Can you smell if your kids are getting sick?

[BanjoMango]

Just saw a random video of a woman that claimed that she could smell when her children were sick/ getting sick and apparently after a poll she said the results were 50/50.

So I thought what better place to ask than here?

When they were little, yes. Not now they’re teens. I wonder if an evolutionary thing because of course now they can tell me

Yes. Their breath smells like scrambled eggs when they’re getting ill 🤷‍♀️

The GP said yeah mums often can smell sickness on children.

Yes, our daughter always knows when her little one has a throat or ear infection because of the smell.

Yes always. They have funny smelling breath. I only really notice it on my youngest now as the older ones never get close enough 😆

Yeah, it's a weird sweet metallic smell. I can't describe it better than that, it doesn't really compare to anything I can think of. DP doesn't smell it and looks at me funny when I say "DC is going to be ill again, I can smell it"

Yes when they were little.

Yes, they get a weird smell about them just before they get sick.

Yes I can smell it in their sweat and on their breath

Yes, I can smell it on his breath.

Yep. A bit like oranges but not in a pleasant way.

Ds had a very distinctive smell when ill when he was small. The girls didn't.

Yes kinda on their breath but also subtle changes in their behaviour and I'll just know

Yes I can.

Yes, I can smell their illness. No one else can (but I do have a keen sense of smell). They smell before they feel poorly. It smells like yellow snot, even without a stuffy nose starting. They are 11 and still smell to me

I could when they were small.

Yes.

It seems a crazy idea but it also I guess makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, either to be wary of the sick for self preservation for some or to prepare to help treat the sick for others.

From the little I've seen it does seem only to be the mums though and whilst the mum has primarily been a carer in history I would have thought it would be advantageous for men/ the dads also so I wonder if they can/ could but are more likely to be less involved ( only my anecdotal opinion)?

I can smell their throat or chest infections before they get major symptoms.

Our olfactory equipment is just as good as other animals - we just don't need to rely on it much in modern life so we pay it much less attention, and therefore our skills are less honed than in early human society.

Yes! Their breath has a sort of pear drops smell when they're coming down with illness.

I can smell impending illness on my kids AND my DH. I don't love it as a superpower, it's just depressing.

Yes absolutely, it’s like a slightly musty, sour, sweat smell. This would be before they get any major symptoms. My DH can’t get it and thinks I’m making it up!

cough or cold no... vomiting bug on the way, definitely can - Sick burps start the day before the actual sick arrives

Yes they get this weird ketone scent that for some reason reminds me of one of the chemicals involved in making nylon!! 😅 I've tried to describe it to the doctor and she has no idea what that is (but she can smell it too), but every time they get it they're ill. Last time DS had flu, RSV, a bacterial infection, and Covid all at the same time and ended up in hospital!

Yes, it's sort of a little metallic/acidic. My mum could too so I think I got it from her.

^ this!