4 y/o female smelly armpits

[u/Raiyalin]

My daughter is 4f with no diagnosis or concerns.

I’m currently pregnant so my senses are heightened. I mean this in the nicest way possible (she’s my whole world) but lord I’m thinking I can’t be that far off when I say she smells like a middleschool locker room. She showers every night, it’s rare we skip a night. Clothes are washed after 1 use.

I wouldn’t say it’s out of control, but I wouldn’t say it’s normal either. She was hugging me earlier tonight and I actually thought to swipe my own deodorant on her (but did not).

Anyway… Is this worth scheduling an appointment at the pediatrician for? I haven’t noticed any other signs of puberty and the moment, but I don’t want to get too comfortable then regret not getting her checked later.

If this has ANY relevance, her paternal grandmother has always had issues with her armpits b.o. being too strong for standard deodorant. She’s open about it, so I’m not trying to be rude by pointing it out. Just not sure if that’s something that could be happening to my daughter.

Advice please?

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[u/castaspellx]

We think of puberty as kind of one thing, but it's a whole bunch of different parts of the body coming online. In some kids, those can be pretty separate in time! This sounds like she's possibly started adrenarche prematurely and is absolutely worth talking to her pediatrician about. You can ask about a referral to pediatric endocrinology for more testing. This doesn't necessarily mean she'll go through the rest of puberty early, but it's possible and should be investigated. She may also have a genetic predisposition to excessive apocrine sweat production - endo may be able to help with that, too (might send you to derm, depends on the doctor).

More info about adrenarche specifically https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/adrenarche

[u/Delta1Juliet → u/castaspellx]

I strongly agree with this recommendation

[u/ahh_grasshopper]

In the mean time use some rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol, same as in alcohol swabs) to wash her underarms. Should decrease the bacterial load significantly and reduce the odor. Deodorants will only mask the odor. See a paediatrician to start the investigations.