Hello everyone,
My 5-year old has terrible body odor and I'm not sure what to do! He seems way too young to start antiperspirant, but is there anything else? We bathe him every day, and still his under-arms stink! It's possible he has hyper-hydrosis (extra sweating) because I do too, but it didn't manifest itself with me under the arms until I was 12 or 13. It seems like he shouldn't be experiencing this until he's at least 10, right?
Any ideas on what to do? And if any of you can tell me this is normal, I'd feel much better! Thank you all!
Does it seem worse with synthetic materials? The sports jerseys, fleece and Under Armour stuff seems to make everyone smell bad! Maybe check to see if wearing cotton helps?
You might check diet issues as well. My cousin had this problem around age 6. The doctor recommended switching to organic milk, and it worked.
Our grandaughter had the same problem. They took her to the Dr. and tested her hormone levels and she had leves of a 14 year old. They are way out of wack. They have taken her off of all dairy and beef. May want to get it checked out.
I'd take him to your doctor, its possible he has a yeast or other bacterial infection on his skin... I don't think it is sweat, kids don't sweat like adults do until they are older.
Chris H,
I would recommend putting baking soda in your wash of clothes, try to not use bath products with Q15 for this is formeldahyde and causes not only bacteria but also is known to cause cancer in young ones. I would also suggest not using ammonia or bleach based products in your home and spray his bed with vinegar and water solution.
My step son was a stinky kid before puberty! Try deodorant soap and deodorant! And maybe at your next check up ask if this is normal, there may be an underlying cause? And that is so awesome you are adopting!
I don't think this is unusual. I had a friend whose daughter had horrible body odor at 6 yrs. I would try a little powder before jumping into deoderant. Burt's Bee's has a talc free powder or you could try Gold Bond both would help keep him fresh and dry.
You can try to let him wear deorderate to see if that helps. Also, if you cook with alot of garlic, onions, peppers try to cut way back on that kind of food. I would not get to worried about the situtation, but if it grows into a bigger problem talk to your doctor about the problem.
I looked this up on WebMD a while back. They recommended wiping down armpits, groin, etc. with a very mild hydrogen peroxide and water solution. 1 tsp of 3% hydrogen peroxide in 1 cup of water. They said it wasnt the sweat that smelled but rather the bacteria on the skin.
You should also contact your doctor - just in case there is a hormonal issue going on. A simple blood test can rule out any problems there.
I've heard that removing sugar from the diet will help.
If after you take him to your doctor there is nothing wrong, I would consider using the crystal deodorant that you can get at the health food store. It is a clear solid made of natural salts that inhibit the growth of bacteria. It is not an antiperspirant and it really does help to eliminate odor, safely and naturally.
Good Luck!
