Understanding Your Baby's Quirks

My baby smells so good. What's her secret?
Two words: no sweat. The apocrine glands -- which are found in the armpits, breasts, and groin and are associated with strong body odor -- aren't active until puberty. Another reason she smells so good to you may be because her scent is familiar. Each of us has our own odor print, explains George Preti, PhD, a chemist who studies human body odor at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, in Philadelphia. Moms have been known to recognize their newborn by scent alone. One theory for this phenomenon: Olfactory cues from her baby may be circulating in Mom's bloodstream during gestation, giving her an early exposure.