My 8 Yr Old Daughter Is Perspiring and Has Hair Growth Under armpits.....is This

She's probably starting puberty early. I read the other day that puberty in girls starts as early as 8 and as late as 13. Does she have hair anywhere else? My daughter had hair in her pelvic region at age 8 and then hair under the earms at 9. I got her deoderant and had her start shaving. She also needs to bath more frequently. She doesn't have to shave a lot, but just when she notices it getting hairy. Its helped the smell a lot. It took her a bit to become comfortable wiht it. I haven't let her shave her legs yet. She has to wait til she's in 6th grade for that. She is now 10. Good luck.

my step daughter went thru this too. It is the start of puberty although she didn't get her period until almost a year later. 10-15 used to be the norm but it is now 8-12!!! We talked to her alot about it but she was pretty shy. We got her a few books & they helped her understand & cope much better! 1 book was "the body book for girls" to explain the changes that are happening & about hygiene. It has a companion book called "the feelings book" obviously about feelings & how to manage the rollercoaster!!! THere was a journal that came with but I can't find the name. both can be ordered together on amazon.com for $18.90 together..here's the link http://www.amazon.com/Care-Keeping-You-American-Paperback... they are written & illustrated specifically for girls grades 3-6. After reading them she became much more open about it. Really excelent choice!! Also really good is "ready set grow" we got her that too but she related best with the other 2. Hope this helps!! Good luck!

It's funny to me that you mention this! Only because, my sister and I have had this conversation many times... we have 4 girls between us, ages 13, 11, 10, and 8! The oldest is a breed of her own... very independant, NOT girly at all, etc. so she is no help in putting her mom or her aunt through the "little girls becoming big girls" stages! However, the 8 year old has been wearing deoderant for about a year now because she HAS to... she seems to show no other signs of anything except the smell! My 11 year old is just starting to develop so she's not into it enough to say much about. My 10 year old however, has had to wear a bra for about 2 years now... it being a must, every day... but shows no sign of hair or smell. So we have asked a lot... why would my daughter that shows the physical signs not have the other signs... period, smell, etc. But her younger daughter have all of that already?
Our conclusion... it depends on the girl! We have been told by a nurse that the size of your head determins, to a degree, how early things will start for you... something about the gland that controls the hormones, etc. is bigger if you have a bigger head and will control more earlier, etc. I don't know if that's really what is going on, I haven't measure heads! I do know however, that my son who is 7 has to wear deoderant and has for about 6-9 months.
I wouldn't worry about it... she will probly go through some and then it will slow down some, or she could just hit it all at once... if so, be thankful... I have been dealing with the "prePMS" for 2 years now just hoping they will start and get it over with!!!

I know you've already had 26 suggestions, but I'm in El Cajon too and I thought I would reply. That's a normal thing. I would just teach her good hygeine,get her some deorderant and what not. Definitely teach her how to shave them without hurting herself in the process. I was never taught that and it took a while before I didn't cut my arm pits shaving.

Dear S.,
I think I agree with the others...sounds like puberty and hormones are kicking in :) I have a 7 1/2 year old and was hoping for another 4-5 years at least, but I guess you never know nowadays. My friend's eight year old got her first bra a couple months ago...and she needed it(I've seen five year olds wearing them because it's the 'thing' to do )
I heard a theory(actually I think it was in Time Magazine) that children are maturing older because of the hormones that are fed to milk cows and the amount of milk kids drink. I'll have to look into the validity of it as Im not sure I've heard anything more about it.
Good luck to you and your daughter :)

S.

S., I was about that age when I started wearing deodorant, and shaving under my arms.

Don't quote me on this, but I've heard that high carb diets can start girls developing at a younger age. You might want to clarify that with your physician.

Hi S.,

If your daughter is overweight for her age and height this will tell the body to go in to puberty early. I would speak with her physican. The best thing to apply the brakes might be to have her get more exercise and cut out empty calories. You can find out what her BMI is on line by looking for childrens BMI on MSN which will take you to a web site designed to tell you what your childs BMI is. If it is high that could give you a clue without taking her to the doctor. You could then make some changes accordingly.

Kids are going through pubery early now because they are getting less healthy.

Good luck!

Yes you should be concerned but not alarmed. Children mature at different ages. She's just advancing faster than others. So what you do is give her an intense lesson in hygiene. Show her how to wash her whole self, give her deoderant and show her how to use that. Also, check periodically to see if she started her period. How thick is the growth under her arms? If it's thick show her how to trim it as she's too young to shave. Good luck mama, I have 3 daughters and believe me it was no fun when they started to bud! LOL

no reason for concern yet. I was around the same age when that happened to me as are a lot of kids. There are some foods that can cause early puberty, or genetics can cause early hair growth. Just check with her doctor.

I noticed my son had BO last month... he just turned 8 two weeks ago! No hair growth that I know of. I looked on the internet for answers and couldn't find anything specific for him... I just went out and bought him deodorant (just deodorant... no anti perspirant.) It works well. I make him wash under his arms on the days he doesn't shower. But, it sounds like puberty is around our corner!

I wouldn't be concerned at all. I started developing breasts when i was 7yrs old. I got my period when i was 9yrs old. And i know i had "body hair" when i was 8yrs old.
But DO get her some deoderant. Kids can be mean. And i know that i wish my mom woulda not thought i was to young for deoderant cuz i know i was made fun of.
Hope that helps.

My daughter is 6 1/2 and already has wicked PMS (not sure I'm glad or not that we have at least a couple more years before the rest hits) and my niece started wearing a bra at 8. Every kid starts their puberty journey differently. I heard it has to do with the hormones the cows are fed too, but that's not all it is. My mom got her period at 9, I was almost 13. She wasn't an overweight girl.

I wouldn't be concerned about the odor and hair. Just don't make a big deal of it to her because then she'll feel like a freakshow. Just teach her how to manage it and it won't be a big deal.

my cousin was like that when she was younger.. she started that stuff at like 10 so i guess u just gotta tell her bout being a woman now..

She may be starting puberty a little early. My sister was like that, and my mom just gave her some anti perspirant and if the underarms got too hairy, she was allowed to shave it. I know, kids are growing at record speed now!

I am SO glad to see this topic come up! I have a 6yr old daughter that has black hair under her armpits but no odor. We took her to the Peds Dr. and was told that it is not uncommon at this age, and not to be too concerned about it. She ran a few basic neurological tests (like a physical) and told us that if things got worse (more rapid growth, bad odor, growing in other places), then we can bring her back in to be seen, or she can run some other tests. Well, now she has black hair growing "downstairs!" All this is very alarming to begin with! And it is very hard to hear that it is normal for your little one to be going through SO EARLY! But, now that it is growing "downstairs," I'm not sure how normal THAT is! Has anyone else experienced that in a 6 yr old?

Many little girls start early puperity these days. I don't think it is anything to be concerned about, but maybe mention it to your peds doc.

S.,
I developed quite early in life and at 8 yrs old had hair growth under armpits and pubic. My menstrual cycle started when I was 10 yrs old. By the time I was 11 yrs old I was fully developed. My mother as I recall was very concerned but only because I looked older to boys than I really was. There was absolutely nothing wrong with me, I just developed early. Teach her how to was carefully and educate her on how to apply deodorant. My daughter is 8 now and she has been applying deodorant for a year now! Also I'd recommend talking to her about her changing body if you haven't already. Keep it as simple as possible. God bless you!

Hello
I would consult your daughters doctor or maybe an advice nurse before acting. But if it were I would shave her armpits for her as needed and buy some deoderant (sp) sounds like shes hitting puberty early as I did around that age its embarassing but sitting down with her explaining it all and tell her why shaving and using the deoderant will help so she isnt made fun of since kids can be cruel and may react badly if they smell her and or see her hair under her armpits. They may also make fun of her that she shaves and uses deoderant so you cant win for losing sometimes especially with kids that age. I hope this helps some your doctor may have a better answer but its best to get a few opinions and then decide what you think is best for your daughter.
Good luck
A.

My sister's 9 year old step daughter is already growing boobies. Some girls develop at different rates.

Girls are growing at a much faster rate than we did at their age. Ihave a 10 year old, almost 11, and if I reacall correctly the dame thing started about the same age. Time to preach "personal hygiene" and be sure she is well educated on all those lady-like topics!! Good Luck! C.

S., this is basically pre-puberty taking place. I was an early bloomer, and when I had just turned 9 I started my period. Not to mention that I had fully developed breasts, and hips also. Some studies say early development has started more and more because of the cow milk we drink. Now a days cow milk is full of steroids. This has shown to cause some early development in children. Also, if you started puberty early, the same with your mother, your daughter will also follow this pattern. Teaching her to be a clean young lady will help with the odor, and it will also prepare her for her period. Good luck!

All children develop at their own rates, but if you as a family eat a lot of meat and drink a lot of milk, I would start to make sure that you only buy hormone free if possible. This is believed by many to contribute to the lower ages of puberty in the US. (read Diet for a New America).

Sounds like she is just maturing a little early. I think the average is around 9 or 10 - I just remember when I was teaching 5th grade I had to have a talk with the kids at the beginning of the school year about hygiene, deoderant, etc. I don't think you have anything to be concerned about. Get her some deoderant and talk to her about bathing every day (if she doesn't already) and see if that clears up the smell. They grow up so fast! :)

it sounds like early puberty. my aunt started her period when she was only 9, so it is not unheard of, not even uncommon.

This is normal and while it took most of us until the age of 15 or so, maturation occurs earlier and earlier these days. As a former teacher, do the right thing and explain hormonal changes to your daughter and get her some deoderant.
Good Luck

teach her how to shave under armpits and get her some deodorant my 11 and 8 years old are the same way i show they how to do all that

I started my period at 10 years old and I had newly budding breasts and hair in places I didn't have it before around 8-9 years old. I would talk to your doctor, but she might just be an early bloomer.