Although your child may be embarrassed by perspiring, it is a normal and healthy body function. According to Kids Health, one of the physical changes of puberty is that the body's two-to-four million sweat glands become more active. These sweat glands begin to make a strange new odor that your child is not used to.
Perspiration
Perspiration, or sweat, is the liquid that comes out of the skin through tiny holes called pores. Perspiration is made up primarily of water, with tiny amounts of other chemicals such as ammonia, urea, sugar and salts.
Why Do Children Perspire?
According to Kids Health, the body works best when its temperature is about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If your child's body gets hotter than 98.6 degrees the brain will send a message to the body telling it to sweat. At this time, the sweat glands will start to sweat, or perspire. As the sweat exits the skin through the pores, it hits the air, which makes the sweat evaporate. As the sweat evaporates, the body cools down.
Why Does Perspiration Smell?
Perspiration by itself does not have a smell to it. The bacteria that live on the skin are what you smell when your child is sweating. When the bacteria mix with sweat, a smell may form. When your child reaches puberty, special hormones affect the glands in the armpits, and these glands can make sweat that does smell.
Solutions
It is important for your child to bathe regularly with soap and water to wash away any bacteria that contributes to the smell. Wearing clean socks, clothes and underwear each day will also help your child feel clean. Clothing made of cotton or other natural materials will help to absorb sweat more effectively than other clothing. If your child is reaching puberty or is concerned with how his body smells, it may be time for him to wear deodorant or antiperspirant. Deodorant helps cover up the odor of sweat, while antiperspirants actually work to stop or dry up perspiration.
Considerations
If your child is sweating a lot from playing hard or playing on a hot day, she may lose too much water through the skin, which may cause dehydration. It is important to put liquid back into the body by drinking plenty of water and other fluids. Sweating is normal in children, but sometimes too much sweating may be a sign that something is wrong in the body. While this is rare in children, if you think your child may have a sweat problem you should talk with your doctor.
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