# Body Odor in Young Children (age 6)



## ahdoula (Sep 5, 2006)

I wanted to ask a question about body odor in young children. Yeah yeah, your thinking, "you must be one of those mothers who doesn't supervise bathing or some such thing..." 







Nope, not the case!

My 6 year old girl suddenly (within the past few weeks) has underarm odor, showing up after only one and half days of not showering in cool weather. I did think it was poor washing habits at first, so I took over the soaping up to be sure, but it's still a big problem getting worse. So I started googling and the first thing I came to was "early puberty symptoms due to over use of hormones in dairy products that a child consumes" and I thought "Ha! That's it!" I then continued in my search and read all sorts of main stream stuff from peds about how early puberty symptoms at age 6, 7 and 8 can be normal!! It started turning my stomach to think about this becoming normal in our cultural, surely because of over use of hormones in the food we consume.

We have never been an organic family, I hope to change that after our next move to an extended family homestead, but in the mean time I will be switching my 6 year old to organic milk. Some of the info I read said that the body odor stops showing up within a couple of weeks of switching if that is indeed the cause.

I am not just willing to cover it up, I do want to find the cause. In the mean time we are doing daily showers and I am trying not to bring her attention to it or make her self conscious about it. Bring her to a ped is the last thing I want to do for that very reason.

Anyone else have any experience with this and what was your explanation for it? I have no problem controlling the odor, like I said, she can do daily showers and I could use all sorts of things to cover it up, but I don't want to cover it up! I want to FIX it! You guys get that









Any thoughts on other things to check for or change? Thanks in advance...


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

WE don't do any milk at all. NONE! Not goats and not cows.

Some people believe the only milk to drink, if you do want to drink it, is raw milk and I agree. Raw, organic milk or NONE!

*Here is a site that will explain why we don't drink milk.*

When you research the controversy of drinking milk, you'll find a lot of information. This is not the only site by far.


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## ahdoula (Sep 5, 2006)

I know in Korea they do very little or no dairy products as well. Though I am not familir with their cultural reasonings.

As I do more reading it seems the hormones in meat are an issue, as well as the high levels of estrogen in soy.

I can't believe I may be looking at a "precocious puberty" issue. I am having a very "it couldn't happen to me" moment. I never thought we (my family) cosumed that much "junk", then again I never thought dairy products and meat as junk! But accoridng to this article http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/46213/ there are lots of other things can can be an issue, like cosmetics, plastics, and cleaning products. Ahhh! I feeling like nothing is safe anymore! My slower conversion to all natural lving is going to go a lot faster then I imagined!


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## Gitti (Dec 20, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ahdoula* 
I know in Korea they do very little or no dairy products as well. Though I am not familir with their cultural reasonings.

I don't know whether it's cultural or just common practice as it is in most of the world that a person past the age of nursing does not need other animals' milk.

Quote:

As I do more reading it seems the hormones in meat are an issue, as well as the high levels of estrogen in soy.
For sure!

Quote:

there are lots of other things can can be an issue, like cosmetics, plastics, and cleaning products.
That's right. We are just inundated with all that garbage. Like I always say, they are attacking us from all angles. Don't forget vaccines, please. That is a big one to consider. Especially now with this new HPV vaccine which may contain things we won't know about till about 10 yrs from now.

Quote:

Ahhh! I feeling like nothing is safe anymore!
I know how you feel. And the sad thing is the more you learn and find out the more you will see how we are all being poisoned (accidentally or on purpose?).

Quote:

My slower conversion to all natural lving is going to go a lot faster then I imagined!
It will keep on accelerating from here on and I am sorry to say there is no return to the former state. 'Ignorance is bliss' really takes on a heightened meaning.


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## woo27ks (Jan 15, 2003)

My ds (7) also has body odor for the last 9months or so. Even though he showers every night or morning. I don't know - the dr. isn't worried about it. I admit I was freaked out when I first smelled his pit - I couldn't believe it. We've always done organic dairy - he's picky, so he eats the same stuff day in and day out. It's simple - whole food. I don't know what it is. So far my dd doesn't have the same problem.


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## joodgy (Mar 28, 2007)

in addition to changes in diet and environment i would suggest checking family history of early puberty. when my sister in law noticed her daughter going through puberty at age 7 and commented on it to her mother in law the response was that it ran in the family. as a result all of the women on her husbands side of the family are shorter than average because of this inherited trait. I will also add that their family comes from another country where there are no additives in the milk/meat like there are here.

Just do a little family tree hunting before you rule out going to the Doctor on this one.


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## woo27ks (Jan 15, 2003)

Besides body odor - what other signs of puberty is your dd showing? Ds just has body odor - I haven't noticed anything else, yet.
I found a natural deododerant that he's started using now that it's warmer.


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## Mirzam (Sep 9, 2002)

Fluoride could also a culprit, so if your DD drinks fluoridated water, you might want stop it. Two cups of fluoridated water a day gives you the maximum "safe" limit (no fluoride is "safe" in my opinion). On top of the two cups of water, there is the hidden fluoride in foods cooked in water, drinks and of course toothpaste.

Quote:

We know from recent studies - and considerable press coverage - that young girls are reaching puberty earlier and earlier in the US. Luke is not saying that fluoride (or fluoridation) is the cause but her work waves a very worrying red flag. Fluoride's role in earlier puberty needs more thorough investigation. Of an interesting historical note, in the Newburgh versus Kingston fluoridation trial (1945-1955), it was found that the girls in fluoridated Newburgh were reaching menstruation, on average, five months earlier than the girls in unfluoridated Kingston, but the result was not thought to be significant at the time (Schlessinger et al, 1956).

When one considers the seriousness of a possible interference by fluoride on a growing child's pineal gland (and for that matter, elderly pineal glands) it underlines the recklessness of fluoridation. The precautionary principle would say, as would basic common sense, that you don't take these kind of risks with our children for a benefit which, at best, amounts to 0.6 tooth surfaces out of 128 tooth surfaces in a child's mouth (Brunelle and Carlos, 1990, Table 6).
http://www.fluoridealert.org/ifin-269.htm


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## o2bgr8 (Aug 27, 2013)

After watching all the scary food documentaries, we are nearly vegan (well, we are "Plant Strong"!!). So we don't drink cow milk as of the past few months (athough before that we were drinking raw milk so no hormones there). We do still struggle with letting go of a few dairy things, but they are all organic. So what other explanation could their be!?


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## Mirzam (Sep 9, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *o2bgr8*
> 
> After watching all the scary food documentaries, we are nearly vegan (well, we are "Plant Strong"!!). So we don't drink cow milk as of the past few months (athough before that we were drinking raw milk so no hormones there). We do still struggle with letting go of a few dairy things, but they are all organic. So what other explanation could their be!?


http://www.breastcancerfund.org/assets/pdfs/publications/falling-age-of-puberty-adv-guide.pdf


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## pt33333 (Jul 30, 2013)

My daughter first started having body odor occasionally at 8. She's 9 1/2 now and we just bought her first training bra. Doesn't really need a bra, but she's not "flat" anymore. We got it so she can be used to wearing one and working with them when she really does need it.

I asked the doctor when she first started showing breast buds about a year ago. He did say it was a little early, but within normal range. He also said that it is just really the beginning stages of puberty and that goes on a while. Doesn't mean she's getting her period any day. I know I had actual breasts in 5th grade and didn't start my period until 8th grade.

We don't have milk with hormones. Eat mostly organic and avoid processed foods. I cook from scratch most day, using whole foods. The doctor did say that there are also some theories now that some of the slightly earlier puberty is actually because children are generally healthy than they used to be. Way back when there was a lot more disease and their bodies were busy fighting that off and trying to be healthy. Now that those things aren't an issue, it's not holding them back. Not sure how true it is, but it is an interesting theory.


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## Mirzam (Sep 9, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *pt33333*
> 
> My daughter first started having body odor occasionally at 8. She's 9 1/2 now and we just bought her first training bra. Doesn't really need a bra, but she's not "flat" anymore. We got it so she can be used to wearing one and working with them when she really does need it.
> 
> ...


I am not sure how this can be the case, because children today aren't more heathy, in fact, 54% percent of children today are chronically sick or obese. Obesity has shown to influence early puberty, and there are certainly way more obese girls now than their were 50, 100 etc years ago.

It has been shown that African American girls have menarche (12.1 years) earlier than white girls, however, wealthy African girls on average begin their period a year later than African Americans girls.

I am really interested in this topic, because my DDs, were the opposite, they started their periods at 14 and 15 years despite being extremely healthy, above average height and slim but not underweight. What was it with them that caused later puberty? I don't think it is genetics, although it must play a part, as I got my period at 13. My younger DD didn't need a bra until she was 13 years old. I do think this shift to earlier puberty is epigenetic in nature, largely due to enviromental toxins.

Things that might have resulted in later puberty in my girls: very clean diet, no fluoride in drinking and cooking water, stable family environment, with a very involved father, I will also say in the case of my younger DD, no vaccines.


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## Ethelpea (Mar 3, 2010)

don't know if I posted on this thread when it first started but my 8 y/o dd will get bo if she consumes dairy. We don't do a lot of dairy, but if she has ice cream, milk, cheese, etc. The odor stops within hours of stopping the dairy (and a good bath, of course







). She shows no signs of impending puberty.

edited to add, I just realized the original post is over 6 yrs. old.


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## electricpurple (Nov 17, 2013)

Well... My daughter at age 8 got under arm odor. She showers daily. We get all organic not much sugers and many veggies aday. Breakfast lunch and dinner she has a healthy portion. She is 11 but her odor is till worst than any others in the class she wears doeterant. Milk does make boobs grow bigger sooner but I didn't think of the odors. Organic didn't help with odors at all but it is good to go on it anyway. It didn't work with us but maybe it will be with you. Good luck


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## jmarroq (Jul 2, 2008)

I heard early puberty has other signs...like pubic hair as early as 3 or 4 years old, so if odor is your only issue, you might be OK. I think it's a pediatric endocrinologist that tests for early puberty with blood tests, bone scans, etc. if you want to be sure.

I seem to remember when I would wear a warm synthetic sweater when it wasn't freezing out yet, I would get armpit BO (in elementary school). I didn't get pubic hair until much later, and didn't menstruate until age 14. To this day, I don't sweat much. Some people have very active sweat glands though.

My daughter is 7 and does not show signs of puberty yet. She does get a little stinky but I think it is from not washing properly. She has very thick hair and it gets a "sweaty sock" odor sometimes. She also tends to sweat easily so I am glad she is my more diligent child as far as washing. My son could care less if he ever washed! He's lucky, he's not a sweater, but he will be 11, so I don't know how much longer he will get away with not washing properly!


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Both my girls had early body odor. But their development has been otherwise normal. My oldest is going to be 13 in 2 weeks, and has not started her period yet. My 9 year old is just showing very very early signs of puberty. Both have been wearing deodorant since age 7. They are vegetarian but drink cow's milk.


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## lovemylab (Jan 7, 2013)

My head is spinning reading this thread! What are we doing to our children?! This is nuts! Can't we stick them in a bubble and let them be kids while they are kids.


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## sahithya (Apr 21, 2015)

It's been a very common. It is better not to go for buying deodorant for your child this early. Just what it causes and so that you can prevent him further. I think this below article will be helpful to know what causes body Odor in child along with prevention tips: 
http://www.momjunction.com/articles/causes-of-body-odor-in-children_00355682/


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## MommyJen314 (Oct 8, 2016)

My SD started to "stink" when she was about 6. I never thought it would start that early! She later started getting hair, and growing boobs. By the age of about 8-9 she started using deodorant basically daily. She's almost 11 now and still hairy and boobs are growing (and she's 5'2"!) but no period yet. I agree it's from all the hormones in our foods these days. I doubt you can reverse it. Just keep her clean and before you know it she'll need deodorant. There's no harm in deodorant if she has to use it before what you would think is a normal age. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## linda233 (Oct 17, 2016)

I am hearing about early pubescent signs from many families. It is due to the food we eat. But, let us not rule out if she is having a hormonal issue or infection. Fungal infections can give off a bad odour and so is abnormal hormonal change. I suggest you see a ped for sure. Why take a risk?


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