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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think 8 year old told to wear deodorant everyday is wrong?

89 replies

planetalice · 23/08/2011 16:24

Just interested as my DSD came with deodorant and im not really comfortable with it as think its not needed and thought it was dangerous to use too early?

Her Dad not happy but its a bit of a mine field so just after oppinions as to if you think its too early really :)

OP posts:

buzzsore · 23/08/2011 22:12

Suggest something like Pit Rok instead if you're worried about chemicals.

Sidge · 23/08/2011 22:49

My DD2 has needed to use antiperspirant since the age of about 4.5.

Perfectly safe to do so according to her paediatric consultant endocrinologist

Some children get whiffy from a young age, despite regular showers/baths, due to the onset of adrenarche. All normal and using antiperspirant is entirely appropriate.

sunnydelight · 23/08/2011 22:57

8yo DD uses it sometimes as she has started to get a bit smelly after a lot of exercise on a hot day. I always remember a teacher at school whose mantra was "always be nice to be near" - seems sensible to me.

iceandsliceplease · 23/08/2011 23:49

For the love of god, if you start to get a whiff of your child at home, buy them some bloody deodorant! I was 'that smelly girl' at age ten when I suddenly shot up to adult height, grew breasts and smelly pits. I can remember taking off my jumper in music class after a game of rounders, and one boy saying 'pfaaahhh! You STINK!' and another boy piping up 'Yeah, but she's got really big boobs!'.
The shame the shame. I bullied my mum into buying me some Mum roll on deodorant that very afternoon.

WhoseGotMyEyebrows · 24/08/2011 08:33

Sidge My DD2 has needed to use antiperspirant since the age of about 4.5.

Wow!

CheerfulYank · 24/08/2011 09:53

I worked in a class of second graders (7 and 8 year olds) last year and one of the little girls really needed deodorant but didn't use it.

I was also "the smelly kid" for a short time and it's awful; I will definitely be on the lookout (smell out ) for DS.

SDTGisAnEvilGenius · 24/08/2011 10:59

I used to volunteer in my son's senior school - it was an all-boys school and you could cut the smell of BO+body spray in there with a knife. As Trillian says - they need an antiperspirant so you don't just get sweaty perfume smells.

SDTGisAnEvilGenius · 24/08/2011 11:01

Oh - and re: being the smelly girl - that was me too. My mum refused to buy me antiperspirant/deodorant and I only got two clean shirts for the whole week - so in the summer I was wearing a sweat-soaked shirt day after day - and I hated it! Oh - and we only had baths on Sunday and Wednesday (and clean shirts on Monday and Thursday) so I was reliant on stand-up washes in between times. Wonderful for a teenage girl who has started her periods and who perspires.

Sidge · 24/08/2011 12:31

Whosegotmyeyebrows yeah it surprised us too. We couldn't understand why our preschooler had BO.

But she has a genetic disorder that has a metabolic component, her consultant paed sent her for blood tests etc and decided she had early (but not premature) adrenarche hence the BO.

Apparently it's not uncommon from the age of about 6 or 7, our girlie just got it a bit earlier. So since then she has her own 'rollie' - which one we use depends on which colour lid takes her fancy!

LordOfTheFlies · 24/08/2011 12:44

SDTGisAnEvilGenius my DS is 11 yo and just left junior. Went to his open day in July.
I nearly barfed in the classroom.It wasn't even full of children, there were 6 or 7 milling around but the stench (BO) was ungodly
I couldn't imagine a full class for a full day.
Who would be a Yr 6 teacher

BTW my DS doesn't smell- well only of little boy

SuePurblybilt · 24/08/2011 12:50

Nooooooo to body spray, it's just for smelling of synthetic sweeties. It won't help BO or sweating.

A health food shop will have alumunium free anti-perspirants. Or how about trying one of the 'magic crystal' rocks? All natural, no smell.

Berta53 · 21/11/2011 12:28

If she needs deodorant there is nothing wrong with it. There are new ones coming out now that are natural. I wouldn't worry about it. My 8 year old uses it every day. Make sure it is not antiperspirant which blocks the pores.

DamnBamboo · 21/11/2011 14:45

Why on earth do you think it would be dangerous?

If she smells, she smells.

Her mother probably knows better.

My 6 year old DS doesn't smell too great at the end of the days, and yes, it's BO from under his arms.

In his defense, he's the size of a 9-10 year old, but age aside, what on earth should he do if he sweats and he smells for it.

Am seriously considering getting him some deodarant, leave him smelling off and he'll almost certainly get picked on.

aldiwhore · 21/11/2011 14:58

My 8 year old uses deoderant after every bath (but not as part of a morning routine) as he's rather sweaty, like me.

He doesn't need it every morning, and we use the gentlest brand we can find, I usually buy one with no nasties in and always odourless because I don't want him reeeking of lynx! (But that's just my preference)

DamnBamboo it is a dilemma isn't it? We think of deoderant as something that shouldn't be used until puberty I think, but as a sweaty mare myself I won't let my son become embarrassed by something that isn't his fault and can easily be sorted... like I say, you don't have to use it every single day, I find one application every few days does the job.

DamnBamboo · 21/11/2011 15:03

Aldi, you are right to let your 8 year old use it.
This is a very recent change in my DS (nearly 7 to be fair; but also very tall and big) and he is also starting to get blemishes and little spots too

but if he needs it, he needs it.

No real sweat just now (just a bit pongy) and so will monitor it and decide on the best combination of deodarant and/or anti-perspirant required.

MrGin · 21/11/2011 15:05

Story of 16 year old boy who died from excessive deodorant use

here

'A teenager from Oldham died from deodorant fumes because of his obsession with personal hygiene.

An inquest heard that 16-year-old Jonathan Capewell had 10 times the lethal dosage of propane and butane in his blood......'

DamnBamboo · 21/11/2011 15:07

That is a very sad story.

Poor, poor boy and his family

DamnBamboo · 21/11/2011 15:09

That said, there's being obsessed with personal hygiene, and just being clean and really, there's no excuse for smelling whiffy.
Kids are cruel, just read previous posts where other posters were picked on. It could ruin your secondary school life if it's not addressed at all.

Clearly his was a very extreme case and it's awful

piprabbit · 21/11/2011 15:10

DD (7yo) spent a lot of time this summer asking us about why grown ups smell and children don't. She took to sniffing her own armpits. She was obviously processing some new ideas - but wasn't clear where they had come from.
She then said that her armpits smelt. I said that I was sure they didn't as I'd not noticed anything. But one hot day she told me to have a sniff and there was a distinct whiff of proto-BO. I couldn't deny it really - so had to decide how to deal with the situation.
I reinforced the message to wash her armpits with soap regularly and I offered to buy her a safe deodarent, which she agreed to. She wore it every day for a while and then forgot about it. Which is fine - I've not noticed any more smells as the weather has cooled. But if she does feel she needs it then it's already there and she can just use it as and when she wants to.

I was not expecting to be coping with all this with a 7yo - TBH I'm dreading that puberty may be just around the corner.

Good luck to you and your DSD.

cantfindamnnickname · 21/11/2011 16:15

My DS started smelling suddenly so I bought his deoderant - it gave him a bit of a rash so I told him to stop - he is not smelling though

Maybe she had a few smelly days and then it went!!

pigletmania · 21/11/2011 18:22

I remember when I was 9 and we were swimming at school, a girl of the same age had lots of underarm hair, and definitely needed deodorant.

seeker · 21/11/2011 18:31

So because some poor child died because he covered his entire body in deodorant twice a day and the fumes were so that people downstairs could "taste" it, a quick squirt the arms in the morning is dangerous?

Give me strength.

kellym · 19/02/2013 14:37

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

peppersaunt · 19/02/2013 15:14

Dd started whiffing at 8. She uses Toms of Maine deodorant. We leave out to put on before school & hide it away when friends come ( not all need it yet). Did NOT want her getting teased!

Suchabody · 19/02/2013 15:35

planetalice you sound a lovely, concerned stepmum trying to work out whether advice given to your dsd makes sense. I think some posters on here who are getting a bit angsty about whether you are second guessing dsd's mother/have the right to question decisions are forgetting that you love this little girl too. (I am guessing! Maybe you don't :))

I know this is AIBU but I have posted in here before really not knowing whether I'm being unreasonable or not and without having formed a strong opinion either way- your post strikes me as one of those.

Good luck to you and your nice-smelling dsd.

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