My 15 Month Old Smells After Bath

Maybe the smell is on your towels? If our kids leave towels in a wet heap, they can start to smell musty. The scent from the towel could be on him as he's dried off. Try washing your towels with vinegar. Just a thought!

I think I get what you are saying.

My daughter has super thick hair. If her hair is not dried super well - we're talking bone dry with a hair dryer - after it's been washed, it gets that musty hair smell. It's been on here as a question before with girls and long hair (elementary school). I never noticed it until my child started washing her own hair. When she didn't dry it fully, and put it up in a pony tail, and let it out at the end of the day, it would smell (musty as you say).

So I wonder if when his hair grew in and was thick, and say you were towel drying his hair, if it wasn't drying fully. Do you ever put a hat on his head or let him nap/rest (or even against a car seat) while some pieces might be even the tiniest bit damp?

As for shampoos - I would stick to products for toddlers/children. There are some that are 'fruity' like for kids like L'Oreal etc. that should be fine for him. I wouldn't use the kind that are also body wash. I personally found they didn't clean my kids' hair effectively.

I'm confused. What did you use from birth to 11 months? Are you saying you used baby shampoo/wash, and then at 11 you switched to older kids' products?

And you've also used adult products? Or are you saying you decided not to because they smell "too sweet" or "too manly"? I hope you decided NOT to use adult products since they may be too harsh for infant/toddler skin and also hard on the eyes (vs. the no-tears formulas made for children).

I think you either need to get an opinion from others who bathe the child (Dad, grandparents, sitters) because you have a very sensitive sense of smell, going from "musty" and "wet dog" to "sweet" to "manly." I wonder if you could possibly have something going on yourself that needs attention.

I agree with the comments below that odd odors can also be indicators of conditions that need attention, often immediate. Since this has been going on for 4 months, maybe it has nothing to do with the topical products you are using but rather with something internal that is working itself out through his pores or other membranes. Are you sure it's from his skin? Could it be related to his breath? Please have someone else bathe him on Sunday and observe any odor problems, and then call the pediatrician on Monday morning to report this and ask if he should be seen. Did you happen to mention it at his one year well-chair visit? Did you discuss safe products to use with a toddler? If not, please make it a habit to run things by the nurse or the doctor - keep a running list in your wallet or your phone so you always have it. Don't be afraid to use your pediatrician's info line even if you don't have an appointment.

Good luck and keep us posted - put any results in your "So What Happened" section.

After lather of baby shampoo sprinkle box of baking soda to scalp & cleanse behind ears. I sometimes massage in & use a fine tooth scalp comb to rid dead skin & build up. Baking soda is great for all cleaning make bus the harshness

Does anyone else notice it? your husband? other family members? Maybe your sense of smell is off.

I can't say it's a problem I've ever had.
Johnson's baby shampoo worked well for us for years.

While it's probably nothing to worry about - I'd have the doctor check him out.
Some smells can come from conditions like diabetes - and if that's the case you want to catch that asap.

Cut his hair? You CAN do that.