both of whome where deoderant NOT antipersperant which some say can cuase cancer due to the active ingrediant. i actually beleive i posted on here before i started doing it myself. but we shower the kids at night and DS sweats so much in his sleep i was sending him to school smelly which i had a serious problem with, for DD it's a summer thing, she's a little heavier and really sweats when she's outside and gets warmer than the other kids, with her i notice the damp spots on her shirts as much as the odor. on the other hand my 9 year old doens't wear any, i don't think he sweats, EVER, he could be covered in dirt and just finishing a baseball game in 100 degree weather and still smell like soap and shampoo, so it depends on the kid, but if your daughter needs it then she needs it, there are kids out there MUCH younger with this same problem.

L.,
I don't know what this is either. I asked my daughter's pediatrician about it. She seemed concerned, but offered no other solution other than to use not an anti-perspirent, but a deoderent on my daughter. My daughter is three, but for a while now (even in the cold months) she has had a serious funk! her under-arms smell like a grown man's who's been working construction all day in 90-degree weather!
Another mom suggested that it might be something called "precocious puberty" - look that up on line and maybe ask your daughter's doctor.
I am going to need to find a new doctor for my daughter, but mean while, if you find out anything, please do let me know.

If you opt for using a product, try deoderant only and not anti-perspirant with contains chemicals that would bock her sweat glands- just a thought that natural products would be best!

Hi L. -

I am also a mother of a six year old child. My son sweats so bad and by the end of the afternoon he also has some odor issues. I spoke it over with his pediatrician and she said anything mild and powder base is fine to use on him. We only use once a day normally not until the heat of the day hits. I bought him the secret for women powder based no scent. I finally found it at Target after looking at several other stores first. He thinks it is neat to use because daddy does. Now the sweat smell from his head and hair is a different story. He takes a bath everynight and does a very good job washing but after about 10 minutes of sweating you would never know he took a bath. His pediatrican says that sometimes not in all cases it is due to the food he consumes and the different lifestyle everyone leads. But I think he just gets it from his father(ha ha)Hope this helps in some way.

My doughter now 9, had the same issue at 5, we have been using a "teen" deoderant on her since that summer, and she does very well with it.

L.,
I had the same thing with my little girl. At about same age my daughter had body odor. I took her to walmart and help her pick out deodorant. The had part is gettiing her to rember to use it. My daughter is know 9 almost 10 and I have to ask her everyday if she put same on. Good Luck.
M.

Had the same thing with my grandson. We are using deodorant. Last year I wasn't checking every morning to assure he had put it on before school and they called me to ask if it was okay to discuss his hygene (sp) with him. They knew it wasn't because I wasn't trying as he always wears clean clothes, etc. to school. He was nine.
Yes, I would say it is time.

I have read that milk of magnesia works as well as antiperspirant and doesn't have the scary addition of aluminum that almost all antiperspirants do. Maybe try that first?

Maybe you could try having her use a different kind of soap. Some soaps are designed to be deordorants as well as getting dirt off of a person. Some soaps are scented too, and that might help. There are also mild deodorants out there that you could try using. I don't think there's anything wrong with her using one of those. Since you and your husband disagree on the issue, and you say you are overly sensitive to smells, ask a third party to let you know what they think. If the odor truly isn't that bad to others, and the child isn't complaining, then you might want to hold off on changing anything. Those are a few ideas that I have. Hope you get things worked out!

it's ok to use a very mild deoderant, you just don't want to use an antiperspirant on her at such a young age. i haven't seen anything out there for young boys, so i just use one swap under my sons' armpits with his dad's deoderant, he's very active and sweats alot and by days end it's hard to sit near him otherwise. good luck.

I would definitely get her a deodorant and explain to her how and when to use it. It is much worse to let her go around smelling, if someone else mentions it to her she could get her feelings hurt or a complex, I think it is best coming from you in a nice and educating way.

My niece is seven, her Mom uses a natural deodorant that is aluminum free for her by Tom's of Maine.

My DD is 10 and has been using deodorant for a couple of years(NOT antiperpirant) You may want to mention this to your family Dr - as it can be a sign of early development.

Other than using a stronger soap - no other ideas !

I'm really not sure. I would suggest asking a nurse from your family doctor's office. I started my step daughter on deodorant-anti-perspirant at age 10 because she definitely needed it. I wouldn't think this to be a serious issue, but it might be indicative of a glandular issue, so perhaps asking the family doctor would be a good idea.

I don't think there is anything wrong with letting your little one wear deodorant. My 2 year old likes to wear it when she sees me put it on. My 9 year old has her own deodorant. I don't think I would purchased something marketed to a 'tween' I would just pick up a bottle for her alone at the store without any marketing on it. I personally can't stand how my 9 y/o believes the Hannah Montainah and those other teen shoes that are made for teenagers are appropriate for her to watch. Also, you might want to consider changing the type of soap she uses. Maybe get her a soap that has a good smell to it like body wash, or a soap with a light scent to it like Irish Springs. Her smell might possibly just be a bad mixture between her body scent and the soap you are using. Best of Luck!

If she feels better for sweating, you don't want to suppress her sweat. Try an all natural mineral salt spray for her entire body. Yes, you can use ALL NATURAL deoderants with no problem. www.danielchapterone.com has mineral stick deoderants and the spray too.

L., I have to tell you, I struggled with this same issue earlier this summer. I have a 7, will be 8 in about two weeks, year old daughter and I just started having to bathe her every day and washing her armpits for her. I felt like she was too young for deoderant. We also started to use a scented shampoo that I also use as body wash. I think when I was letting her bathe on her own, she was not getting clean enough. Now it is much better. She will start to smell if I let her go more than three days with out a bath, she is not as active everyday now that it is so hot and humid here in NKY. Hope this helps. Good luck, J.

I'm the health nut that always has to chime in with my two cents on things like this! I second the advice of those who have said not to use antiperspirant... I actually think my husband developed cancer because of using a prescription anti. Also, please avoid any deodorant (for yourself, too) that contains aluminum--which is all of them on the regular store shelves as far as I know. The crystal one mentioned is a good idea and works quite well, but someone once gave me a recipe for my own that works better than any deodorant I've ever used. It's so simple! Just mix 1/3 cup of each: coconut oil, baking soda, and arrowroot powder (get from a bulk or health store). You can also add a few drops of essential oil for scent, but it's not necessary. Coconut oil melts in the low 70's, so this time of year my deodorant is a liquid lotion, but in the winter it's solid so you have to scrape a bit off the top and then it melts into your body as you rub it in. I love finding things that are cheaper, healthier, and more effective!