Children generally are adorable and associated with a sweet, welcoming smell. This is why anything short of this, like a body odour, gives cause to raise an eyebrow.
Worried about your child emitting some funny smells and seeking a sure remedy to the situation?
- Help your kid(s) maintain good hygiene
Lack of proper hygiene, dirty armpits and groin areas topped with irregular bathing, are common causes of body odour. In fact, double should be your worry if yours is an active kid.
The bacteria accumulated in the clothes stick to the sweat and add to body odour. This is why the first step to take when looking to tackle body odour in kids is to help them augment their personal hygiene.
In addition, kids can be pretty vulnerable to teasing, so you want to do your best to help them try to prevent it.
Regular bathing is key to dealing with it, including a thorough scrub under the arms.
If your child has reached the age where he/she may no longer want a parent to bathe them, what they probably need is some encouragement and pointers to do a thorough job themselves.
Make sure your kids wear clean clothes which are washed and dry. Discourage them from repeating clothes.
Ensure they wear shoes that are clean and dry, as wet shoes could result in infections. Finally, encourage your child to stay hydrated and drink lots of water.
- Introduce them to deodorant/antiperspirant
For some kids, bathing won’t be enough to keep the body odour at bay throughout the day, especially if they’re active.
In such a case, deodorant or antiperspirant is recommended. Deodorants act by covering up the smell of sweat, while antiperspirants actually stop or reduce the amount of sweat produced.
Now, while there isn’t any medical concern with kids using deodorants or antiperspirants, it is still relevant that you may have your reservations about this option.
If so, consider the several naturals; unscented products in the market, including deodorant crystals and baking soda-based products. Or even better, you can make a deodorant with rosemary.
Rosemary contains menthol and chlorophyll, acting as natural deodorants to tackle odour-causing bacteria.
All you have to do is simply boil a cup of rosemary leaves in a cup of water and add to your kid’s bathwater.
The other option is to add a few droplets of rosemary oil to the bathwater.
- Look into food habits
What goes in comes out in a distasteful manner. After digestion, some food seep into the pores of the skin and create an odour, meaning that the food consumed not only affects our breath but body odour too.
Some common food that is said to cause body odour in kids and adults are:
Red meat which has an amino acid called carnitine, garlic and onions, milk and dairy products take a longer time to digest, excess consumption releases methyl mercaptan and hydrogen sulphide, causing a foul smell.
Fish, eggs, cabbage, legumes, processed food, and foods that lack fibre.
Try replacing cow’s milk with organic, soy or almond milk, and increase the intake of fresh, green leafy vegetables and include aromatic herbs like basil, sage and rosemary in their diet.
Chlorophyll in plants is a nature-given body cleanser.
The battle of tackling body odour in your kid(s) is one that must be won on all fronts.
- Blame it on puberty
If your child is closer to puberty attaining age, then body odour is really no reason to get worked up. Girls reach puberty between 9 and 14, while boys are between 12 and 15.
During this phase, their bodies undergo a lot of hormonal changes leading to changes in their physical appearance and behaviour.
Their sweat glands work overtime, which provides an explanation for why they might have a body odour.
Early sexual maturation in kids is another reason for body odour.
- Consider an underlying medical condition and see a doctor.
A very distinct body odour in your child could be pointing to an underlying medical condition like a kidney or liver-related ailment, diabetes, inflammation of organs, etc.
If your child is sweating profusely then they may have hyperhidrosis (a medical condition with the primary symptom of excessive sweating, in excess of that required by the body temperature).
Either way. it is necessary to seek medical intervention as soon as possible.
- Consider some home remedies
Consider home remedies like the application of lemon juice in bathwater.
The juice of lemon increases the pH levels of the body and keeps it dry thereby preventing the growth of bacteria. Squeeze, and add a few drops to the bathwater.
Alternatively, you can simply apply lemon juice to sensitive areas.
Dilute a spoonful of lemon juice with a cup of water and dab it on your child’s armpits with a cotton ball soaked in the concentrate.
Leave it for ten minutes, and then rinse it with water.
Another home remedy to tackle body odour in children is to cleanse with apple cider vinegar.
So, dab a cotton ball soaked in apple cider vinegar on the parts of the body that sweat for a few minutes before a bath.
Repeat this procedure twice a day before bath for happy results.
