allk hot and sweaty, and not in the good kinda way
September 23, 2009 10:48 AM Subscribe
my 4 year old son sweats a lot when he's playing. Is this something I should be worried about?
Does he smell like a wet dog as well? Cuz . . . that's just normal. My boys went/are going through that stage of being sweaty and all wet dog smelling. Yeah. niiiiiice. My older son outgrew it when he was about 5-6. Not so doggy anymore. My 3 year old sweats when he plays too - but not profusely or anything.
posted by Sassyfras at 11:17 AM on September 23, 2009
posted by Sassyfras at 11:17 AM on September 23, 2009
It really depends a lot on his weight, the ambient temperature, and the type of play. With physical activity, kids do heat up quickly. Then again, if it is relatively quiet play (like playing with legos or dolls or cars, etc.) and you're talking a lot of sweat, then yes- I would schedule a checkup with the doctor.
posted by Eicats at 11:19 AM on September 23, 2009
posted by Eicats at 11:19 AM on September 23, 2009
what everybody else said -- it's about body weight, about what he wears. just for your peace of mind get his blood sugar checked, and his heart. but you know, it's just sweat, kids sweat.
posted by matteo at 11:26 AM on September 23, 2009
posted by matteo at 11:26 AM on September 23, 2009
My 3-year-old nephew's nickname is "sweaty Matty". Kid breaks a sweat taking a leak.
His dad's a doctor, and doesn't seem to think anything of it.
posted by notsnot at 11:28 AM on September 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
His dad's a doctor, and doesn't seem to think anything of it.
posted by notsnot at 11:28 AM on September 23, 2009 [1 favorite]
Different people have different sweat patterns. My underarms rarely sweat, but my head sweats like mad when I do sports or whatever--I was just at one of the children-who-were-once-my-eggs' jiujitsu class and noticed that he seemed to have inherited the wacky head fountain from me.
Ask his pediatrician at his next checkup, but I doubt it's a problem. Some people just sweat a lot.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:04 PM on September 23, 2009
Ask his pediatrician at his next checkup, but I doubt it's a problem. Some people just sweat a lot.
posted by Sidhedevil at 1:04 PM on September 23, 2009
? Does he also sweat in his sleep even if the bedclothes/enviornment are not over hot?
My son and his best friend are known as "rhubarb and custard" because of the colour they get while playing energetic games together. One all red and sweaty the other pale, only mildly sweaty.
It sounds like you need to be reassured about the range of normal with regards to children & sweat. By all means look at his weight/height on average charts but remember they are average for a reason. outliers are not necessarily ill.
But really, does he develope a huge thirst after exercise that can't be satisfied by a pint or two of water? (or for US peeps soda?)
Kid's regulatory mechanisms are quite sound, if he doesn't show any signs of lethargy, excess peeing, insatibale thirst, let the boy sweat!
posted by Wilder at 1:38 PM on September 23, 2009
My son and his best friend are known as "rhubarb and custard" because of the colour they get while playing energetic games together. One all red and sweaty the other pale, only mildly sweaty.
It sounds like you need to be reassured about the range of normal with regards to children & sweat. By all means look at his weight/height on average charts but remember they are average for a reason. outliers are not necessarily ill.
But really, does he develope a huge thirst after exercise that can't be satisfied by a pint or two of water? (or for US peeps soda?)
Kid's regulatory mechanisms are quite sound, if he doesn't show any signs of lethargy, excess peeing, insatibale thirst, let the boy sweat!
posted by Wilder at 1:38 PM on September 23, 2009
Kid breaks a sweat taking a leak.
That's different.
posted by Pollomacho at 2:24 PM on September 23, 2009
That's different.
posted by Pollomacho at 2:24 PM on September 23, 2009
My SO (who may be ex-SO on reading this) sweats at the drop of a hat and has never had this identified as a problem despite complaining about it since being a little kid. Some people are sweaty.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 3:15 PM on September 23, 2009
posted by a robot made out of meat at 3:15 PM on September 23, 2009
This is Ms. Vegetable, robot's SO.
Yes, I sweat all the time. I have always done so. I blame my dad. :-)
posted by a robot made out of meat at 4:01 PM on September 23, 2009
Yes, I sweat all the time. I have always done so. I blame my dad. :-)
posted by a robot made out of meat at 4:01 PM on September 23, 2009
It's probably normal for him. Does he tire easily?
I have two sweaty kids- the first one always has sweaty hands and feet. The second one gets a sweaty head and torso very quickly when playing. His shirt gets drenched when he runs around. It literally looks like someone dumped a bucket of water on him sometimes!
That being said, the second one was born with a heart defect that was surgically corrected when he was 4. As a baby, he would always get sweaty when nursing because his heart had to work harder when he was exerting himself. Now that he's 10 he still gets sweaty but it takes a more vigorous activity now.
You could ask your pediatrician if he's ever heard a heart murmur, but if it hasn't been mentioned before there's no reason to think that's the reason he's sweaty.
Like I said, it's probably normal for him.
posted by Ochre,Hugh at 9:19 PM on September 23, 2009
I have two sweaty kids- the first one always has sweaty hands and feet. The second one gets a sweaty head and torso very quickly when playing. His shirt gets drenched when he runs around. It literally looks like someone dumped a bucket of water on him sometimes!
That being said, the second one was born with a heart defect that was surgically corrected when he was 4. As a baby, he would always get sweaty when nursing because his heart had to work harder when he was exerting himself. Now that he's 10 he still gets sweaty but it takes a more vigorous activity now.
You could ask your pediatrician if he's ever heard a heart murmur, but if it hasn't been mentioned before there's no reason to think that's the reason he's sweaty.
Like I said, it's probably normal for him.
posted by Ochre,Hugh at 9:19 PM on September 23, 2009
Not to get science-y in a parenting thread but...
Sweat is a factor of the ambient temperature and humidity. Basically, you sweat because it's hot and you notice the sweat when it's humid, because it can't evaporate and cool you. Also, since sweat is an attempt to lower core body temperature, a stocky kid with stubby limbs will sweat more than the lanky beanpole down the street (see Bergmann and Allen. Humans also adapt their perspiatory pattern to their environment. A person who has lived in cold environment for most of their life will sweat more in a hot climate than a native.
So, I guess the real question is, does you kid sweat more than the other kids? And, if he does (and get other, unprompted, parents to verify this to avoid bias), then how much more does he sweat? If the answer is "a lot more," and he gets tired more easily than other children, then, maybe, you should begin to consider the distant possibility that you could minutely have that possibility of something to worry about. Sweating is about the most natural thing a human being can do. It's us and horses; maybe your son is part horse?
posted by Panjandrum at 11:00 PM on September 23, 2009
Sweat is a factor of the ambient temperature and humidity. Basically, you sweat because it's hot and you notice the sweat when it's humid, because it can't evaporate and cool you. Also, since sweat is an attempt to lower core body temperature, a stocky kid with stubby limbs will sweat more than the lanky beanpole down the street (see Bergmann and Allen. Humans also adapt their perspiatory pattern to their environment. A person who has lived in cold environment for most of their life will sweat more in a hot climate than a native.
So, I guess the real question is, does you kid sweat more than the other kids? And, if he does (and get other, unprompted, parents to verify this to avoid bias), then how much more does he sweat? If the answer is "a lot more," and he gets tired more easily than other children, then, maybe, you should begin to consider the distant possibility that you could minutely have that possibility of something to worry about. Sweating is about the most natural thing a human being can do. It's us and horses; maybe your son is part horse?
posted by Panjandrum at 11:00 PM on September 23, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers so far. His weight is right where it should be, and I'll admit that he does play pretty hard (I take full blame/credit for that). But when I picked him up from school yesterday, he was the only child there that was super sweaty. Not really a big deal, but I'll ask the Ped at our next visit.
posted by ducktape at 10:24 AM on September 24, 2009
posted by ducktape at 10:24 AM on September 24, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by unixrat at 10:51 AM on September 23, 2009