Smelly Problem

Is she in diapers still? If so are they Pampers or Huggies by any chance. Or Pampers Easy-Ups. I had a VERY similar problem with my 2 year old and it was the ingredients in the Pampers Cruisers,Pampers Baby Dry, and Huggies Supreme.

Oh I just read that she isnt potty trained. I can almost guarantee its the diaper. Shome girls are sensitive. I found that Luvs work extremly well, and now that they changed the design of them they are better than pampers anyways. Im using the huggies pull-ups, just the regular ones...no cool alert or anythign like that and she has been fine with those. The best way I can describe the odor I smelt was like really acidy, stale, strong apple juice with a hint of fishiness or amonia smell. Gross, i know but thats what it smelt like. I took her in and was super worried, but after switching diapers she has no smell at all actually. The Luvs are powder scented and she always smells good. :)

Forget the cranberry juice she needs more water. My daughter I noticed had the same problem but once she started drinking more water it went away. Good luck!

I don't have a daughter,but I will give it a shot, google might have that info too. I don't know if things she drinks, or puts in her mouth. I can't think of anything else. Is she active? I can't think of anything.

Have you taken her in to the doc? It could be a bacterial infection. That can sometimes cause a smell. Otherwise, I got nothing! Sorry and hope all turns out well!

That's very odd for a baby to have that problem. Even when It's clean it still has an odor? If that was my daughter I'd take her to the pedatrician right away. I hope everything works out and that you find a solution.
Good Luck. :)

Take her to the doctor she may have a UTI.

I am not sure how the acid in the cranberry juice affects the balance of bacteria, but usually eating yogurt with active cultures helps to balance bacteria in that area as well as in one's stomach. It's often the bad bacteria that can create a smell and doesn't necessarily mean there's an infection (e.g., smelly armpits are due to an abundance of bad bacteria but not necessarily an infection).
Good luck!

Hi C.,
I noticed this issue as well with my daughter (she is also 2.5). I realized that it's at least partially because she just recently became potty trained and she does not do the best job of wiping up afterward, especially when she is at preschool. I bought some of those flushable wipes and I help her wipe when she's at home, and have asked her teacher at school to please help her out while she's at school. That has helped. However, her 3 year old checkup is coming up and I plan to ask her doctor because there is still some smell that I would consider unusual. She doesn't complain about any itching and there is no redness, so I also doubt it's a yeast infection. I wonder if it's something she's eating (or not eating) - she eats a lot of acidic fruits like strawberries and oranges, so I wonder if that is a cause? I'm curious to see what other moms have to say about this because it's something of a mystery to me as well!

Hi C.

You really need to talk to your pediatrician. There is probably nothing to worry about but strong smelling urine or vagina sometimes means that a child might have a urinary tract infection. I am the mother of five and my oldest daughter had a simular problem but it was the change in formula for her. Also two of my other children couldn't use Pampers, huggies, or luvs diapers it caused a simular problem too. I had to change to a store brand diaper that wasn't scented. L.

Hi C.,

Does your daughter wipe front to back? If not, maybe that is the problem. The area could have trapped bacteria or feces inside where you can't see. Take her to the doctor to make sure there isn't a bacterial vaginal infection. Also, if you give her some time without her underwear on, maybe she just needs to air out a bit. Good luck!

Molly

I haven't had that problem, but I would do some research on alkaline foods (dairy and veggies etc.)

Yeah, ask the doctor about this. I'm interested in the answer. I'm a big fan of clean genitalia and have nagged my kids their whole lives to attend to that area. :)

Get a urinalysis done on her. She could have a UTI.
I told our ped. that my 2 yr olds private area smelled and she told me I wasnt wiping her good enough.( What I was smelling was the buildup of bacteria in her urine.(she was in diapers.)It took another month before it finally happened - the bacteria made its way up into her bladder and she got a 106 fever.She was finally diagnosed with a urinary tract infection after 3 more visits to ped. It took a long time to get that under control because it was growing for a long time and they kept missing it. I was so angry that the doc didn't check for that when i first brought her in! It's a simple test on a urine sample!
Moms-watch out for bubble baths with young girls. Don't give them! They cause UTI's! Here's an experiment to see what happens: drop a few drops of food color in the top of a glass of liquid. Notice it really doesnt spread around that fast. Now drop a few drops of liquid detergent/soap in the glass and watch how the food coloring will spread. It uses the soap as a "hiway" if you will. If you girl opens her urinal opening to pee in the tub, the soap can go right up into the urethra, carrying bacteria right along with it. Save the bubble baths for later.

Hi C.-
Just a thought - I once had an irritated vagina that my doctor said was due to excessive acidity. She recommended that I douche with a baking soda solution which worked very well. Maybe you could try bathing your daughter with a mild solution?

E.

The suggestions you have received so far seem great; the only thing I could add is to suggest you look into giving her some alkalizing foods & more water in place of other drinks. A good source of information on this is www.healthyhealing.com where you can look up vaginitis, as well as alkalizing foods (the opposite of acidic). Many foods that are acidic, have an alkalizing effect on the body when they are metabolized...like lemon in water (she may like this if you use a touch of honey), that sort of thing.

Hope this helps!

Same thing with my daughter when she was younger, except she also had redness and itching. Her pediatrician said sometimes the ph levels in the vagina get imbalanced. Make sure to bath her in water with no soap in it - no bubbles, shampoo, etc. Also give her tea-baths, every day at first, then as needed. Put 4-5 teabags in the water for 5 minutes before she gets in. The tea helps level the ph balance somehow. If she does get redness and itching, mix desitin with monostat cream and put it on her. Good luck.

Is she potty trained? My daughter is smelly also and sometimes has a little white cream there. She is potty trained and not the best wiper when she pees, I help with poops wipes. My doctor said it was from the vaginal lips rubbing together and dead skin sloffing (sp?) off. He also said to be sure and wash, wash and wash when in the tub with water=no harsh soaps.

It may be mild vaginitis. If her wiping habits are not up to snuff or if she's "exploring" with toddler-grime on her hands, she may have transferred some bacteria. Vaginitis does not usually require antibiotics, but can lead to further problems if left unchecked. Let her take 2 or 3, 5-10 minute baths a day ( with a little baking soda to help with odor and any irritated skin) and have her drink lots of water and cranberry juice to make sure she is well hydrated and prevent it from spreading to the urinary tract. When our daughter was learning to wipe, she had a few "oopsies" and we had to go through this process with her to cure both odor and discomfort. We did still see a pediatrician first to rule anything else out. This was what the doctor recommended and it was gentle and easy and it took care of everything! Hope that helps...

K...I'm writting this to be sure I can find this feed later to see "what happens". My daughter, also three, has the same issue, but I always thought it was due to sometimes not making it to the potty in time, so she has panties with a little bit of urin in them on all day long, also from just general not wipping well enough. They are not the best at getting all the drips, or spreading their legs wide enough to keep the flow straight.

Try a dishpan with a vinegar and water solution... it will hep remove any residual grime (you will want to do a little wiping). Do a secondary soak in warm water-only and if you don't notice an improvement take her to the Pedi. The last thing you want is for her to end up on a low dose of antibiotics over a very long period of time because she's been harboring an infection for too long for the standard 7dy dosage to do the trick.

Sounds like you need to take your daughter to the doctor check for female hormone level, it sounds like she's having puberty problems and yes she can have even at her age. My daughter is having puberty problems and it started as early as 6 months old and she's still having them and she's now 5. I know this might be alarming to you but it happens and finding out now would be great while she's still young.I applaud you for paying attention to the matter and wanting to get answers. The doctor might tell you not to worry assist on them testing her and also ask for a Bone Age of your daughter's hand, it tells you more about the problem, please don't ignore this I'm glad I didn't it was someone who pointed this out to me and I thank God for them today.

Check for juvenile diabetes... is she often thirsty?

Is she wearing underwear or diapers? If it's diapers, maybe you need to change them more often and maybe the reside of the wipes or the diaper is causing it. If she is wearing underwear, is she wiping herself? If you are not sure, ask your pediatrician. Maybe something else in her diet is causing this? I have never heard of this problem.

Hi C.,

Anytime there is an oder, there is an infection of some sort. I would consult your physican for sure!

Good luck,
O.

My daughter had a problem like that also. I found that her problem was not drinking enough water! So the rule in our house is one cup of juice for the day, one sup chocolate mil (just enough Choc so it doesn't look like white milk!) and the rest is WATER for the day! It has made a huge difference! I am not that mean, at times I do let her have a little more juice, but I always stress mosre water. Good luck@

Is she drinking enough water ? It is possible she isn't drinking enough and this is what is giving the smelly urine scent.
Is she potty trained? If she's still using diapers/pull-ups try using a different brand. If she's potty trained there is a scented "bum cleaner/bottom no-rinse liquid spray" that you can purchase and try spraying after each diaper/underware change. Mustela is one brand I can think of.
Good Luck !

Hi C.,

Yeast overgrowth is common and can affect all areas of our bodies. Toddlers can be affected as well. I would take her to her doctor to deal with the vaginal yeast but you might investigate the topic of yeast overgrowth further. Diet plays a big part in regulating yeast in our bodies and it can inhibit normal functioning of our bodies in many ways. Food allergies are common in kids, as well as adults. Western medicine is fond of throwing a pill at it but I'd look into the source so you don't keep fighting the same thing over and over again. Do some research for yourself and possibly look at alternative theories.
Good luck!
T.