When my son's breath started to smell like poop it was a sign he was going to have appendicitis. He was 20. My nephew at age 9 had the same thing. I remember one of my kids saying he didn't like playing with the boy because he smelled so bad. They were not in the least dirty.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone else smell the smell, or is it just you?

Just me and DH smelling it right now. Its possible others smell him but no one has said anything to us.

Who would!?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. Thanks for all these responses.

I've never seen him scratch his butt or belly button before but he could very well be doing that when I am not looking. It just
trimmed his fingernails a few days ago and didn't notice a smell coming from his fingers but will check again.

He is healthy and doesn't have any tonsil, ear or scalp issues. He has had athletes foot that has been cleared up. I expect it to come
back in the summertime though.

Passing gas makes the most logical sense. That would just be an awful lot of farts he can't feel.

I will try to see the doctor soon instead of waiting until next month!

My daughter has a gas "problem" and denies it. I can't tell if she is lying or really doesn't know. One time she asked me "who farted" when we were the only ones in the car. I laughed like good joke and she told me to warn her next time. Uh, what?

Anyway turns out she has megacolon.

As someone who spends her days around a lot of gross smells, I have to ask OP: are you *sure* it’s a poop smell vs. a gas smell? When I smell a poop smell at home, I know for sure what it is and never confuse it with gas. The are really distinct from one another.

I don’t totally agree with this.

I don't have any other suggestions for you, OP, but I have 3 boys, and they all went through some kind of gross-smelling stage when they started puberty. It was different for each of them, but one had the worst foot odor, and we could not combat it.

You are not alone, and your kids aren't nasty. Good luck with the doctor.

Use Wet Ones after pooping.

Could it be diet? Him eating something specific comes out in sweat and smells like this? Maybe he cant metabolize certain protein?

Anonymous wrote:Are you a single parent with no help from family or babysitters?

Nope. Two parent household. Typical busy schedules with two careers but no real lifestyle issues beyond that.

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone else smell the smell, or is it just you?

Just me and DH smelling it right now. Its possible others smell him but no one has said anything to us.

Are you a single parent with no help from family or babysitters?

Can anyone else smell the smell, or is it just you?

Anonymous wrote:Have you checked his bed? His sheets? Car seat? Any place he hangs out in his room or in the playroom?

I've looked for obvious signs. e.g. we have a dog and at one point I thought he left poop somewhere in the house. Nothing. I washed the car seat at the top of the year. I should also note he has a 4 year old brother who has similar habits and hangouts around the house but doesn't smell bad.

Sometimes I will check on him when he's sleeping and he just reeks. But the smell usually dissipates when hes not there. Now I'm wondering if I am becoming nose blind. I am militant about sheet washing in general and regularly wash blankets but will do that more often.

Thanks to everyone again for their good advice. And special shout out to the one person calling my kids nasty! Can't win em all.

Maybe a bath instead of a shower? Once a week? You are only mentioning showers. Maybe a bath will solve the mystery-crack smell.

Can you ask his teacher if she has noticed any BO or similar issues at school? Does other parent or family member also smell it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. Thanks for all these responses.

I've never seen him scratch his butt or belly button before but he could very well be doing that when I am not looking. It just
trimmed his fingernails a few days ago and didn't notice a smell coming from his fingers but will check again.

He is healthy and doesn't have any tonsil, ear or scalp issues. He has had athletes foot that has been cleared up. I expect it to come
back in the summertime though.

Passing gas makes the most logical sense. That would just be an awful lot of farts he can't feel.

I will try to see the doctor soon instead of waiting until next month!

My daughter has a gas "problem" and denies it. I can't tell if she is lying or really doesn't know. One time she asked me "who farted" when we were the only ones in the car. I laughed like good joke and she told me to warn her next time. Uh, what?

Anyway turns out she has megacolon.

As someone who spends her days around a lot of gross smells, I have to ask OP: are you *sure* it’s a poop smell vs. a gas smell? When I smell a poop smell at home, I know for sure what it is and never confuse it with gas. The are really distinct from one another.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here again. Thanks for all these responses.

I've never seen him scratch his butt or belly button before but he could very well be doing that when I am not looking. It just
trimmed his fingernails a few days ago and didn't notice a smell coming from his fingers but will check again.

He is healthy and doesn't have any tonsil, ear or scalp issues. He has had athletes foot that has been cleared up. I expect it to come
back in the summertime though.

Passing gas makes the most logical sense. That would just be an awful lot of farts he can't feel.

I will try to see the doctor soon instead of waiting until next month!

My daughter has a gas "problem" and denies it. I can't tell if she is lying or really doesn't know. One time she asked me "who farted" when we were the only ones in the car. I laughed like good joke and she told me to warn her next time. Uh, what?

Anyway turns out she has megacolon.

I would look into this. I have an 8 year old who withholds stool. She doesn't continually smell like poop, but she definitely does for long periods before she actually goes to poop. It's continual, not intermittent, so I don't know if it's gas or what. When I described the smell to her gastroenterologist she said that sounded like the result of an enlarged rectum. A child can be constipated and seem like they're having regular BMs -- so it's worth talking to his doctor.