Stinky Six Year Old

I have never heard of this condition, sorry...but as far as deoderant goes, my family uses those salt rocks- you can get them at a health food store or co-op.

This does seem just a little early. New Season's carries many non-aluminum deodorants, I suggest "liquid rock" personally. But, I would swing by new Season's on the way to the pediatrician's office. There are some disorders that can cause early puberty in girls that have serious consequences. This seems like at least a conversation with the doctor is in order.

-K.

I would also look at her diet, there are some very innocuous foods that once ingested and digested can give a pretty interesting body oder.
She maybe have had a food change in the last little bit so try that before adding outward chemicals to her daily routine.
I would also suggest that if you do try oder control, use organic medthods first if possible, at this age she could also develop skin alergies to stuff.
The other thing is that there are some people with heavy body oder, the best thing is to make her aware without embaresment and help her deal with it. It may just go away at puberty.
So a recap: Food/Diet, try Organic forms of oder control(healthfood stores), and talk with her about it so that she feels empowered to do stuff about it too.
I hope this helps,

Grama J

I am not sure about when children are supposed to get body odor, but I do know of a good natural deodorant. Tom's of Maine has no aluminum and uses natural botanicals to counter balance the bacteria that causes the odor. It is the only stuff I feel comfortable using and think that if you have to use something on a child this would be ok.

Before you do, though, does your daughter drink enough clear liquids? Not enough water can make you stink. That and polyester fibers...

Steph

You may want her to be evaluated by her doctor. This could be related to early puberty which should be checked out.

I have a 6 1/2 year old daughter whom I have recently noticed BO under her arms too! It isn't every day. I noticed it one day after gymnastics. I had her go in the bathroom and wash her underarms with soap and water! It helped. I too thought about deodorant but because of the aluminum I am leery. My husband said that it could also be the type of food she had eaten that day too (which I dont remember now of course)

Oh, and after the shower when she is putting lotion on, I have her put it under her arms too. This has seemed to be helping for us. Good luck!

I don't know about being too young, but with all the hormones and junk in food nowadays it doesn't suprise me. I use Queen Helene Mint Julep Deoderant Stick. You could find it at a health food store I'm sure. I got it through Azure Standard.

S., I had the same issue with my then 8-9 year old son. What type of diet do you guys eat? When I noticed it we were using non-fat milk from Winco. We didn't eat very many organic items. Within two weeks of changing all of my dairy products to organic the smell when away! He is now 11 and just now showing signs of "changing"

I would encourage you to look into induced puberty and diet.
E.

My son started around 6ish too, not bad but every now and then he gets a tad ripe.

If your concern about aluminum in deoderant read labels (I'm not sure what is available in regular grocery stores or drug stores) BUT I do know that there are "natural/organic" options available with Trader Joes.

Hello,
The smell could also be attributed to an infection. There are times when the only sign of some sort of health issue is a strong smell. I would advise taking her to her pediatrician before you start the deoderant thing. Just to make sure that everything is going okay.
Hope it all goes well.

A.

Hi S.,

I don't know anything about the age question, but I thought I'd share a resource for finding safe deodorants (and other body-care products). The Environmental Working Group has put together a safety database for skin products. Here is the link for deodorants:

http://www.cosmeticdatabase.com/browse.php?category=deodo...

Note that different products of the same brand--even different fragrances of the same product--can have different safety scores, since sometimes it's the fragrance that's the potentially risky ingredient. You can either look on the list to see what products fall in the safest categories, or you can search for a specific product or specific ingredient to see its score.

Best of luck! Juliet

I would definitely check with her doctor first. I always thought that sweat/smell was related to hormones/puberty and so this seems somewhat unusual. Make sure it is not a medical problem before you start treating it. Good luck!

Sometimes you can change your ordor by watching your diet. Is she eating lots of meat or processed foods? These can create more smell for some people. To try and find our what to feed her perhaps talk to a naturopath doctor or a nutritional consultant. Or I have found a lot of help from the "eat right for your blood type" book. Of course then you would need to know her blood type. I would think a child of that age would not be going through any hormone changes such as a teenager, that would create an ordor change. I would try the diet first. Perhaps just more water and less sugary drinks... Just an idea. Good luck.
Laura

You may want to talk to her doctor. My 5 year old niece had this same exact problem and they're undergoing testing of her brain for gland issues related to early puberty, it is a problem! They've taken her off all products (esp. dairy) that may contain hormones, and she's lost some weight but please make sure you talk to the doctor, you don't want to take any chances!

I am 64 years old, so you can call me "Old Fashioned" but, I always gave my children a bath everyday and never had a problem. Just to be on the safe side, I would mention it to your pediatrician at your next appointment. If only, to ease your mind....I. D.

I have a friend who is a second grade teacher and she has commented many times that she wishes parents would buy more of their children deodorant at this young of an age. (She joked about giving her whole class some from Christmas . . . but decided that probably wouldn't be a very good idea.) Not all of them have BO, but enough that she mentions it - and it sounds as though there are just as many girls as boys. I don't think it's a hygiene issue - children perspire, and, as with adults, some people are just stinkier than others. (Your topic title made me laugh.) This is no big deal. Just a normal, natural thing. Kuddos to you for getting on top of this so quickly - otherwise, this could become a real source of teasing for her.

I'd go with a mild hypo-allergenic deodorant (not an anti-persperant) and see if that takes care of the problem.

Hello!
When my 9 year old daughter was 7, we noticed the same thing. Like you, I was worried, and surprised! We asked her doctor and he said that it's not all that unusual to notice odor like that. Now, at 9, many of her friends use deodorant. Have you checked out the Tom's of Maine products? I'd check with her doctor to be sure, but that has been our experience.
Good luck, and congrats on the upcoming baby!

I would ask the Doctor as well they may want to make sure she doesn't have any sort of abnormal infection or problem causing the odor.

Chances are its normal though. Have you tried bathing every day? This would probably eliminate the problem. If it doesn't I would try a natural deoderant, not an antiperspirant.

Good Luck!

Hi S..

I have no idea about BO at such a young age. Have you checked with your doctor?

I did want to write and tell you about an awesome Aluminum-FREE deodorant that we use. In the past we were Tom's of Maine and Crystal deodorant users. We made a seamless switch to Miessence. Its organic and has ZERO CHEMICALS. I'm giving it to all of my nephews and nieces! Also, a pregnant friend who was breaking out in rashes and having trouble with BO switched and could not believe how well it worked immediately for her.

You can read about it here (on our website): http://www.planetorganics.net/miessence-product/13303/

Best of luck!
S.

Tom's of Maine makes a good aluminum free deodorant that is easy to find at just about any grocery store or drug store (health food stores are another good place to find aluminum-free deodorant).

If the powder you use under her arms has cornstarch in it I would stop using that, cornstarch feeds yeast and it may be a bit of a yeast infection causing the odor.

She does seem young- but kids seem to be developing so early these days. I can't answer your questions as to why and such but I do know of a great, natural deodorant- and it smells wonderful (I use the angel food cake scent) http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=6...

hope that helps- also I have heard that Toms of Maine makes one... though I have not tried it.

K.
www.mamamonkey.com

We actually have this problem with our 7 year old daughter. I just went and bought a Teen Spirit deoderant. It has helped immensly.

I saw one at Target in a yellow package without aluminum, can't remeber the name but I am sure if you look you will find it, it was there big thing on the package. There are several at Fred Meyer by Jason in the homeopathic section without aluminum. Hope this helps. There are even more if you look them up on the search engines. Different people have different chemistry. It's good that you on top of this, otherwise other kids would tease her about it. H.

Hey S.-
Sorry to hear about the smell! I am sure you are aware of this but you also may want to watch her water intake. Often we will put off more odors when we are dehydrated so make sure she's getting her 6-8 glasses of 8 oz water a day. That may help you both a bit. I work for a company that has aluminum-free deodorant and other natural products...can tell you more about it if you like just message me back. Best of luck!

I use Tom's natural deodarant. They have some really nice smells now. I like the lavendar. And you can get it at many stores, including Fred Meyer. As long as you are using natural I wouldn't worry about having her use it. :-)

hello S., Well, she could have a candida condition...or food allergies/intolerances to cause stinky B.O. A naturopath might be able to help with that...As to deodorant, it is anti-persperant that usually has aluminum in it; there is one brand that doesn't (secret or dial, I forget) but Tom's of Maine makes deodorant that has pretty simple, non-toxic ingredients...check a local health food store if you can't find it where you shop. But I'd keep checking into the root of the smell, before just trying to mask it. If she consumes a lot of hormones (in dairy and meat), it could be early onset puberty, common in this hormone crazy country of ours. Good luck!!

Hi S.. My daughter started needing deodorant at a very early age also(5!), and has since developed other more visually evident signs of puberty--she's only 9 now.

A couple months ago, I took her to the pediatrician(didn't have health insurance until just recently), and she did a bone age scan on her, a hormone test, and physical exam, and determined that while she isn't suffering precocious puberty, she *is* in puberty now. The only thing we're waiting on now is her period.

I read all about precocious puberty, and how it can't really be traced to a specific cause in most cases. If it is early onset puberty, she could end up with stunted growth later, and other associated health problems. If it's "normal(how is puberty at 7 or 8 years af age normal?!)," then likely, the doctor will follow her development for 6 month stretches and retest her hormones to make sure they are at accetable levels.

If the hormones and bone age are advanced, they may try and stop the puberty.

You should get your child to the doctor as soon as you can, if you haven't already, to evauliate if she's going through early onset puberty, and if her hormones and bne age are abnormal. The sooner they can evaluate if she needs treatment, the better it will be for her.

Chances are that she is normal, but just to be safe....

You should Yahoo or Google search precocious pubery and early puberty, and read all the articles you can. Some are a bit scary, but they also help you prepare for what to expect, for both you and your family, and for your daughter. She may face some scary tests. Better to be able to help her to cope with what to expect.

Good luck for her and you, and hopefully she is fine.

K. W

Oy vey! Sounds like a surprising issue. Is she smelling from anywhere else? I know from my daughter and I that Candida can cause body odors. Also, is she eating or drinking any foods that have artificial hormones? That might cause the early age of her body changing. Tom's of Maine is great for deodorant w/o aluminum. I wish you the best of luck! PS. I have a sister who's a 1st time mom, baby boy of 9 weeks. she's going to be laid off and looking for at home income. May i ask what you do?

I hope it's not too late to add my 2 cents worth! I just wanted to mention that the advice about taking a look at your daughter's diet is very good (for example, I noticed that since I became a vegetarian, I have very little or no underarm odor--not that I'm suggesting that you feed her a vegetarian diet!) I would also take a very close look at the personal products she is using; many commercial brands of soaps, lotions, shampoo, and the like contain certain chemicals (preservatives, etc.) that mimic estrogen in the body, which could be contributing to her early puberty. Plastics can also do the same thing, so if she frequently drinks water or other beverages from plastic bottles, for example, or uses a lot of plastics that come in contact with food (food storage containers, plastic bags, etc.), the chemicals can be leaching into the food or beverages. One more thing--be sure her clothes are very well laundered, perhaps use hot water or add baking soda, borax, or vinegar to the wash or rinse water. I find that, especially with my older kids' clothes, sometimes odors just don't come out in the wash, so if there is some perspiration residue left on the clothes after washing, that could be adding to the problem too.

A strong Body oder is a big indicator for Type I Diabeties. Is she Thirsty all the time?
I know this sounds yucky but if you lick her skin is it extremly salty?
Big mood swings?

I would get her to her Dr.and have her checked for Diabeties. NOW........
Run.... don't walk....... Type I Diabeties is very dangerous.

As far as deodorant goes, Tom's of Maine natural deodorant works well and is aluminum free. Have you looked into her diet much? Sometimes people with strong body odor need to make some simple changes in the food they consume and the problem is eliminated. And also make sure to drink more water. But I also know there are just some people out there that have overactive sweat glands, and it might be something that she will have to work with. She may not be able to get by with a natural deodorant and instead may only find that mens deodorant works. Basically you just want to stay away from anything that is called an antiperspirant (that is what will carry aluminum) and typically most deodorants should be aluminum free. I probably wouldn't put powder under her arms though as it may clog her pores. And can lead to other problems. I hope some of this helped. Good Luck!

Tom's of Main is a great kind of deodorant and the only kind I would recommend for a child. But I would definitely explore this issue further with your naturopath and online because your daughter seems to be too young to be having body odor like that.

Good luck!

My one and a half year old can sometimes get a little stinky too! I use Crystal deoderant--it's made out of natural mineral salts...but you might check wtih your doctor first before giving it to your daughter! Good luck!

Hi S.,

I would say look at your child's diet. We started a candida free diet and it has helped a lot. We have found that Candida has been a major contributor to body odor as well as many other symptoms. We began a pro biotic product called 3 Lac and it has helped tremndously! We still use deoderant, but do not have to use anti-perspirant any longer. :) You can google 3 Lac or the company Global Health Trax. It is a fantastic probiotic! We are very grateful to God that we found it and have treated the family with it. :)

Blessings,

K. S.