DD has REALLY stinky feet...

[BikeBookBread]

Are REALLY stinky feet common for a 6 year old girl?

 

She wears wooden and leather clogs 90% of the time but usually without socks (that's another thread in itself); if she wears the clogs to church, she is REQUIRED to wear socks because of the smell issue. When she wears tennies, she wears socks.

 

She has great hygiene, bathes often, we don't eat anything unusual. Ideas to remedy the problem? Our 4 yo doesn't have this problem. Neither DH or myself have this either. Is there a health concern we should be looking at? She appears to be very healthy otherwise.

[hornblower]

I'd say not too normal.

 

I'd consider whether there might be a subclinical fungal infection.

You could wash her feet in Nizoral shampoo (best to apply, foam up & leave on for a few minutes) several times a week

or

have her soak her feet in epsom salt solution daily for 10 mins or so

or

try an OTC antifungal cream (like for athlete's foot) daily for a couple weeks

to see if you see a change.

 

I also know someone who uses lysol disinfectant spray on the inside of her shoes daily to deal with this problem.

[Pata]

Do her feet sweat alot? This is my problem and the reason I wear sandals as much as possible :). I use only cotton socks when wearing shoes or my feet really overheat and sweat alot. I've used the spray Lysol in the shoes trick and also baby powder sprinkled in the shoe before I wear them for the day. As I've gotten older it seems to have gotten better, but I feel you dd's pain, I remember as a child hating to take off my shoes for fear of the smell.

[Rosie_0801]

Is she drinking enough water?

 

Rosie

[Chris in VA]

I've heard tea tree oil can be a big help, too.

 

You may have to get new shoes.

[JudoMom]

I'd try washing her feet with an anti-bacterial soap for a few days to see if that helps.

[MaMa2005]

Do her feet smell when she is wearing other types of shoes or only with the leather and wooden clogs?

 

DS does not have smelly feet unless he is wearing his Keens without socks and then WHEW - back away quickly. Funny thing is that my DH also wears Keens without socks and there is no odor problem.

 

I just wonder if it could be the shoes themselves that are causing the problem.

[fairfarmhand]

Whenever my kids wear their shoes w/out socks, the shoes end up stinky really fast. We end up putting desenex powder or something similar in there to kill the funk. And I make them wear socks, when I remember. Also you can put the shoes outside in the sunlight and that helps some too, if you are in an area that gets sun right now.

[EKS]

It's the no socks thing.

 

I would buy her new shoes and require her to wear socks from now on. I think your problem will be solved.

[secular_mom]

My youngest get stinky feet when they wear shoes without socks. I would either replace the shoes and have her wear socks with the new ones, or get some of those cedar bags to stick in the shoes (I'd leave the bags in the stinky shoes for days at a time, until the stench is gone, and then add powder or something before wearing them again). There is a spray on deodorant that is made from the crystal deodorant stick stuff, she can spray that on her feet before wearing shoes without socks and see if that helps. I had to just ban my youngest dd from wearing shoes without socks unless they are sandals- she can't even wear Crocs without getting funky feet.

[Desert Rat]

It may be the no socks thing. I would have her not wear the clogs (only tennies) or wear socks with them and see if that fixes the problem.

[stripe]

I saw Dr Oz on Oprah advising a lady to soak her feet in tea; something in the tea (the tannins?) supposedly would help, so he said.

[BikeBookBread]

Thanks everyone. I figured it was the no socks thing. I have some tea tree oil...I'll do a foot bath for her. In fact, if it is low humidity time, and we're only doing every-ther-day baths, we have her wash her feet on the days without bath. I'll get some Lysol to spray into the clogs to kill the smell, and be a martinet about the socks. :gnorsi:

 

I know we won't give up clogs because they are our'"trademark". Everyone knows "The J Girls are coming!" because they hear the clogs, and even DH and I wear clogs (I have both wooden and Dansko's; in fact, he was the first in our family to get Dansko's!)