I've been noticing lately that my son smells like urine all over his body, usually a day after a bath or shower, and it's almost always worse in the morning when he wakes up. He is still in regular diapers and wears full pajamas to bed and there are never any wet spots or anything indicating he has peed on himself in the night. Today I decided to see if maybe it was just his sheets or blankets that needed to be washed, but everything on his bed still smells fresh with no noticeable odor. His dirty laundry does not have a urine odor either. It really is strange and I'm not sure if this is something serious or not. Any advice would be appreciated!
Thank you everyone for the advice! I made an appointment with his doctor right away. She took it very seriously and immediately had him do a urine sample and a blood sample. The lab tested for the most common metabolic disorders, all of which came back negative. The problem seems to come and go, so it may not be that serious. As a precaution I have been spending extra care to make sure my son stays plenty hydrated and is getting more nutrients he may have lacked before. (We don't eat a lot of meat at home, so lack of protein may have been an issue, as someone pointed out) We have a follow up appointment next week to discuss further options, but I believe I won't press for anything drastic.
This sounds like a possible metabolic disorder. I suggest a visit to the pediatrician to rule out kidney disorders or diabetes.
Please see the doctor now-- don't let them put you off -- so that the doctor can smell exactly what you are smelling. See if you can get your son seen today. If you wait for an appointment, the smell could fade and then the doctor will have little to go on.
This could be nothing, or your own sense of smell being very, very sensitive, but it also could be a sign of different metabolic disorders and possibly diabetes. Sometimes diabetes can cause the person's body to have a distinctive smell that is usually described as "fruity" but it could differ from person to person. If you think, "We don't have diabetes in our family," please know that it does not matter -- a child can turn up with diabetes with no family history of it at all. Not trying to scare you there, just saying that it is worth ruling it out and then seeing what else could be the cause. Don't let the doctor push you off with "Oh, it's just wet clothes that he peed in and it dried so you didn't realize it" etc. Follow your instinct and at least rule out anything medical.
There can be physical reasons for a body odor . . . I might talk to his physician (though my peds have not been too helpful with anything that deviates from the "norm" - but at least you could start there).
Here is an interesting web site I found: http://www.bodyodor777.com/causes_metabolicdisorder.html .
Again, I would want some professional guidance after I ruled out the obvious potential issues (dirty clothes, sheets, etc.).
I am not a health care professional of any type and this is just my "mom" opinion.
Id see a DR asap, could be a kidney problem...
Call the pediatrician just to be safe.
You really need to take him to the Pediatrician.
Make sure he drinks a lot of water.
Some people smell like this when they get dehydrated.
Some little kids sweat a lot when they sleep.
Try putting him in summer pajamas (or shorts and a tee shirt) to sleep in.
It's a good idea to have the doctor check him out.
It could be he just has really smelly sweat.
Ketones? Or maybe it's just smell lingering from his diaper in the morning. Best to have it checked out.
If he's still in a diaper, he's peeing on himself... all the time... it's urine. It's worse in the morning when he wakes up because he's been sitting in urine for several hours.
It doesn't look like it's leaking out of the diaper, but it's still on his skin. As his body heats up and he sweats, the urine seeps around on his body.
I'm sure he isn't actually sweating urine odor... but his sweatiest places are going to smell the most like urine.
You might want to change him to lighter pjs so he doesn't sweat so much, and/or think about a morning shower/bath to rinse off until he's out of night time diapers.
HTH
T.
Do you think maybe he's sweating at night so his PJs are getting stinky? My son sweats like mad at night but so does his Daddy.
Like others, I'd call the pediatrician and ask about it. It's probably nothing, my mother and babysitter insisted that when I was a toddler/kid the top of my head smelled like puke and I didn't end up with my brain rotted out or anything. ;)
If he wets at night do you bath him in the morning? If not you might try that cause I know my son stinks when he's been wet and not taken a bath to get the pee off. If that's not the case call his Dr.
I would go to the doctor next time you smell it on him - I can imagine a doctor asking how often you bathe him and if he still wears diapers. Be prepared give the doctor examples so he/she understands that it's not just residual diaper leak-through. This may mean you have to make a last minute appointment where they fit him in that day.
Make sure you ask specifically about metabolic disorders and diabetes so the doctor can explain to you WHY he/she thinks one of these is not a concern.
I wouldn't explain it away, and be prepared to not allow your pediatrician to explain it away either.
Please see a doctor. I am not a health care professional but it is my understanding that when the body does not get enough protein it will break down muscle and there is a resulting odor that smells like urine in the sweat. My husband works out hard and when his protein levels are off his clothes reek of urine. (He is a nurse and this is his explanation.) Hope this helps.
is he eating asparagus?
