Comments on: Raise your hand if you're sure

Question: Raise your hand if you're sure

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:13:30 -0800

My 6 yr old son has mature male body odor. Has anyone encountered this? I'm not exactly worried, but, I just wonder if it's normative to be this smelly at such an early age.

- I (Mom) don't have strong BO, even after working out.
- His Dad, however, has very strong BO- the kind that is still there even after a shower.
-My son bathes regularly, but not daily.
-My son is healthy.
-My son is starting to smell a lot like his Dad.
- Yes, I will ask his ped.

Your thoughts?

By: ydnagaj

ydnagaj — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:21:56 -0800

Get dad some scented soap, and wash the boy everyday.

By: mitzyjalapeno

mitzyjalapeno — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:30:00 -0800

Bathe everyday, and maybe think about deodorant. Ask the dr before you go that route. Also, what about a change in diet, like less red meat?

By: twoporedomain

twoporedomain — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:36:42 -0800

Does your son show any other signs of precocious puberty? Underarm/pubic hair growth, enlarged genitals, etc? If so, his pediatrician may refer you to an endocrinologist.

By: Stewriffic

Stewriffic — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:38:10 -0800

This message board suggests it's a relatively common parental concern, and BO at early ages is typically not cause for worry. They say deodorant is fine, but antiperspirants should be avoided. And yeah, up the bathing to daily.

By: cerebus19

cerebus19 — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:41:15 -0800

The exact same thing happened with my son, who's now seven. After someone else's AskMe thread (which I can't find on a quick search, but I know it's there), my wife and I switched to only give him hormone-free dairy products (well, primarily milk and yogurt, since he doesn't eat that much cheese anyway).

It made a huge difference. He still has worse BO than most kids his age, so we have him use a little deodorant (his doctor said it should be OK for him) and have him shower a little more often than most kids his age. But the difference was noticeable after only a week or two after switching.

By: mumstheword

mumstheword — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:06:43 -0800

My daughter had the same thing at the same age...it was early puberty. We, too, went to hormone-free everything...to no effect. It was difficult for her to go through puberty at such a young age...I learned not to mention it or anything relating to it...to friends, her, anyone. She's an adult now and fine...however early puberty does reduce the growth time of children so she is probably a couple of inches shorter than she would otherwise have been. I've never heard a clearcut reason for this...but hormones could be the culprit, and clearly some kids are more susceptible to this...her sister didn't have the same experience, but her puberty onset was still early...age 9. I would pursue the hormone-free option just in case it works and definitely an endocrinologist. Best!

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:30:26 -0800

mumstheword writes "I've never heard a clearcut reason for this."

Artificially lengthened photoperiods and a shift toward blue spectrum lighting (CFL lighting and computer monitors/televisions) can have an impact on development. Studies on our fellow mammals have established that much. It's not terribly surprising, after all we've been using natural light cycles for the vast majority of our existence as a species. Artifical light is, in some sense, a drug.

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:32:13 -0800

Something harmless you can try at minimal cost: when he bathes, have him scrub out his pits and his butt with anti-dandruff shampoo (the kind with zinc pyrithione as the active ingredient) and a washcloth.

Soap is no good for getting rid of persistent BO. It's usually fairly alkaline, and regular use promotes yeast growth in damp skin folds. The main effect of soap on BO is just to mask it with a stronger scent.

Shampoo, on the other hand, usually has a better pH balance, and anti-dandruff shampoo suppresses a lot of the organisms responsible for turning perspiration into funk.

By: Lesser Shrew

Lesser Shrew — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:06:28 -0800

Also wash his clothes well - and although I am sure you are being careful about this - please don't make a big deal about this with him. Just make it seem like it's all normal day to day ordinary soap and water and brushing your teeth after meals stuff.

By: mistsandrain

mistsandrain — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:08:07 -0800

Thanks for all of the comments.

Lesser Shrew: We are in agreement- I have not mentioned it to my son at all. The last thing I want to do is make him self-conscious.

I have a question that follows from this thread- has anyone run across scientific evidence that hormone-containing foods can contribute to early puberty, symptoms of early puberty, and endocrine problems?

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:28:45 -0800

Can't speak to the hormone question - just popping back in to point out that anybody who tends toward smelliness is much better served by cotton clothing than synthetics. There's a world of difference between the smell of a two day old cotton T shirt and a cotton/polyester blend. Perspiration plus polyester = phoo.

By: amtho

amtho — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:41:35 -0800

Seconding cotton garments. Sometimes even washing synthetics doesn't get odor out. Then, you don't really notice that the odor's stayed in the fabric until it gets worn and warmed up again - leading to the false perception that the person wearing it smells bad instantly.