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?

I can smell when my son has a throat infection and needs antibiotics.
He's 23! Last time, I went to see him snd He opened the front door and the smell hit me. Whizzed him to the walk in centre and he had raging tonsillitis.

Yes I could when he was younger. It wasn't his breath, it was more from his skin/him as a whole just smelt wrong. Very hard to describe but I knew. I was right every time.

And I would tell DH as a warning but not DC so it wasn't suggestive to make him feel unwell or anything.

My step mum could always smell when I was ill. She said it was like a sickly sweet smell. I was once really poorly a few years ago as an adult and she could smell it then too!

Yep and DH can smell it too

Yep, their breath smells awful

Yes, their breath goes kind of acidic and they smell, I don't know, like more sweaty?

Hard to describe.

Now they're older it doesn't happen anymore , probably stopped around 8 or 9 years old.

Yes when my kids were little l could always smell when they were coming down with something, l thought that was normal? They are grown and left home now so no idea if l still could, l certainly can't smell when my DP is getting ill.

Yes, my oldest smells metallic when she’s getting poorly. but my youngest smells more.. dull? Muted? I don’t know how to explain his smell but while my eldest smells sharp, he smells the opposite.

No, but some people are super smellers and can smell cancer. They've also trained dogs to smell cancer.

Not just for parents/mums. I work in a nursery and can smell when the children I look after are unwell. Can't describe it but it's their breath/sweat smells wrong.

Yes I can and so can my husband, on her breath even right after brushing teeth. She was ill last week and the smell was really strong

I could smell my kids when they were ill and i also smelled my dad months before he died with cancer. He smelled of decay from deep within. I never told him, just held his hand tighter.

Absolutely.

Not now they are young adults, but that’s because they aren’t sitting on my lap so I don’t smell their breath.

Yes I can smell when my kids are about to get sick.

And I can smell smell cancer.... my own included!! It's a sweet smell to me. I've known a few people with cancer and it never clicked about the smell. This was after they'd been diagnosed by before any treatment had started. And then one day I woke up and smelt different. Then I found a lump... it was cancer.

Luckily I haven't smelt it now for years!!

I can't smell my DD but I had a nurse tell me I smelled ill. She was right, I had a urine infection which made me quite poorly.

No, but a guy I used to work with used to tell me I was getting ill. Sure enough, the next day I'd be very unwell. He said he could smell it on me.

Yes. Very clearly when they were little - I suppose because they were an extension of me. But still now they're teens.

We also had a cat who would let me know if one of them were getting ill - even before I knew.

My husband can smell when someone has or is going to get a cold.

My DH has a certain smell when he’s ill, and he can smell that I am ill as well when I am.

I could smell them becoming unwell but only when they were little. Pre-puberty.

It doesn't matter that I've lost the knack because they can tell me exactly what's wrong now (and they don't hold back either!)

I could when they were little, not now they’re teens. I vividly remember walking into ds1’s room one day and just knowing that he wasn’t well before I even saw him. It’s a funny thing and DH could never smell it. It’s such a hard to describe smell too.

Yes and not just my kids. Anyone. It’s an acrid breath smell and awful. My partner can’t smell it

That's exactly how my two used to smell. Metallic and sweet. I'd forgotten that until now.

No but I had a cat who would never go near my child except when she was getting ill the cat would be all over her. The cat hated people and cuddles but when my daughter was ill she'd be straight in there

So cancer and the common cold smell the same?