What to do if your child has smelly feet

Many people think that only adults have smelly feet, but in fact, many children also have smelly feet. This is not only related to the fact that children do not pay attention to personal hygiene and have not formed good living habits. It is also related to various factors such as the child's excessive exercise and overly active metabolism. So what should you do if your children at home have smelly feet?

These are the reasons why children's feet smell

1. Foot odor caused by personal factors

Children exercise a lot and have a high metabolism. In addition, the human body has more sweat glands on the feet and sweats a lot. If the shoes are kept wet for a long time, a large number of bacteria will be produced to decompose keratin. Then, combined with sweat and lactic acid, the feet will produce odor. If children do not wash their feet regularly, it will develop into severe athlete's foot.

2. Infection from parents

Another possible reason for children's smelly feet is from their parents. Although younger children exercise a lot, they are not strong enough to develop athlete's foot. Generally, if they develop athlete's foot, it is largely transmitted from their parents. Children like to wear adults' slippers out of curiosity. Also, parents may not pay attention when washing socks and mix children's socks with their own socks, or adults and children may share a foot towel.

What to do if your child has smelly feet

1. Clean frequently

Parents can use antibacterial soap to wash their children's feet, as antibacterial soap can get rid of any dirt, bacteria and dead skin, potentially inhibiting the growth of bacteria. However, the feet must be washed thoroughly. This is also a good way to reduce the amount of bacteria and thus reduce foot odor.

2. Powder method

Because baking soda absorbs both moisture and odor, parents can put a small amount of baking soda in their children's shoes to reduce foot odor. Parents can also use talcum powder, cornstarch, or even laundry detergent as a baking soda alternative.

3. Deodorant socks

Sometimes the cause of foot odor is wearing low-quality socks. You can try buying higher-quality healthy socks that can remove foot odor and increase breathability.

4. Apply medicine

Once a child suffers from athlete's foot, parents can treat him with topical medication for athlete's foot, but the medication must be applied for one month to prevent recurrence of athlete's foot. When choosing medicine, try to choose pure Chinese herbal formula, which will cause less harm to children's skin and is also more effective.

5. Immersion method

How to treat children's smelly feet? Here are some home remedies to reduce foot odor. Soaking your feet in warm water mixed with apple cider vinegar can help reduce odor. Other products you can use instead of vinegar include lemon juice, alum, sodium bicarbonate, and kosher salt. In addition, soaking your feet in a tea bag with boiled water is also effective because the tannic acid in the tea can reduce the amount of sweating on your feet. However, the tea bag must be cooled before soaking your child's feet.

6. Antiperspirant

Using foot deodorant (especially one that contains zinc oxide) will reduce unpleasant foot odor. Antiperspirant spray is a two-in-one product that is both a foot deodorant and an underarm deodorant. It can reduce moisture on the soles of the feet and/or underarm moisture retention, thereby reducing any unwanted odors. However, the antiperspirant must also be within the range that the skin can tolerate and not be too irritating, especially for baby's skin.