Is My Daughter Too Young to Be Having Body Odor??

My 8 1/2 yr old is in 3rd grade and when I go to her class I do notice that there are quite a few "odorous" kids in her class. And my daughter herself does seem to have her own issue with the matter. But it isn't my daughter's arms so much as her feet. Wholly cow, some days I think I'm just going to die when she gets in the car. Her best friend is the same way. We've bought new shoes & socks, tried odor eaters, everything... nothing helps. Her feet only stink when she goes to school, on the weekends she doesn't smell at all.

Cutting out red meats (even if it is just cutting down) will reduce body odor. Our bodies are removing toxins through the sweat and an unhealthy diet can leave a lot of toxins to be rid. Before subjecting your 8.5 yr old to chemical deoderants, I would try cutting out some meats as well as cutting showers to everyother day or so and just doing an underarm/ private/feet/ face quick clean up peri care thing daily. Too much showering can cause our bodies to over react!
I am sure she is not alone, you're just growing a little "tween" now!! Good luck to you all :)

Hi R.,
My daughter is 7 1/2. At her last check up her Dr said that girls get their first bit of estrogen around age 6 to 7. So if I noticed a little odor, not to worry , just pickup some deoderant and talk with her a little. I was very surpirsed that this happens so early. So it sounds totally normal. Hang in there, we just had the talk about the "boxes" on the wall in the ladies room. She said I think this is too much information.!
A.

I forget how old he was, but, when he was probably about that age I was playing w/ my oldest nephew. I said 'I smell something weird' (I never considered that it was him), but, he leapt up & said 'Oh, it's me I'll go put on deoderant'.

What I'm saying is, I think that's about the normal age. If your concerned though I'm sure a quick phone call to her Dr. should be reassuring.

No, puberty is starting younger and younger for kids. The average age for girls to get their period is dropping to something like 11 or 12 (can't remember the LA Times article exactly). My daughter is 9 1/2 and gets smelly. I bought her deodorant - it was "fun" for a few days, now I have to remind her.
Regardless of the cause, once it starts, I don't know that you can stop nature. Just my opinion though.

I am SO not ready for this!

I know that my 9 yr.old nephew is starting to have the same issues. So, age-wise it's probably about that time. :-)

My daughter is 9 and has been dealing with this for 2 years now. The rest of the kids in her class are now riper than she is. I make her shower every morning and when it is hot out she wears deodorant. Now that the other kids in class are having serious BO she sees it and makes sure she isn't "trying to gas the teacher" or in the "smelly group" as she likes to put it.
When I would smell the unpleasentries I would give her a hug and tell her "Sweetheart, I love you so ver much, but you need a shower." It wasn't long before she started telling me the samething when she would come home and I had been cleaning all day and hadn't showered.
It wasn't long before she really understood that I told her she was "ripe" because I love her not because I was being mean. She also now likes that she is the "expert" in class and everyone askes her about things since she already knows about all of it.

This is completley normal and there are natural remidies for the smelly feet or BO. I know it sounds strange but having them soak their feet for ten minutes in green tea every night for a week works wonders. I did this with my son when he complained that his teacher told him that he could not take his shows off for Gymnastics like all the other kids in his class.
With BO they may need to change their soap to a deoderant soap. I usually do not let my kids put on any kind of deoderant AFTER they already smell because in effect they are just sealing the bacteria into their sweat glands. Instead I have them take a quick shower and use the deoderant crystal (sold in all health food stores).
I also have a trick for traveling without the smell. I have 4 children so I pack up 4 washcloths in 4 seperate zipper baggies and then I pack a small bottle of white vinegar. Vinegar is an all natural antibacterial that is safe to use around and on children of all ages. When the car starts to smell funky I go to the nearest rest stop and they all take a little bird bath and come back smelling much better (the vinegar smell does not linger at all).

I hope this helps.
H. Stanley

yes it is normal... a child can hit pubert as young asd 7 years of age infact my mother was fully matured with a c cup at 9 years of age so yes she probibly is starting to go through puberty some kids mature at much younger ages than others so im sure you dont have any thing to worry about but her hormone changes but if your too worried about just talk to her pediatrition

I totally know what your daughter is going through. I have two daughters ages 13 and 14. MY 13 year old started wearing deoderant at the age of 5. She walked right by a girlfriend of mine and my self and we both got a wiff. I asked her Pediatrician about this and she suggested that she drink more water. She does that anyways. Hang in there, and just let her wear it. Teen Spirit is nice.

My step daughter starting getting BO when she was around 6 years old. She also has matured in other physical ways also. She is 9 now and I swear her period will be showing up any day now. When we took her to the doctor she said the hormones in milk and meat are causing a surge in girls going through puberty too soon.

R.
www.bellastarpetservices.com

R.,
Hi, my personal opinion is that the steroids in the foods is a cause for our little ones to mature a little sooner then we grew up. No research to back my comment up, but I worry about it. I just try to buy organic foods.