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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to not want my 9 year old wearing deodorant ?

32 replies

northernmonkey · 12/10/2010 19:43

He has come home from school to tell me that his teacher has said that after playtime the classroom is smelling a bit and can the children please start to wear deodorant!!

Aibu to think that they are a little young?

OP posts:

Whocantakeasunrise · 12/10/2010 19:46

Yes YABU is your son sweating? If so he needs to wear it regardless of age. However, he may not be sweating yet, but other children probably are, 9 is not that young to be starting puberty.

Better to wear deodrant than to be known as the smelly kid.

littleducks · 12/10/2010 19:47

Hmmm, its tricky

Does he smell?

Could it be there is just one child in the class who has reached puberty earlier and is sweating and the teacher has given at a general anouncement to stop that child being teased?

rubyslippers · 12/10/2010 19:47

YABU

jooseyfruit · 12/10/2010 19:49

yabu. dd used deodrant from about that age. ds a little older maybe.

Original poster

northernmonkey · 12/10/2010 19:52

I personally dont think my son smells and he's certainly not sweating yet or showing any other signs of bo.

If i'm honest i'd never thought of that littleducks, that maybe someone in his class does smell and its a way of masking it.

I wasn't too sure if they were too young to be wearing it which is why i wanted to check what others thought

I'll definately not stop him from wearing it if he wants to but i dont think he needs it just yet

OP posts:

nameymcnamechange · 12/10/2010 19:53

DD (9) wears deodorant. Its because she gets a little whiffy without it. If your son doesn't smell (sniff the armpits of his school shirt) then he doesn't need it yet. But, if he does, then there's no point digging your heels in just because you think he's too young.

colditz · 12/10/2010 19:54

YABU

Would you rather he smelled and got picked on?

WhoAteAgentZigzagsBrain · 12/10/2010 19:56

If it's just one child though, why do all the others have to use it?

Surely it'd be better to have a word with the 'offender', sounds like they just need a wash.

They can hardly make them use it, I wouldn't let my 9 YO DD if I was sure she didn't need it.

PaulineCampbellJones · 12/10/2010 19:58

The smelly chat is a very hard thing to do so teacher probably trying to do it another way.

Hedgeblunder · 12/10/2010 19:59

Ooh I thought he wanted to wear it and was going to say yabu.
Yanbu but I think after a while he will probably feel left out of the lynx club!
If probably buy one of those mini holiday sized sprays to get on with anywy

pointythings · 12/10/2010 20:00

My DD is 9 and definitely needs it - we got her an all-natural one (deodorant, not antiperspirant, without all the aluminium etc.) and it works well.

Original poster

northernmonkey · 12/10/2010 20:01

Right..just went and got his school shirt and braved smelling it!
It didnt smell

But i honestly dont mind BU and will take him and let him choose some deodorant this weekend.

If i'm honest i didnt expect it this young from him, i expected to be throwing him in the bath in a few years time and him refusing point blank to be hygeine conscious

OP posts:

TattyDevine · 12/10/2010 20:02

"Surely it'd be better to have a word with the 'offender', sounds like they just need a wash"

BOLLOCKS!

Plenty of kids need deodorant at 9-ish - I was starting to (closer to 10 really) - nothing to do with needing to wash!

Its not to say the OP's child needs to, and if he doesn't, he shouldn't, but she should smell his shirt like a previous poster said.

cumbria81 · 12/10/2010 20:03

YAB very U - and rather weird.

Your son is NINE. He is growing up. He is going to grow big and tall and hairy and get a deep voice in the coming years.

You can't keep him a little boy forever.

1234ThumbWar · 12/10/2010 20:05

Dd2is 8 and has recently started to wear it because dd1 had a word with me to say she was getting a bit smelly, so 9 isn't that young.

WhoAteAgentZigzagsBrain · 12/10/2010 20:05

Noooo you're all wrong, my baby can't possibly need such things as deoderant soon

Where's the time gone?

nameymcnamechange · 12/10/2010 20:06

Op - if his school shirt doesn't smell after a day at school then he doesn't need it yet. It was just the teacher's way of trying to get the whiffy children to clean up. The teacher is not now going to grill everyone on whether they are wearing deodorant or not.

strawberrycake · 12/10/2010 20:08

To dissent- does everyone here actually wear deodorant, and their kids? It's not that weird not to! I wouldn't get my kids to put it on (unless they wanted to then it's their choice). I've never worn it, neither has dh. I think it's a western thing. I'm confident I don't smell either! Just a few extra washes underarm. I do though occasionally use it for certain outfits for nights out or clingy under-arm pale outfits that cause sweating. I'd be a little irritated at a teacher suggesting it. I'm a teacher myself and I simply have the washing under the arms a few times a day chat.

DilysPrice · 12/10/2010 20:09

DD had a friend to tea last term . It was a hot day and I was completely that little friend clearly needed deodorant, but then DD was 7 and little friend was fast approaching 9. I'm still in denial about the idea of DD ever going through puberty so I sympathise, even though YABU.

onceamai · 12/10/2010 20:10

Mine started ponging at about 8 or 9 and yes they needed deodorant (or anti-perspirant to be precise). If they don't pong, don't need it. To be fair in my job I have sometimes had to deal with complaints about very stinky adults about whom others have complained. To be honest the first thing that goes through my head is "what can I do when they're 40 and their mother should have sorted this out decades ago"?

hocuspontas · 12/10/2010 20:11

YANBU. Unless there is a BO problem why would anyone want to put unnecessary chemicals on their child's skin? Have you SEEN the ingredients in a normal deodorant?

If it's not your son op, don't bother. After playtime as well, not even after PE! Is this teacher extra-sensitive or something!

Original poster

northernmonkey · 12/10/2010 20:12

Colditz Why am i being very weird??

My son has sn so he doesnt act like normal 9/10 year olds so its hard to judge.

Main reason i asked is that i wasnt sure if it was normal at this age or not.
His shirt was actually 2 days worth and at least he doesnt smell as bad as his dad :)
I will still take him for some this weekend as he struggles to fit in with the others sometimes so he might feel like one the others now iyswim

OP posts:

CrystalQueen · 12/10/2010 20:13

You probably don't want him wearing it the way I did at 9, when I rolled my sister's roll-on over my face. Stung a bit!

BeenBeta · 12/10/2010 20:15

Our DS does and has since age 8.

We get unperfumed Sure deoderant/anti perspirant. It avoids the smell of Lynx about the house.

We also insist on a shower every night and clean clothes every day. I suspect it is those latter two factors plus sweaty trainers rather than fresh sweat that is causing the problem in the classroom.

Original poster

northernmonkey · 12/10/2010 20:17

Ouch CrystalQueen

OP posts:

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