Keeping your children clean is always a necessity, you do not want them to appear dirty or smell unclean. Sometimes though, your child may continue to smell despite the number of showers or baths taken, this could mean that your child may need deodorant.
I have done some research to help you find a solution to this problem as well as answer any questions you may have.
So you first may be wondering, is it safe for my seven-year-old to be wearing deodorant? It is generally “safe” for a 7-year-old to use deodorant. Some girls start puberty around this age, while many girls (and nearly all boys) start a bit later. If your young child has signs of puberty, it might be a wise idea to have a check-up to rule out a condition called “precocious puberty.”
However, over the past few decades,
(This medical information was provided by Monica Fisher, M.D., a licensed pediatrician.)
While deodorant is mainly begun to be used in the tween and teen areas, it is possible for your child to need it as well. To find out more about deodorant specifics for your child, read on.
Is it Normal?
You may be wondering if it is normal for your child to wear deodorant at such a young age. Boys can start puberty as early as the age of nine and for girls at the age of eight.
It should be noted that there is no rule book with specific dates and times for individuals to begin puberty, only an estimate based upon the surveys of populations.
This being said, it is not impossible for your child to start earlier than these ages. Starting puberty at the age of seven, while not common, is okay.
What Causes the Smell?
You may be surprised to find out that sweat is essentially odorless. What causes the odor is the mixing of the product of our bodies two separate sweat glands.
Our bodies have two sweat glands namely the eccrine gland and the apocrine glands. The eccrine gland produces salt and water, this is to keep you cool in warmer weather.
The Apocrine glands produce proteins and fat from within your body and onto your skin through perspiration. When the two mix, this is what creates the foul smell of body odor.
Is There a Certain Deodorant My Child Should Use?
You may be wondering (if you believe that your child needs to use deodorant) what deodorant would be best. There are deodorants that are made for those beginning puberty, without harmful chemicals or the likes.
Note that deodorant is not a singular option in this case and
By the way, this kids deodorant from Amazon is the best one I’ve found.
Antiperspirant
Antiperspirant is a subgroup of deodorants. Antiperspirants also eliminate the bad odor but they also help the areas affected to stop sweating. While antiperspirants are great, they are not always recommended for children due to the research and speculations around the products of it.
Antiperspirants eliminate bad odor by plugging the sweat glands, this could be potentially dangerous to a young child.
Deodorant
Deodorant is a product that eliminates the stench of body odor. The odor is absorbed and eliminated by the scent of the deodorant and other working elements within it.
There are many different deodorants with as equally many different scents to consider
- Toms of Maine
- Fresh Kidz
- Native
Toms of Maine
Personally coming from the great state of Maine, I can assure you that we take pride in our home-state-made products, and create with quality to perfection. Toms of Maine is a very trustworthy and effective product and company.
It was started in 1968 as a family corporation due to two parents, Tom and Kate Chappell, worrying about unhealthy things such as preservatives and chemicals on the backs of food labels.
They then compared to health products and started creating their own natural products.
Toms of Maine is very “transparent” about the ingredients they use. They use ingredients “sourced and derived” from nature. Their product casing is also recycled and renewable.
Toms of Maine also takes ten percent of its earnings and donates it to a good cause and campaign to keep product packaging out of landfills.
If you would like to read more about Toms of Maine you can visit their website here.
If you are interested in buying this product you may click the following links.
Toms of Maine Deodorant for Girls.
Toms of Maine Deodorant for Boys.
Fresh Kidz
Fresh Kidz is another great option to consider when looking for a deodorant to invest in for your child. The mission of Fresh Kidz “is to create a natural based range of personal hygiene and skin care products for kids…”.
Fresh Kidz is apart of the company Keep it Kind who is a United Kingdom-based company that prides themselves on not using aluminum in their products.
Aluminum in products has caused a lot of controversy over the years due to the discovery of the connection between aluminum in products such as deodorants and cancer.
Fresh Kidz deodorant is long-lasting for twenty-four hours on your child’s body. It has been dermatological tested and is suitable for all skin types.
While most deodorants are alcohol-based Fresh Kidz uses oils from plants rather than alcohol in their deodorants.
If you would like to read more about Fresh Kidz you can visit their website here.
If you are interested in buying this product I have provided some links below.
Fresh Kidz Deodorant for Girls.
Fresh Kidz Deodorant for Boys.
Native
Founded in San Francisco, California, Native uses safe ingredients and does not use harmful ingredients such as the before mentioned aluminum as well as parabens or sulfates in their products.
They only test their products on a volunteer base and offer free shipping to you and will cover the return shipping cost if you do not like the product.
While Native isn’t made specifically for children, they are an all-natural company with no harmful substances which is why it is added to this list.
Much like Toms, they are very transparent about their ingredients used within their products and use only natural, healthy ingredients within their products.
If you would like to learn more about Native you can visit their website here.
On the above-linked website, you can also buy their products with the mentioned free shipping if desired.
Related Questions:
What causes body odor in a child? Body Odor is usually a sign of puberty. The odor is a result of hormonal changes which we call puberty. Puberty can include, along with
What diseases can cause body odors? Diabetes and infections among other complications can cause body odor of different kinds. If you think that you or your child’s or another individual’s odor may be the effect of something other than normal body odor or puberty advise or take them to their doctor to be check for any sign of infection or disease.
What is the average age that puberty starts? Puberty starts at a different age group not only different for girls and boys but within those boundaries, it is different for every individual. For girls, puberty generally begins between the ages of ten and fourteen. For boys, puberty generally begins between the ages of twelve and sixteen.
As genetics progress through generations, research has shown that the age that children begin puberty is getting lower and lower. So it is not uncommon to see children starting in years prior that are close to these age numbers.
