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A parents role is to prepare help develop support their child to make them the best person that they can be.
I want my kids to be socially attractive. To me that means that they look good. Have a freindly outgoing attitude. That they are nice to others and have the self confidence to stand up for them selves and others.
So I see my role to help with things like deodorant, make up (well actually my wife teaches that bit). Wearing nice clothes etc etc.
So I don't think it is an age thing at all. Girls in particular like to look and smell nice.
Now thats not to say that there are not times when they don't smell so good. Like when competin in a sports event or throwing mud at each other.
I have to agree with MaryleeII. Some scented products are so overwhelming. People start with a little, then a little more, and eventually you can tell they rode in the same elevator over an hour ago.
I try using mostly unscented, of minimally scented products. Then, if I want to wear perfume, then I just smell like the perfume, not perfume and deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, mousse, lotion, makeup, hairspray, laundry detergent, fabric softener, etc. Just trying to avoid sensory overload.
I can see your point, but I suppose I would go without the extra scents in other things rather than deodorant. Not that I think scents are absolutely necessary for deodorant to work, I just think most people don't overdo it. It's harder to overdo deodorant than those other items, and I don't use conditioner, hair spray, mousse, etc. anyway.
We lean crunchy (eat mainly fresh organic foods, wash with natural ingredients that would be safe enough to eat, don't use toxic chemicals in and around our home, try to buy local and buy used or freecycle/recycle/upcycle as much as possible, etc.), and thought we had tried all the natural deoderants out there.... JASON brand, Tom's of Maine, the crystal deoderants, Avalon Organics brand, so on and so on... none of them ever worked so we just always bought unscented regular deoderants (like mitchum unscented for sensitive skin type stuff) and used them sparingly - only on the hot days when we knew we were going to need them. The rest of the time we used cornstarch mixed with a bit of baking soda and a blend of (real) essential oils for a nice scent and to keep us feeling dry.
Recently though I picked up a thing of deoderant - HUGO NAturals brand - and so far so good! It's the Mexican Lime and Bergamot one and the smell is nice. Not overpowering like a lot of the other regular-type deoderants out there. I'm sorry but "shower fresh" does not smell shower fresh, and why would I want to make myself smell like baby powder? I'm a grown woman for goodness sakes. This HUGO Naturals deoderant has a bit of beeswax in it, so it slides on more smoothly the warmer it gets, and you have to make sure your pits are thoroughly dry first. It only seems to last about 8 - 10 hours, though, but there's no propylene glycol, aluminum, petroleum products, parabens, artificial fragrances or colors, and there's no alcohol in it, so that's all good news. It's not tested on animals, either! Yay!
Last edited by haggardhouseelf; 04-21-2010 at 05:16 PM..
Oh, for pity sake, if she stinks get her deodorant! You're micromanaging the kid!
One pet peeve of mine, though, don't let her get started on scented deodorant. I despise scented deodorant, why use one scent to control another? I simply can't stand the smell of scented deodorant, especially when its "heat activated" Once body temperatures rise, the scent gets really noticable, except to the wearer, who has built up a tolerance to it. So everywhere he goes, he smells. Isn't that what we were trying to prevent?
My ds has fallen in love with that Axe stuff, I can't stand it. He thinks he smells "manly" he's just going with the commercials. Personally, I despise any scented body products, and scented laundry products. Ever get around someone who's used a ton of scented body products and laundry products? They break down over a few hours, clash with each other, and you have one stinky mess!
Everything you said... yep... ditto. Totally. If you can taste the person, they've scented themselves too much! If you shake hands or heaven forbid hug the person and you stink like them until you're able to change your clothes and take a shower - they scented themselves too much. lol
It's the artificial fragrances that truly are the worst. I've been around people who work with essential oils all day long and they have a strong smell from all the essential oils but it's a good smell. But with artificial scents and fragrances it's really offensive, and for some people can cause really bad allergic reactions - especially skin and respiratory conditions.
I will NOT use chemicals and aluminum on my daughter at this age...this works great, she likes the smell and all are happy.
As to the early puberty issue, actually when I first noticed the body odor, she was just turning 6. I mentioned it to her doctor, and she did say that it could be a sign of early puberty and suggested we run some tests. Turns out that her hormones were a bit high and then we did a bone age xray which showed that she was high side of normal. Fast forward to age 7.5 yrs, and now we are in full fledged precocious (early) puberty.
You are right that early onset of body odor doesn't mean that she's starting puberty, but frankly I disagree that you can rule it out altogether without doing blood tests. She had an absolutely flat chest and still doesn't have what would be considered breast development, yet she is in early puberty and has to be watched closely. The biggest risk to early puberty is that they will attain a lower height than they would otherwise, plus of course all the nightmare that would happen pyschologically if she develops this much earlier than her peers.
My point is, I would keep a close eye on it and personally, i'd ask the doc to do some blood tests....or I'd get another doc.
Maybe these smelly kids need to drink more WATER! More water in the body helps regulate body temperature to reduce sweating and it also dilutes sweat which can lessen the smell.
I was just reading a website offering natural remedies for body odour, and as well as the usual baking soda, essential oil type ideas was this one:
... Turnip juice is also effective in removing body odor. Grate a turnip and squeeze the grated pieces to extract the juice. Apply this juice on your underarms.
I will NOT use chemicals and aluminum on my daughter at this age...this works great, she likes the smell and all are happy.
As to the early puberty issue, actually when I first noticed the body odor, she was just turning 6. I mentioned it to her doctor, and she did say that it could be a sign of early puberty and suggested we run some tests. Turns out that her hormones were a bit high and then we did a bone age xray which showed that she was high side of normal. Fast forward to age 7.5 yrs, and now we are in full fledged precocious (early) puberty.
You are right that early onset of body odor doesn't mean that she's starting puberty, but frankly I disagree that you can rule it out altogether without doing blood tests. She had an absolutely flat chest and still doesn't have what would be considered breast development, yet she is in early puberty and has to be watched closely. The biggest risk to early puberty is that they will attain a lower height than they would otherwise, plus of course all the nightmare that would happen pyschologically if she develops this much earlier than her peers.
My point is, I would keep a close eye on it and personally, i'd ask the doc to do some blood tests....or I'd get another doc.
Interesting. I do like our pediatrician but I didn't think to ask her about taking a blood test. What can be done if the blood tests indicate early puberty? I would assume "not much" but I suppose it will give me an opportunity to prepare us all if she gets her period early or needs to get a training bra before everyone else in her class. Did your pediatrician mention the nipple buds? When I was talking to mine, she said specifically that it has nothing to do with breast formation...it's the nipples that start to stick out and when that happens, puberty has started.
I don't have to worry about her height being stunted...she's only 7 but is the height of a 10/11 year old...4 feet 8 inches. She was off the growth charts at her 3-day old appointment (she was born in the 99%) but her height and weight have always been right on. There's not much I can do about her height...so we watch what we eat and our kids get lots of exercise. My daughter's pants are size 12 but the waists are huge...thank God for those little elastic sides on kids pants that you can cinch up...but we need the length. I love it when summer comes around because she can wear shorts and skirts and then it doesn't matter about length.
We did buy Tom's of Maine last weekend but now we're in the middle of a cold snap and we can't "test" it. I will put it on my daughter next week when she plays basketball and gets hot and sweaty and I'll keep my fingers crossed that it works.
Interesting. I do like our pediatrician but I didn't think to ask her about taking a blood test. What can be done if the blood tests indicate early puberty? I would assume "not much" but I suppose it will give me an opportunity to prepare us all if she gets her period early or needs to get a training bra before everyone else in her class. Did your pediatrician mention the nipple buds? When I was talking to mine, she said specifically that it has nothing to do with breast formation...it's the nipples that start to stick out and when that happens, puberty has started.
I don't have to worry about her height being stunted...she's only 7 but is the height of a 10/11 year old...4 feet 8 inches. She was off the growth charts at her 3-day old appointment (she was born in the 99%) but her height and weight have always been right on. There's not much I can do about her height...so we watch what we eat and our kids get lots of exercise. My daughter's pants are size 12 but the waists are huge...thank God for those little elastic sides on kids pants that you can cinch up...but we need the length. I love it when summer comes around because she can wear shorts and skirts and then it doesn't matter about length.
We did buy Tom's of Maine last weekend but now we're in the middle of a cold snap and we can't "test" it. I will put it on my daughter next week when she plays basketball and gets hot and sweaty and I'll keep my fingers crossed that it works.
with respect to her height, just FYI the fear is that they have their pubertal growth "spurt" too early and they stop growing earlier than they should. They can do a test called a "bone age" x ray which is an xray of her hand and they can tell by the growth plates, whether she is on target, or is ahead or behind typical growth for her age. My daughter has had this done and is about 14 months ahead in her growth. So yeah she looks normal height right now, but she may stop growing well before other girls her age, and therefore not reach her full height potential.
Anyway, back to your question on blood testing...if they find that her hormones are out of whack and her bone age is advanced, what they can do if she's in precocious puberty and advanced, they would basically give her hormone shots to delay puberty. They can be given until the "normal" time of development.
I am still waiting to hear if my daughter has advanced enough that that will be necessary, though thankfully they just said her blood work was "not too bad" but the doc has yet to read her new bone age so that will tell us more of what's going on.
I just think you as the parent have to advocate for your child, ask alot of questions and make sure you understand what's going on and what's typical at her age.
with respect to her height, just FYI the fear is that they have their pubertal growth "spurt" too early and they stop growing earlier than they should. They can do a test called a "bone age" x ray which is an xray of her hand and they can tell by the growth plates, whether she is on target, or is ahead or behind typical growth for her age. My daughter has had this done and is about 14 months ahead in her growth. So yeah she looks normal height right now, but she may stop growing well before other girls her age, and therefore not reach her full height potential.
Anyway, back to your question on blood testing...if they find that her hormones are out of whack and her bone age is advanced, what they can do if she's in precocious puberty and advanced, they would basically give her hormone shots to delay puberty. They can be given until the "normal" time of development.
I just think you as the parent have to advocate for your child, ask alot of questions and make sure you understand what's going on and what's typical at her age.
All this early puberty, is due to higher body weight. Once a young girl hits close to 100 pounds...puberty starts.
Hormone shots are not the answer..they are very dangerous for such a young body.
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