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When most people think of a school supply list, they picture the basics.
Pens, pencils, erasers, notebooks, loose leaf paper, folders, binders, calculators, highlighters, planners, rulers, index cards and, of course, a backpack are all things parents expect to see on that annual list.
But one item that doesn’t always make the cut is something most of us use everyday: deodorant.
And that’s exactly what Iowa mom Megan Baird saw on her nine-year-old son’s back-to-school supplies list earlier this year — and parents everywhere are calling his fourth-grade teacher a “genius” for it.
“There’s one item on my kid’s school supply list that absolutely blew my mind in the best way,” Baird said in an Aug. 18 TikTok video. “Because this teacher is a freaking genius.”
Baird went on to praise her son’s teacher for giving her faith that she “truly understands children.”
“Our school’s not air-conditioned,” she said in the video. “Can you even begin to fathom how much 30 fourth-graders — freshly recessed — in off the blacktop in 100-degree Iowa corn sweat heat…”
“It’s got to be like a human crockpot of disgusting sweat and smells,” she added.
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While those hot summer days are long gone, Baird says the teacher’s decision to include deodorant on her son’s school supplies list ended up doing parents a huge favor — not just in school, but at home too.
“Sometimes it’s a hard conversation to have with your kid,” Baird said in an interview with Today.com, published Nov. 13.
“They don’t want to hear Mom or Dad telling them they stink or need deodorant. But if all their friends are doing it, it suddenly becomes normal — even cool!” she explained.
Should deodorant for kids be on every school supply list?
It’s clear that Baird wasn’t the only one mind-blown by her son’s school supply list.
Parents and educators praised the teacher for having the prescience to include kids deodorant on her students’ school supplies list — and now it’s becoming a mainstay in schools everywhere.
“As a 4th grade teacher I never thought to ask for deodorant, but it’s gonna be on next year‘s list!” one teacher commented under Baird’s video.
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“Not even lying, one day subbing, I had to walk out to the hallway for fresh air after I had a group of 7th graders come in straight from PE class. I was struggling SO hard to not gag,” another teacher wrote.
Some teachers said they go the extra mile and provide “hygiene bags” for each student to help the kids learn about proper hygiene habits at an early age.
“Not even lying, one day subbing, I had to walk out to the hallway for fresh air after I had a group of 7th graders come in straight from PE class. I was struggling SO hard to not gag,” one parent wrote.
@mamamamamamidwest The only work I can find to describe this teachers level of preparedness is genius. This school supply item game me a good chuckle and mad respect. You go fourth grade teacher! #backtoschool #teacher #teacherlife #puberty #funny #fyp #schoollife #schoolhack ♬ Calm background music with acoustic guitar and saxophone(1288148) - ame
According to Dr. Todd Palker, a Fairfield County-based pediatrician, “there’s no specific age for a child to start wearing deodorant or antiperspirant," but many start in their teens.
“Some start as soon as puberty starts to cause body odor, which can be as early 8 or 9 years old for some children,” Palker said, according to Connecticut Children’s.
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“One piece of advice: If your child is younger, don’t use an aerosol spray,” Palker added. “They can be hard to use correctly, and you don’t want your child to accidentally inhale it.”
