How to Prevent Armpit Odor in Children

How to Prevent Armpit Odor in Children

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When a child approaches puberty, a lot of changes do occur in the body which includes:  growing of hair around the armpit and increase in the activities of secretion glands which bring about sweat.  Sweat itself does not have any odor but bacteria break them down into aromatic fatty acids and this process produces the strong odor.

When you notice these hormonal changes in your child, it is time to take extra care because body odor can turn out to be a burden on that child.  Even though sweating is a natural process by which the body eliminates waste products, its effect can be a pain in the neck if not handled well.

When I go out in the morning on public transport, I meet a lot of children with this strong body odor.  Sometimes, I will be forced to ask them if they took their bath and the answer will always be in the affirmative.  The funniest part of this scenario is that, these children in question are not aware they have such problem, which is why the parents or guardians have to come in to help them out.

This knowledge led me into carrying out a research why children at this very young age experience body odor despite being cleaned everyday and I was able to the realize that body odor in children is beyond water and soap bath.

What to Do:

Be Involved:  Do not say at that age, he should be able to clean himself up or I need to go to work early. 
Wake the child up early so as to supervise the bathing.  Children generally do not like taking bath and if you did not show interest, they may end up not bathing at all or pouring only water on the body. Make sure that while taking their bath, they scrub with soap and sponge especially the armpit, the toes and the private parts, use antibacterial soaps and antiseptics.  Few drops of Dettol into the water is good enough.  Antiseptic prevent bacteria that break down sweat into fatty acids which produces this unpleasant odor.   They should also take a bath after school, play or after any form of exercise.
Use Deodorants:  You may wonder why deodorant at such a
young age.  Yes you need to introduce your child to this.  Deodorants help to prevent sweating around the armpit and this cuts down body odor.  These products come in different shades like: Sure, Nivea etc and fragrances e.g. lavender; let your child chose the type he wants.  They are absolutely good for sweat control and odor prevention.

Let Them Wear Mostly Cotton Clothes:  Children need to wear cotton fabrics especially during hot periods. This type of material unlike synthetic fabrics allows air into the body and this enables the skin to breath, as a result minimizes sweating and body odor.  They should not wear a cloth more than once and the clothes must be thoroughly laundered with antiseptic.  Some synthetic (nylon) materials produce some kind of odor and when they mix with the sweat, the odor becomes so unpleasant.

Encourage Them To Shave:  Hairs around the armpit are very good ground for bacteria to breed especially when there is sweat.  Let them shave the armpit hair always so as to keep the armpit dry and clean.


I believe that these simple tips will eliminate the problem of body and armpit odor in your child.
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