Causes of a childs body odor and how to handle it

The child's body has a bad odor that makes them feel inferior and creates an unpleasant feeling for people around them. There are many different causes of this condition, including several medical conditions. You need to know the cause of the problem to have a timely solution for the baby.

Sweating is a normal condition in young children. After children are active all day, their bodies and strong clothes smell is inevitable. However, a child's body odor can also arise from a variety of skin conditions and syndromes such as phenylcetoneuria or fish odor syndrome. How to help children eliminate odors? Along with aFamilyToday Health follow up the following shares to get answers to this problem.

Sweat gland

The cause of the body odor is bacteria on the skin. There are up to 4 million sweat glands in the body, but it is divided into 2 types: the exocrine sweat glands, distributed throughout the body and the first sweat glands are usually concentrated in the anus and armpits.

Exocrine sweat glands help the body regulate body temperature and detoxify the outside. Therefore, it usually happens when you have a fever or eat hot spicy food. The sweat secreted by these sweat glands is usually water.

The secretory sweat glands are very sensitive to adrenaline. Therefore, sweat is released when you participate in physical activities or have emotions such as fear, anxiety, stress or when you feel sexual desire. The sweat secreted by these glands is often oily, opaque and odorless. However, when it comes into contact with bacteria on skin and clothes, it becomes a very characteristic body odor.

In young children, the exocrine sweat glands are usually active, while the first secretory glands are only active when the child enters puberty .

Is odor in the body of a child normal?

Young children's bodies often have odors that you do not notice. Babies and children under 8 years old usually have no body odor. However, children who are about to enter puberty, the body will appear quite characteristic smells. So if you see a 12-year-old kid with body odor, this is okay because simply, this is just a sign that the baby is about to enter puberty.

Usually, girls puberty earlier than boys. As a result, babies will begin to sweat and smell like adults by about 8 years. It is a sign that the baby is developing normally. While boys will begin to smell like an adult when they are 9. So if a 3 year old child smells like an adult then you should take him or her to the doctor for an examination.

Signs of a child's body odor

Body odor usually comes from special parts such as the feet, armpits and neck area. Emitting a bad odor is the main sign of this condition. In addition, the baby also has one of the following symptoms:

Sweating too much

Sweating at night

Cold hands

Lost weight

These symptoms are quite common when the urinary tract is affected by other infections or diseases. If the illness is severe, you may also see symptoms such as:

Pain in the chest

Vision problems

Comatose

Shortness of breath.

Cause the baby's body smells

You can help your child get rid of body odor if you know the reason why your child does. Here are some common causes:

Lazy personal hygiene

Lazy personal hygiene is one of the most common causes of a child's body odor. Bathe, do not clean the armpit and groin area carefully, causing bacteria to accumulate, causing bad smell. If the child refuses to bathe often, the child's body will smell bad because the bacteria on the skin come into contact with sweat.

Eating habit

The food a child eats has a direct correlation with body odor. Your child's body may smell after they eat foods like garlic and onions. Once digested, the smells of these foods will escape the pores in the skin. Some other foods that make a child's body smell:

The red flesh contains the amino acid carnitine. If there are too many of these substances, the body will smell heavy.

Milk contains more protein that is harder to digest than other foods. Therefore, eating too many dairy products can cause the body to release two substances methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulphide, which causes the body to smell bad. In children with lactose intolerance, this risk is very high.

Foods are made from wheat flour, especially those with no fiber.

The dishes contain sugar, onions and other spices.

Smelly foods like fish, eggs and beans.

Puberty early

Premature puberty is caused by overproduction of hormones such as DHEA. This is one of the first signs of puberty. If this is the case, the child's body will have some changes such as pubic hair, acne and the body begins to release a bad odor. Some babies grow taller faster than others.

This condition occurs in girls under 8 years old, boys under 9 years old and occurs more often in girls than boys.

Puberty

Puberty is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood. Girls usually start puberty between 10 and 14 years old, while boys enter this stage later, about 12-14 years old. At this stage, the child's body has a lot of changes in hormones.

One of the most important changes you can notice is that your baby's body is starting to smell. So, if your baby is at this age, it is completely normal for her body to smell.

Phenylcetoneuria

Phenylcetoneuria (PKU) is a disorder that converts phenylalanyl (Phe) to tyrosine (Tyr) due to a deficiency of the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase. Tyrosine is an important precursor for the production of serotonin, catecholoamines (neurotransmitters), thyroid hormones and melanin.

If this condition is not treated early, the body will emit bad odors in the skin, breath, and urine. This condition can also cause a rash, causing the body to smell bad.

Fish odor syndrome

Trimethylaminuria (TMAU), also known as fish odor syndrome, is a rare metabolic disorder that causes a disability in the production of the normal flavin enzyme containing monooxygenase 3 (FMO3). When FMO3 is not working properly or the amount of this enzyme is not produced enough, the body loses its ability to destroy the trimethylamine (TMA) in the digestion of food into trimethylamine oxide (TMAO). This is what causes the body to gradually accumulate substances that create the smell of urine, sweat, very heavy and fishy breath.

Sweating syndrome

Sweating is a condition in which the body sweats too much. This condition is quite common in children and teenagers and is often caused by too many carbonated drinks, overeating spicy foods, exercise and anxiety.

This occurs all over the body, not just the underarm area. In addition, increased sweating can also be caused by infections, hormone disorders in puberty ... Children with this syndrome also often encounter a body odor condition.

Potential diseases

If your child's body has a characteristic odor, it could also be due to an underlying medical condition, such as juvenile  diabetes or kidney or liver related problems. For example, people with diabetes often smell like a rotten apple. People with kidney or liver disease often have an ammonia smell. If you have typhoid fever, your body will smell like toast.

The "wing" odor in children

"Winged" odors can be caused by the above reasons, but usually, this is simply due to the child's lack of personal hygiene, the child wearing smelly clothes or the child being over active, causing the body to sweat. stink a lot. If your baby only smells in the underarm area this could be a sign of early puberty. During puberty, hairs in the underarms begin to appear, which makes it easier for bacteria to accumulate.

The secret to helping prevent heavy body odor

Body odor in young children can be prevented with the following methods:

Personal hygiene is the first thing to do. If your child is under 8 years old, teach them personal hygiene . If your child is entering puberty, explain to your child the importance of personal hygiene during this period.

Cleanse your body every day, especially in the groin, armpits and feet.

Make sure your child wears clean clothes. You should not re-wear clothes you wore the day before.

Check to see if your child's clothes smell of musty. Wet weather can cause clothes to smell even if you wash them very carefully. Hang your child's clothes in the sun.

Make sure children's clothes and shoes are completely dry before wearing.

Drinking plenty of water helps to detoxify the body and reduce odors.

If your child drinks cow's milk, change it to some other plant-based milk like soy or almond milk.

Avoid eating smelly foods.

Eat fragrant plants like sage or rosemary. The chlorophyll in these plants will help in deodorizing the body.

Coping with a child's body odor

There are many ways to treat the condition, depending on the cause. In addition to good personal hygiene, your doctor may recommend the following:

If the bad smell is caused by increased sweating, your child's doctor may use some antibacterial topical creams to reduce the odor. The doctor also recommends keeping your child in a dry environment to keep bacteria from growing.

If the underarm area sweats a lot, causing a bad smell, the doctor may give the child medicines that contain hexahydrate chloride. In addition, this medication is also used to control sweat in the hands and feet.

There is currently no known cure for phenylcetonuria, but your doctor can recommend a suitable diet to help fight the disease.

If your child has fish odor syndrome, the doctor will provide him with a diet that helps his body reduce trimethylamine production. Avoid foods like fish, eggs, milk, peanuts, and soy products. Your child's doctor may also give your child antibiotics to prevent the growth of bacteria and a laxative to reduce the amount of trimethylamine produced in the gut.

Premature puberty also has no specific treatment. The best way is to help your child adapt to these changes.

How when a child's body "smelly"?

In addition to the various drug treatments, you can try some of these simple methods:

Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to your child's bath water. Lemon juice increases the body's pH and keeps the skin dry, thus preventing the growth of bacteria.

If your child has sensitive skin, you should dilute the lemonade with a glass of water. Then, soak a towel and place it on the child's armpit area. Leave on for 10 minutes and rinse with water. Doing 1 time a day will help children eliminate body odor.

Add two cups of tomato juice to the bath water and let the child soak for a few minutes. You can also use this water to bathe your baby.

Apple cider vinegar is also a natural deodorant. Soak a towel in vinegar and place it on the child's underarm for a few minutes before giving the baby a bath. Do it twice daily before showering for best results.

Rosemary contains menthol and chlorophyll, which act as a natural deodorant, helping to remove odor-causing bacteria. Boil rosemary leaves and extract the water, then add it to your child's bath water. Let the child soak it for at least 15 minutes and dry. Alternatively, you can also add rosemary oil to the water and give your baby a bath.

Sage also helps control sweat glands. Boil a little sage leaves and extract the water, then add to the child's bath water. Or you can create a natural deodorant by mixing sage oil with coriander and lavender essential oil.

Witch hazel also has deodorizing properties. Soak a towel in witch hazel and place it on your child's armpit.

Remember that these remedies can only help your child get rid of body odor and cannot treat the underlying cause of the condition.

Misconceptions about body odor in children

There are many misconceptions about a child's body odor. Therefore, you need to research information carefully to find the cause and have a long-term treatment.

The smell of sweat

This is a misconception that body odor is the smell of sweat. Sweat does not smell. It only produces an odor when it comes in contact with bacteria that accumulate on the skin.

Deodorants can help eliminate body odor

Deodorants can help mask bad odors caused by lack of hygiene and puberty-related problems. However, if the odor is caused by a disease, these substances won't help either.

Children can get rid of body odor by bathing every day

Some people bathe more than 2 times a day but still cannot get rid of all of the characteristic odor on the body. That's because the bad smell doesn't always come from a problem with personal hygiene. Some body odors caused by certain diseases need to be treated with medicine.

Body odor is caused by physical activity

Body odor is not always caused by physical activity. Genetics or mental issues like anxiety, stress and depression can also lead to sweating and an odor of body odor.

Body odor in children is often a sign that a child is growing. If you have applied all the above methods and your child's body odor still does not improve, you should bring your child to the doctor.