Sour Smelling 4 Year Old

Have you checked his feet? If he doesn't wear socks (since it's been summer), his feet may have a foul smell. Does his breath smell? If he has decay, even though you brush his teeth, the problem may be more than that. If that is not the case, I would have my pediatrician check it out, foul smell may indicate infection.

Hi S.!

My friend's son had a similar scent when he was an infant...it was an ear infection. it was a surprise because he didn't shhow any outward symptoms. You may want to have that checked out. just a thought! good luck

You might want to take him to the doctor or atleast call them. It could be something medical.

My first child started smelling like sour milk and I couldn't figure out what it was either! Being totally new at mothering at the time, I started sniffing around and found that it was coming from behind her ears! I would wipe back there with a washcloth during bathtime, but while taking a closer look, she had a crease back there that actually had to be washed by pulling on her ear a little in order to expose it. It was stinky though! Maybe it's something similar like that.

S.
When I taught Preschool we had a little girl smell the same way. She would chew on her shirt or her hair and it would smell awful. If he hasn't had a check up - it is worth the time. He may have an ear infection or sinus infection too!

Honey you should have him seen by a doctor. Not sure what's causing it, but you'll find that odors that won't go away could be the sign of illness.

Sounds like maybe some type of food allegery??? Try Karen Marshall, she is an RN who practices NAET, an alternative to traditional testing and diagnosing. She is located off 37 between fishers and Noblesville.

have you checked his shoes? some times if they get wet or even if his feet sweat really bad, it can start to make them smell really bad. if thats the case, try washing them in a little bleach water and drying them thoroughly...then sprnkle some baby powder or corn starch in his shoes.

You might think this is strange but it could be your water. I know our water really stinks and if I don't use double fabric softner our clothes really stink.

I take it the 7 yr old doesn't have a smell or odor to him, just the 4 yr old? Like the other mom's have mentioned, it could be an infection; his diet or it could be his bathwash isn't mixing well with his own body chemicals. It could be a multitude of things, as the other mom's advised, do seek your pediatrician's input on this and find out if it is something simple that can be easily solved if it is just your 4 yr old and not both boys with the odor. Good luck.

I would take him to the pediatrician. Sometimes, certain smells can indicate an illness. It's very unusual for a 4-year-old to have an odor when he's properly bathed and dressed in clean clothes. I would be concerned about it and get him to the dr. as soon as possible. HTH.

I would check your laundry detergent and softner. I notice that smell on people who use certain detergents. Just a thought for you. It could also be his shoes. I know that my daugthers shoes smell when she sweats a lot.

Any chance you feed him Veggie Burgers? I can remember my daughter had a "scent" reaction to Veggie Burgers. Also - I have heard of people have sour reactions to garlic in food.

Hi.
Does he have any allergies? Perhaps it is a result of post nasal drip. Or, are there any foods that he eats often, or any new foods. My children like spaghetti with garlic, for example, and that tends to linger. Finally, what about asking your pediatrician? I hope this helps.

I honestly don't really know what it could be but I figured it wouldn't hurt to tell you my experience with "smells"....I have a 13 month old and a couple months ago I started smelling something off too...it drove me crazy because I would bathe him everyday and as soon as he got out of the bath I would still smell it...well after probably 6 weeks or so we figured out that it was fluid draining from his ears that was causing the smell but he did not have an infection so the obvious signs of them pulling at their ears or fever were not there...so anyway the doctor put him on antibiotics and after a week the smell was gone!...I dont know if this will even help you at all but ya never know so thats my story!! Hope everything works out for you!

Another option would be to use an anti-bacterial soap. There may be bacteria living on his skin causing an odor. It's worth a shot.
Good luck!

Does he by chance stick things up his nose? When my sister and I were little the same thing happened.... she had a foul odor about her. When our parents took her to the doctor they had found that she had been stuffing food up her nose.. yes it is wierd. Sounds like he has great hygeine habits, so this is just a possible suggestion....