Written by Editorial Team
Do you know that babies are born with a pleasant scent? There are even studies conducted on the cause of this pleasant smell. Studies published in “Frontiers in Psychology” in the year 2013 even stated that this smell has a positive effect on certain regions of the mother’s brain. This scent, nonetheless, will disappear after (maximum) six weeks. Even though there are no confirmed reasons yet, it is believed may be either due to the influence of the amniotic fluid in which the baby is immersed for nine months or due to the whitish covering, vernix caseosa.
However, when weeks pass, babies have a distinct pleasant smell associated with a milky smell or baby cream smell. Often babies develop an unpleasant body odor too, like a spit-up smell or dirt trapped amidst the skin folds. Some foul smells indicate an underlying medical problem. There is a huge difference between a child’s odor due to its contact with the environment and body odor, which hints at health concerns. Read on to know more about the types of odor and their reasons.
In This Article
What you needed to understand first is, that the sweat glands of babies aren’t the same as grownup kids or adults. Therefore, even though the babies sweat and perspire like us, the sweat theoretically should not smell bad. Here, again, there are several factors that trigger body odor in babies.
Children under the age of eight do not have body odor. However, here are some factors that trigger body odor in babies.
There is a general notion of baby smells that we associate with soft cuddly babies. These are the types that a parent need not worry about.
This is the most common type of smell that we relate to babies too. The milky smell or the peculiar baby odor gradually reduces once the baby starts solids and starts to drink less milk.
Babies occasionally have a sour smell due to spit-up or if the baby has dirt or food particles trapped on its body folds. Dust and sweat can often be trapped in their neck folds leading to an odor. This condition clears with good personal hygiene, lack of which could lead to fungal infection or rashes of the skin. However, you don’t need to worry about the sour smell that vanishes if cleaned with warm water.
A Baby’s body odor can be dealt with by following a few hygienic practices.
Few body odors emanating from babies may indicate an underlying medical problem. Here are smells to look out for:
This type of odor is also called the fish odor syndrome where the baby might have an enzyme deficiency that prevents the baby’s body from breaking down trimethylamine. Also known as Trimethylaminuria, it is a genetic disorder that gives out a rotten fishy smell. Trimethylamine is also caused as a by-product of unhealthy gut bacteria and emits a fishy smell through the baby’s breath and urine.
Phenylketonuria or PKU is a congenital metabolic disorder leading to your baby’s body emitting a musty odor. This disorder involves a high blood level of the amino acid phenylalanine. This condition can be treated if identified early with dietary therapy. PKU, when left untreated, can lead to developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures, behavioral problems, and psychiatric disorders.
If your baby’s urine smells like rotten cabbage it may indicate Tyrosinemia suggesting a high level of the amino acid tyrosine in the blood. It is an inherited metabolic disorder accompanied by a failure to gain weight, liver disease, or severe neurological problems. If left untreated, this condition can prove fatal.
Maple syrup urine disease occurs when the baby’s body is unable to process certain amino acids. Babies suffering from this disease have a poor appetite, vomit frequently, has seizures, or have brain swelling. Early diagnosis and treatment can help the baby recover without any permanent damage.
This is also known as diabetic ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition occurring due to untreated high blood sugar in babies. Childhood Type 1 diabetes, when left untreated could lead to coma, brain swelling, or even death.
This condition is also known as Isovaleric acidemia, a disorder where the body cannot process protein properly. This condition leads to vomiting, lethargy, and in rare cases coma. This condition can be easily corrected with a low-protein diet.
If you notice any of the above-mentioned odors in your baby, seek medical help immediately. Even though most of these conditions can be treated with dietary changes or could be a false alarm to hygiene issues, some of these conditions are rare and genetic conditions. Early intervention, diet changes, and proper medication is important to deal with the abnormal type of body odor in babies. Your pediatrician will guide you through it.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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