When did your DCs start wearing deodorant?

[FakeFurCoatAndThermalKnickers]

DC1 has just had his tenth birthday ,and we've noticed that when he comes in from football / basketball he doesn't just smell of hot grubby child, he has started to get a bit...whiffy. DH and I both think we didn't wear any deodorant /antiperspirant til we were at secondary school. DS is year 5; does this seem young or am I suffering from some kind of delayed PFB reaction because it's the first obvious sign that he's hitting puberty?
It just feels wrong to use something as strong as antiperspirant on his skin... Ended up buying some deodorant powder from lush because I thought that might be gentler. He is really proud, actually, I think he feels really grown up.

My dd was about 9 when I noticed a bit of a whiff on days when she'd had PE at school. DS is almost 10, and because dd was that age, I've started to take notice of ds...nothing that showering every day can't handle at the moment, but I don't think it'll be long :(
I'm with you, they do seem awfully young to start with anti-perspirants...the lush powder sounds interesting though-I tend to not go in lush as the smell knocks me out!

My dd1 is 8 years old and has started wearing deodorant. She plays a lot of sports and sweats quite a bit at night. I make sure she has a shower every morning and she uses bionsen (sp) from boots that has no aluminium.

I think dd was in year 5 but her bf was in year 3 or 4. You can start off with more natural products if your worried tosserand do nice ones and you can get organic deodorants but after a while we changed to dove etc as they weren't up to the whiff! Good luck getting him to use it daily after the initial novelty has worn off tho

dd1 - in Yr7 when she was just about to turn 12.
Can't remember to be sure with ds, but, from memory, I think it was Yr7 too.
Thing is, there is a difference between sweating a bit after lots of exercise, and them needing it all the time, when just 'being'.

Or even tisserand

year 5 -she is pungent without!

oh and I was definitely in primary when I started using it, not sure year 5 or 6 (or 3&4 when I went there)

Ds started using it in yr 5, because he needed to.

Thank you everyone, that's really reassuring. BackforGood; yes, it feels as though he isn't quite at the stage of needing a full on anti-perspirant / deodorant, it's more that we have noticed a change in smell and where he is sweating from, if that makes sense.

All is well so far with the novelty of the lush powder.....also good for sprinkiling inside whiffy trainers, I have discovered.