This is a really weird question, but does anyone have a baby with a unique smell like this?
My son is 1 year old. I rarely feed him anything that has syrup in it or on it. But he seems to smell like syrup a lot!! I don't notice it as much (I'm probably adjusted to it) but every so often someone will comment about the fact that he smells like syrup, waffles, pancakes, etc.
I'm not really worried about it. He's a really healthy kiddo. But my older 2 children never had a unique smell, and I was just wondering if I'm alone in this.
It's not from his urine - I looked up MSUD and he doesn't have any of the other symptoms. The smell seems to come from his skin.
As long as it's not his urine that smells that way. There's actually something called Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD) which causes the urine to smell like maple syrup.
I would check with your pediatrician. Even if it's not MSUD it could be something else that is testable and treatable. Worth a call!
~ t
If it's in his skin it's his sweat that you are smelling which could indicate that his metabolism is breaking down proteins in a way that is off. It could be nothing, but I agree with the moms that say you should check it out with your pediatrician and rule out msud. There is a simple test they can do for that and you'll feel better I'm sure knowing that it's not that. In alternative forms of medicine like Chinese, Ayervedic and Homeopathy, smell is a very important indicator used for diagnosis and should not be ignored. Please let us know what you find out. Best wishes to your little sweetie pie. M.
My son smells like maple syrup when he wakes up in the morning. I only notice it around his neck. I don't think anything of it. I really like it and think it makes him that much sweeter! :) My son is 17 months old and it is starting to go away. I am treasuring it until he develops the sweaty little boy smell!
I wrote before I read the other responses and I see you have already checked out MSUD so no response at this time.
My son goes to daycare with a little girl that always smells like pickles :-)
If you are nursing and taking fenugreek (or if you are using stored milk from when you took fenugreek), that could be an explanation. I took it for a little while, but I didn't like that I always smelled like syrup. It smells like really strong maple syrup.
He's a boy. Get used to the strange smells. Syrup is better than the other things it could be. :)
My 3 month old daughter smells like strawberries, but only the very top of her head, and we haven't feed her any strawberries! I ws wondering the same thing, what would cause this and is it ok? She is very healthy! We don't use scented lotionsor shampoo, so we are at a lose as well!
My almost 4 year old has always smelled like cotton candy!!! My husband and I joke about it all the time. I am curious to see if you get any responses that explain what causes it!
Maybe he's just a yummy little baby! :)
I found this:
http://www.onceuponalife.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-2...
Not much info, but atleast you'll know you're not alone! :)
Edited to add: I just read that taking Fenugreek to increase your milk supply can make a mother and her baby smell like maple syrup, as fenugreek is used to flavor maple syrup. Interesting!
The only thought that occured to me is that some herbs, Fenugreek and Chamomile can leave you smelling that way, either by ingestion or via breastmilk.
K. @ The Nestingplace
A.,
Just to be on the safe side you may want to rule out Msud. The thing about oders is it's hard to tell where they are really coming from, it may seem like his skin but since he is only one, his urine is on his skin (before you change him) and the smell could actually be from his urine. I would just check it out to be sure. It's a treatable condition (msud) but very serious if missed. Best of luck to you and your family. C.
Does he suck his thumb or fingers or put his digits in his mouth often? I've noticed that smell on children before and it's usually their saliva- just smells sweet like that. When they have part of their hands in their mouths, well, obviously you would smell it more. The lady that said she smells it on her child's neck- could be from saliva dripping down during the night. Just a thought. The most recent child I know that smelled like that stopped smelling like that when he stopped sucking his thumb.
This may be an odd answer, but... This is what came to mind with me... I've smelled odd things (not necessarially bad) with my daughter and wondered, then I realized I hadn't cleaned her ears lately. She is super strong and does NOT like me to do things like cut her nails, clean her ears and even put her hair up so I don't force the issue. As soon as she's old enough to understand me, (very sooner then later) that its something you have to do on a regular basis then I'll push it but... Anyways, I don't get to clean her ears every day and I noticed that is what was smelling. I thought it was her hair or you know how under their chin and their neck can get pretty dirty or maybe she had body odor already underarms but it all turned out being her ears... You may check that out... The q-tips for kids work perfectly!!! She can squirm quite a bit and I'm still successful to be able to clean them out and not worry about hurting her...
Just a thought... ~T.~
