My son turned 9 a few months ago and last night he came to me with itchy armpits and asked me to have a look and see what was causing it. I found a few black hairs on each armpit. (I only have sisters, and apart from my Dad and my husband, I haven’t had a lot to do with males. So the whole boys and puberty, growing up etc are new to me). He has needed to wear deodorant on and off for about a year now, and now with these few hairs starting to grow he is obviously starting to go through puberty. My question/s are, is 9 a normal/average age? I was about 11 when I started sprouting underarm hairs and my sisters were all around that age as well. How soon after underarm hairs do pubic hairs start to grow? Our son is super excited about it, but I can’t help being a little bit sad that my baby boy is growing up way too fast.
7 Replies
Totally normal. My son is 7 and is developing pubic hair and my daughter had her period when she was 8. Kids don't stay little for long!!!
7 is way too young to be starting puberty for boys! You really should see a specialist to see if there is an underlying cause and if he needs treatment to slow/ stop it.https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/precocious-puberty/sympto...
Been there, done that 😊 Pubic hair doesn't always mean true puberty, which is the case with my boy. He also started to get BO, but again, he is ok, no issues with hormone levels. We see an paed and endocrinologist as a precaution but thankfully he is just developing early but the early onset of puberty hasn't started.
My 11 year old refuses to shower/dress with the door closed (because, monsters and whatnot lol), i noticed the other day when he was running from the bathroom to his bedroom like a crazy naked monkey that he has developed pubic hair. No underarm hair as yet but his voice has changed over the last 12 months now i think about it and to put it bluntly, he stinks 😂
9 is definitely in the realms of "normal". Probably on the earlier side of things for a boy (in general they tend to start puberty after girls but obviously not always) though I wouldn't be concerned.
We went through this with our boy last year, he was 8 when it started and we where sent to see a pediatric endocrinologist as kids starting puberty early can have some very serious underlaying causes. It can also cause the child to be very short as the bone gap closes too early and can also have other complications. Please take your son and see a gp and if needed see a specialist as it sounds like it started before age 9.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/precocious-puberty/sympto...
My 12 year old son’s general paed told me that the first sign of puberty in boys is an increase in testicle size. My 14 year old started showing signs 2-3 years ago but my 12 year old isn’t showing signs yet, but his general paed said he would probably develop a bit later given his health issues. My 14 year old is only just starting to get underarm hair now, but from memory his father was around the same age. If you are concerned take him to your gp for a check up.
Completely normal. My 2 girls and boy all started puberty around that age.