# Stinky little boy...



## hapersmion (Jan 5, 2007)

This isn't a very big problem, since it's been going on for a year or two and I'm just now posting about it... but my uncircumcised son is stinky. He's almost three, cloth diapered but more than halfway potty trained at this point, and he likes to run around naked, but he smells bad when he does! I don't give him a bath every day, and maybe that has something to do with it, but I noticed the other day that he still smells even right after he gets out of the tub! He doesn't retract, and we've never tried to clean under the foreskin or anything like that. Do all little boys smell this way? (I only have one child, so I don't have any comparison.) Could it be some kind of yeast imbalance or something? Would probiotics help? I'm not good at describing smells... but I don't think it smells yeasty, just... well, like a dirty penis, I guess.







(TMI!)


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

I have never noticed that with ds just a stale urine smell sometimes. You might be onto something about the imbalance but I dont much about those types of things.


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## 2xy (Nov 30, 2008)

My boys are both intact and I never noticed any bad smell when they were little.

Sometimes smells linger in the skin. I wear a wrist brace to bed at night, and my hand usually smells bad in the morning (sweat, etc). It takes two or three good washings with soap and warm water to get rid of the smell. Maybe your son needs more lathering than he's currently getting; especially if he's not bathed every day.


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## onyxravnos (Dec 30, 2006)

have you mentioned it to his ped? sometimes things like anemia make a person smell weird.


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

My son is 5.5yo and intact. I have never noticed any smell at all. Are you sure it's coming from his penis and just not from his diaper-covered skin? Diapers can hold the smells and since they are against his skin all day? I don't know. Maybe try a "bottom" bath every day and see if it makes any difference. Also, strip your cd just to be sure they aren't holding in any stinkies.


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## NaturalMindedMomma (Feb 5, 2007)

is it a fishy smell? The two men I have been with that are intact have snmelled that way from time to time. Usually when they are unbathed for a day or so.

Try bathing his bottom and diaper area daily.

ETA: grown sexually active men may have nothing in common with a non retracted 3 year old. Just a little insight is all


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## mysticmomma (Feb 8, 2005)

We've been using sposies for awhile now since DS grew out of his cloth. Certain brands make him smell funny. IME, boys just smell.


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## LavenderMae (Sep 20, 2002)

I've never noticed either of my boys smelling bad. My youngest is still in diapers. Sometimes my nephew (I take care of him during the week) smells strongly of urine but he's not what I'd call stinky either. All three of them are intact.


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## thixle (Sep 26, 2007)

the title got me, lol

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mysticmomma* 
IME, boys just smell.











OP, if it makes you feel any better, my dd has a stinky butt, too. It's not yeasty, not fishy (bacteria), just smells like... butt... or maybe belly button (come on, we all know that smell)... and she's in underwear during the day! I do the poo-wiping (with wet cloth wipes), so I know its not that.
When we were battling yeast, I started rinsing her bottom with a squirt bottle of diluted vinegar, and that kills the smell for a few hours... I wish I could figure it out, though! I make her wear undies in the house now so she's not rubbing her stinky butt on the couch


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## Dabble (Jun 14, 2007)

What kind of hygiene routine do you have for him? I know you said he doesn't get a bath every day - how often is he bathed with what kind of soap? Do you actively wash his bottom with a washcloth when he is in the bath? How often is his diaper changed?

Also, do you notice a stronger smell associated with eating of certain foods? i.e. if he has had a lot of dairy or sugar that day? Some people are really diet-sensitive, and it will come out as body odor. Since little ones haven't started sweating heavily through the armpits, sometimes the odor is most intense in their private area.


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## Lovenest (Apr 12, 2006)

My son has never smelled stinky.
I would say you should look into his diet? Is he getting plenty of water to drink?

Also, my friend has a son that is 6 and he has had body odor problems in his arm pits since he was around 4. Maybe your son is sweating alot in his groin area and that is why he stinks?


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## purplestraws (Sep 13, 2006)

Honestly, I think everyone is making too big of a deal about this.

How much does he smell? Also, how sensitive are you to stinky smells?

That's a stinky area in general. My DS is intact and he's stinky down there sometimes, but I just attribute it to the fact the area is usually surrounded by sweat, urine and poop...it's naturally going to have a little bit of a smell...especially when they're in diapers most of the day. We only give him a bath every 2-3 days in the winter to avoid dry skin issues...so, if we bathed him daily, that might make a difference.

However, I'm also VERY senstive to bad smells. VERY sensitive.

I know this is not quite the same as an adult it not the same as a child...but my circ'd DH is very stinky down there and he bathes daily. I think some people are just stinkier than others. Maybe just requires a little bit of extra hygiene.

I don't think your son's stinkiness has anything to go with his penis...at all.


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## Tinijocaro (Jan 4, 2003)

Keep in mind that all normal genitals have an odor, unless they are thoroughly washed each day. My dd's have had some raunchy smells from time to time to the point that my 6 year old had stuck her head in her footie jammies and came out telling me it smelled like tuna in there! Boys can have a similar smell. It's just the way it is. Society makes us think we are supposed to smell like some floral product but that just isn't the way it is.

Now, a bad stench, ok, give the kid a bath and don't worry about it.


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## Lovenest (Apr 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Tinijocaro* 
My dd's have had some raunchy smells from time to time to the point that my 6 year old had stuck her head in her footie jammies and came out telling me it smelled like tuna in there!

OMG, I almost just peed my pants!


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## Tinker (Mar 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *thixle* 
the title got me, lol










OP, if it makes you feel any better, my dd has a stinky butt, too. It's not yeasty, not fishy (bacteria), just smells like... butt... or maybe belly button (come on, we all know that smell)... and she's in underwear during the day! I do the poo-wiping (with wet cloth wipes), so I know its not that.
When we were battling yeast, I started rinsing her bottom with a squirt bottle of diluted vinegar, and that kills the smell for a few hours... I wish I could figure it out, though! *I make her wear undies in the house now so she's not rubbing her stinky butt on the couch*

















: Sorry that cracked me up. I have 2 dd's and they both get stinky in the dipe/ underwear area. The smell most resembles slightly souring diary IMO. If anybody knows what that's about I'm all ears.


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## robertandenith (Apr 1, 2008)

isnt all butts or things down would smell? I mean my dds' butts smell too! I though that was normal







they get daily baths/showers except when it gets cold, obviously as soon as they are clean the smells goes away but I am sure it comes back in a few hours


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## kldliam (Jan 7, 2006)

my little girl is uncircumcised. She is stinky down there too-even when _she_ comes out of a fresh bath! I think you may be right, it must be a Ph imbalance in some kids.

It's not yeast for her either, just smells like dirty vagina.

My uncircumcised son on the other hand always smells like a rose!!


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## Greeneyes0506 (Aug 31, 2006)

Is it a foul smell, or does he just have a certain "aroma"?

My 2 year old never stinks, but he does have a certain aroma to him. And my 10 month old is the same way.


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## MommaLauraRN (May 14, 2007)

My boys get a bath every day. I've never noticed a stink except for the rare occasion they skip their bath, and then it's a butt smell, not their penis specifically. (Like if my 5 year old bends over for me to check his wipe job!) Their feet smell within an hour after their baths unless they're completely barefoot. I swear footie jammies make their feet sweat and smell raunchy! My friends with girls swear that their little girls have more stink than their intact boys!


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kldliam* 
my little girl is uncircumcised. She is stinky down there too-even when _she_ comes out of a fresh bath! I think you may be right, it must be a Ph imbalance in some kids.

It's not yeast for her either, just smells like dirty vagina.

My uncircumcised son on the other hand always smells like a rose!!


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## Claire and Boys (Mar 27, 2007)

some of these stories are just killing me lol!

I can't say I've noticed much of a smell with either of my boys once they're bathed and clean.. my circed DH does definitely get stinky if he's not showered. I don't think it has anything to do with intact vs circed.


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## hapersmion (Jan 5, 2007)

Thanks for the responses.







I didn't really think it had much to do with intact/circumcised either, I just figured this was the best forum for that sort of issue. (I'm certainly not going to go out and circ him or anything crazy like that, don't worry!)

And no, it's not a big deal at all, I just figured I'd see what other people's experiences are. Sounds like the general wisdom is that some kids smell more than others.







Really the only thing I was wondering about was the imbalance question - if people had responded saying "oh, my son only smells when he has a yeast infection", then I would have known that I needed to go get some probiotics.









Let's see if I can cover the various questions people asked.... no, it's not what I'd call a "foul" smell - I don't think he has anything wrong medically or anything like that. I'd consider it a fairly normal crotch smell, it's just that I can usually smell him from several feet away when he's naked. *shrug*

Our diet is so varied (DS eats everything), it would be hard to tell if a particular food was causing it - and it seems fairly constant, not varying with what we eat. I'll have to pay closer attention anyway...

As for bathing, it's usually every 2-3 days. I just don't feel like daily baths are necessary in general, and he tends to get dry skin sometimes. I don't scrub him with a washcloth, I just give him the soap and tell him to wash himself all over, and if he doesn't wash his penis (or bottom, or feet, etc), I have him do it or do it for him. *shrug* Right now we're using some glycerin soap that someone gave us, before we were using the Dr. Bronner's Peppermint kind in bar form. Sometimes he uses his dad's Zest. I haven't noticed a difference.

Diapering - I keep him in underwear (or naked) these days except when he's sleeping or we're going out. He's changed when we get up in the morning, or whenever he's wet in the day. Someone suggested stripping the diapers, which is probably a good idea - they smell kind of funny right now too, come to mention it. Even the ones I just washed *sigh*.

Anyway, thanks for the ideas and humor. I probably just need to wipe him down more often or something (once I can get him to hold still), and strip those diapers.


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## bluetoes (May 12, 2007)

This might help a bit. My son hads very dry skin and ecxema. So we only bathed him every few days. It finally got bad to the point of taking him to an allergist who said that bathing him one or twice a day with the right sort of soap and the right sort of cream would help the dry skin and excema.

So we now let him soak is a full bath once a day in the morning until he has prune hands. We use Vanicream soap during and Vanicream moisturizer staight afterwards and his skin is wonderfully soft now and his ecxema has gone away! He also smells really clean too which is a nice benefit.

So if you strip his diapers and try this bathing routine you might help his skin and make him smell nicer.


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## latinalonestar (Jan 26, 2008)

Sounds like you need to strip your diapers with vinegar and hang them in the sun. Could be yeast and normal cloth diaper funk. They can get quite funky if they are not stripped and/or if your detergent is leaving behind residue. Give him a bath with 1/4 cup of baking soda too just to help with the funk.

btw, yeast can smell a little oniony.

We bath every 2 days, my ds is 10 months


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## Cutie Patootie (Feb 29, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hapersmion* 
no, it's not what I'd call a "foul" smell - I don't think he has anything wrong medically or anything like that. I'd consider it a fairly normal crotch smell, it's just that I can usually smell him from several feet away when he's naked. *shrug*


I think that is totally normal.







My dd was so stinky the other day after not having had a bath in a few days that I could still smell her after I had put her in the tub. I had to scrub her up just so I could sit outside the tub with her.









I would definitely try stripping your diapers, and maybe more "nakie" time if you can. Also, we use CA baby "calming" shampoo and bodywash. It has a mild scent that seems to cover stinkies and sticks for a while.


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## In Exile (Jan 12, 2007)

I can sniff out my child blindfolded. And he certainly doesn't smell bad, I am just capable of finding through my nose.









I noticed that as soon as my DS was born, oh mt dear Lord, that sweet scent of baby, unbathed. I was seriously sniffing him nonstop. I mentioned that heavenly scent to the aftercare midwife that came home to us after we came home from the hospital- and she just grinned.

It is so funny how much more my nose "does" ever since becoming pregnant. I know my husband's scent (and he rarely stinks), my little boys, I remember my mum and dad scents (my old cat LOOOOOOVED my dad's worn socks, seriously, that was better than catnip, moaning cat rolling over dirty socks...), noses are so important.


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## alicia622 (May 8, 2005)

just came looking a thread about 'stinky boy' andthis thread answered all my questions







Thanks!


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## harmonyhobbit (Sep 16, 2008)

I have one circed and one uncirced boy and they both smell like boys. My first started smelling right away -at like 6 weeks old-and is still more fragrant. My younger one has only recently started picking up that boy smell. My older seriously makes me gag when he comes in from playing. It's not a _bad_ smell, like there's something wrong, just a smell. I make they bathe everyday, not always with soap. it's wet and humid here and I think that definitely has an effect.


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## tanyam926 (May 25, 2005)

my boys aren't stinky but they bathe every day, my oldest probably every 2 days. just w/water in shower or bath, no soap most of the time.

when my ds2 is naked (which is a lot since he's 3 1/2) i do notice a butt smell sometimes but that's only when he hasn't hopped in the shower w/me or taken a bath that day.

my dh isn't stinky either, even when he's been working, playing b-ball, etc. he doesn't even sweat much.

i def. think some people are more sweaty than others. that's why in the winter when my boys have to wear shoes and socks i put powder in their socks bc they are foot sweaters. (that sounds weird, like they wear sweaters on their feet....).

lots of good advice and reassurance from pp!


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## Yulia_R (Jan 7, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *hapersmion* 
This isn't a very big problem, since it's been going on for a year or two and I'm just now posting about it... but my uncircumcised son is stinky. He's almost three, cloth diapered but more than halfway potty trained at this point, and he likes to run around naked, but he smells bad when he does! I don't give him a bath every day, and maybe that has something to do with it, but I noticed the other day that he still smells even right after he gets out of the tub! He doesn't retract, and we've never tried to clean under the foreskin or anything like that. Do all little boys smell this way? (I only have one child, so I don't have any comparison.) Could it be some kind of yeast imbalance or something? Would probiotics help? I'm not good at describing smells... but I don't think it smells yeasty, just... well, like a dirty penis, I guess.







(TMI!)

My daugher gets this strong "privet parts" smell when I don't wash her down there with some mild soap for a couple of days (she is fully potty trained, both day and night). My intact son though goes without washing for days and no smell what so ever.


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## jeliphish (Jul 18, 2007)

IDK....try a different soap. Have you noticed when you use a different soap (or at least I have) that when I use different soaps, like motel soaps, it makes me smell different. Even when i use something like zest it makes me smell "harsher". I usually can only use dove or a soap that melaluca makes to make me smell "fresh and clean". Bodies react differently to different substances....try a hypoallergenic soap.
I put DD in the tub everyday and some days she just soaks, but I make sure to at least wash her private areas. IMO I think it's important the first couple of years to assist them in washing to teach "muscle memory" so that when she begins to really wash herself she just does it thorough by nature.


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## mommyinIL1976 (Jan 20, 2008)

Another vote for: "Kids just have a smell". I have to agree that DD was stinkier than both DSs. I wonder if it's a gender thing. Do mamas just notice that "feminine" smell more? I could smell DD a mile away when she was little and went unbathed for a day or two. When I was pregnant with DS2, I would actually gag at that cheesy unwashed yoni smell uke Sorry, proabably TMI.

I have honestly never smelled anything gross except for that sweaty butt smell on my boys.


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