My Newborn Is Stinky!

Updated on June 07, 2007
L.M. asks from Dayton, OH
13 answers

What is going on? My 2 week old baby doesn't smell like a baby! I can give her a bath and she smells wonderful, and within hours this wierd smell is back. It seems to be coming from her head. I have never heard of anything like this. I am breastfeeding and was thinking maybe I am eating something that she is sweating out, but in changing what I eat from day to day it still smells the same! Is this something I should see a doctor for? Thanks!

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So What Happened?

Thanks to everyone for the great advice. By the process of elimination, I have to conclude that it is just her sweat that smells that way! Kinda like a gym sock. The past few days the smell has gotten less and less offensive, so maybe it was a hormone thing??? Thanks again!

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K.T.

answers from Columbus on

My now 13-month-old was kind of stinky, too, and I simply switched the baby wash that I was using. It made an amazing difference for her!

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L.F.

answers from Cleveland on

I used to think my baby smelled like a wet dog! He was just a head sweater so would get sweaty-head any time he napped. Seems to have outgrown it though!

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S.H.

answers from Cleveland on

i don't know, i loved the smell of my baby all the time, she even had cradle cap and it never made her smell bad, i agree with the mom who said it could be gunk in the folds of her skin, you'll be amazed at what will accumulate there.

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D.H.

answers from Cincinnati on

I think the other Mom's have headed you in the right direction. Check behind the ears too. My husband and I call it "neck cheese" or "ear cheese." Cradle cap does have a slight smell and is easily treated with special shampoo and a baby brush. She'll also out grow both conditions.

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T.

answers from Columbus on

It is probably just a personal preference. I never thought my baby’s smelled good either, except just after a bath. And their heads kind of reminded me of the smell of incense, witch I do not like.

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K.N.

answers from Cleveland on

another thing i want to add is that as far as the skin fold accumulating gunk it can cause yeast infections as serious skin rashes so be sure to check carefully and daily. good luck

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K.M.

answers from Terre Haute on

Hi..congrats on the new addition. it sounds to me like cradle cap...you can ask the dr. but all I did for it was get some baby oil and a comb and comb it thru their scalp. My son had it bad and it does smell funky..hope this helps..good luck

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M.R.

answers from Cincinnati on

Check the 'rolls' for 'cheese' (what we call the white creamy stuff that accumulates in the skin folds)! It doesn't matter if you are nursing or feeding from a bottle, formula or breastmilk. Imagine how bad milk could smell if it sits at room temperature in a warm place for 1-3 days?

Whenever you bathe your baby, make sure to tilt the head back and get the 'cheese' from underneath the neck. You can also clean this area every morning when you wake her up simply by using a warm washcloth.

Other places 'cheese' can get - the folds around the hip areas (check each time you change her, wipe away with a wet wipe), under the arms, and behind the knees.

Hope this helps!

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N.H.

answers from Cleveland on

when i shared sleep with ds back when he was newborn, his head would often smell like my armpit.

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J.B.

answers from Cleveland on

Here's a tip to help with the smell, especially if it's cradle cap. When my baby was a newborn, she had very mild cradle cap and we used Burt's Bees Apricot Baby Oil -- lather it on her head a few hours before the bath, let it sit, then wash it out. It worked wonders and the wonderful apricot smell lasted a day or two. Good luck!

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L.D.

answers from Toledo on

I remember this happening with my 2 year old when he was just born. I am a smell freak and this drove me crazy. It ended up being an infection in his ear. The dr. said it was kind of like a yeast infection. It really stunk. I think they ended up giving me some kind of drops at the office for it. I would also put rubbing alcohol on a Q-tip and swab around the inside of his ear (but not in the ear canal)

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K.M.

answers from Columbus on

It *could* be cradle cap. Check her head to see if her scalp is scaly at all. I think I've heard cradle cap can be a little smelly.

Also, and I only suggest this because my daughter got stinky too, check under her neck. This might seem wierd, but I wasn't realizing that all kinds of stuff (breastmilk, sweat, etc.) was accumulating in the folds of her neck and under her chin! I was asking my mom about it once when I was giving my daughter a bath and my mom tilted my baby's head up and there was this goopy stuff underneath! I was afraid as a first time mom to really wipe her down good (I still think she's more fragile than what she is), but my mom got all of it off with a washcloth and the stink went away. Ever since then, my husband and I have been very careful to wash and *dry* her neck very well.

I hope you figure it out! :)

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K.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

check the creases in her neck when you bathe her. I read something like this a while back on a parenting website, milk had dribbled in the little creases and made the baby a little smelly!

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