cleaning a "natural penis"

[MissMetal]

Hi :wave:,
this may be a really silly question to some, but I need to ask...
Im a single first time mum with a 6 week old DS who is not circumsized...
As there is no father or males around & I do everything for my DS, I was just wondering do I have to thoroughly clean his penis, I heard someone say ages ago that you need to pull the foreskin up & clean it thoroughly.. is this true??
All i have been doing is washing nomally with a facewasher when i bath him, & wiping it with baby wipes as you do when changing his nappy... I have no idea as Ive never had a penis :laughing:
cheers Renee x

[WarriorMummy]

dont pull the skin back at all
never pull it back, just bathing him should clean it enough

im not sure this should be in the anti circ section

[sam's mum]

I don't do anything with DSs penis.

at nappy change I would wipe it over, but I wouldn't move the foreskin.

in the bath it just sort of jiggles in the water.

the foreskin doesn't retract until they are older.

[sam's mum]

dont pull the skin back at all
never pull it back, just bathing him should clean it enough

im not sure this should be in the anti circ section

I guess she figured that there isn't much point asking in the pro circ section. At least people in the anti circ are likely to have un circed boys.

[WarriorMummy]

oh i just meant that maybe having it in general might have got more responses
for those who dont just got to new posts like me

[Kangaskippy]

just wash bub and only ever surface clean his boy bits...never pull back the foreskin or attempt to....as he gets older it will do that naturally by it's self and he will learn how to manipulate it on his own iykwim, but at his age now there is absolutely no need.... congrats on your new baby!!!

[MrsMiggins]

Yes, definitely don't pull the foreskin back. Anything that's under there that shouldn't be is naturally expelled by the body.

[MissMetal]

I guess she figured that there isn't much point asking in the pro circ section. At least people in the anti circ are likely to have un circed boys.


thanks sam's mum :)
i dont see why i would ask in the pro section as most people there would have circumsized boys...
isnt this the section where people dont get it done :confused:

[MissMetal]

Thanks guys :thumbsup:
So il just keep on doing things as i have been :yes:
I didnt think I should, as im sure they would have told me in the hospital if it was really nessesary...
I didnt want to attempt doing it either :no:
I wonder why someone sais this then :cool:
Is it something they do when they are older :confused:

[MrsMiggins]

I think it's what used to be done in the past. You know, like when your mum or grandma say you have to clean their ears out with those ear-cleaner thingies?! I think it's a case of having a better understanding of such things these days.

[JohnC]

thanks sam's mum :)
i dont see why i would ask in the pro section as most people there would have circumsized boys...
isnt this the section where people dont get it done :confused:

Quite right :yes:

Some general guidelines:

No special care is necessary.

The infant male has a non-retractile self-cleaning foreskin. In most boys no preputial space exists because the foreskin is fused with the glans penis. The tip of the foreskin is flushed out several times a day by sterile urine. The protective functions of the foreskin work best if it is left alone and not disturbed.

Parents and caregivers should wash only the outside. No attempt should be made to retract the foreskin. "Leave it alone" is good advice. Only the child will know when his foreskin can be retracted without pain and trauma so the first person to retract the foreskin should be the child himself.

The foreskin protects the glans penis from the ammonia that is formed by chemical action in the diaper (nappie). One may see some redness of the foreskin from exposure to ammonia while an infant is still in nappies. Frequent diaper changes may prevent this. In severe cases, a protective barrier ointment may be necessary.

In older boys the foreskin may be retractable. Older boys may be taught to retract their foreskin rinse the area, and return the foreskin to its normal forward protective position. If the foreskin is non-retractile, there is no cause for concern. Only the outside needs to be washed.

[WarriorMummy]

i didnt mean why in here when not in pro circ- i meant why in the circumcision section at all- it doesnt really have anything to do with circumcision, thats all.
i just thought it would have got a wider response in general- sorry i said anything

[MissMetal]

Quite right :yes:

Some general guidelines:

No special care is necessary.
The infant male has a non-retractile self-cleaning foreskin. In most boys no preputial space exists because the foreskin is fused with the glans penis. The tip of the foreskin is flushed out several times a day by sterile urine. The protective functions of the foreskin work best if it is left alone and not disturbed.
Parents and caregivers should wash only the outside. No attempt should be made to retract the foreskin. "Leave it alone" is good advice. Only the child will know when his foreskin can be retracted without pain and trauma so the first person to retract the foreskin should be the child himself.
The foreskin protects the glans penis from the ammonia that is formed by chemical action in the diaper (nappie). One may see some redness of the foreskin from exposure to ammonia while an infant is still in nappies. Frequent diaper changes may prevent this. In severe cases, a protective barrier ointment may be necessary.
In older boys the foreskin may be retractable. Older boys may be taught to retract their foreskin rinse the area, and return the foreskin to its normal forward protective position. If the foreskin is non-retractile, there is no cause for concern. Only the outside needs to be washed.



awesome thanks johnc :yelclap:

[MissMetal]

i didnt mean why in here when not in pro circ- i meant why in the circumcision section at all- it doesnt really have anything to do with circumcision, thats all.
i just thought it would have got a wider response in general- sorry i said anything


thats ok, but i think it does have something to do with circumsision... its a non circumsized penis that i was asking about.

[Beany]

You will find that as your son gets older, he won't be able to stop fiddling with his penis and sometimes seems to be rather rough with it, tugging at the foreskin, stretching it and so forth. By doing so, he is getting himself ready to retract the foreskin and will do so himself when the time comes. Until that point, do nothing to his willy that you wouldn't do to a girl's clitoris :)

[serendipity22]

Its also important not to let anyone else touch it.

In the USA ignorance of this is rife and a lot of doctors and others are pulling the skin back, ignorant of the guidelines of their own AAP.

It causes damage and infections. ("That will teach you for not getting your son circed.")

Circ is so entrenched in their culture there they think every normal penis is diseased.

[CrystalMumOfTwo]

Some general guidelines:

No special care is necessary.

The infant male has a non-retractile self-cleaning foreskin. In most boys no preputial space exists because the foreskin is fused with the glans penis. The tip of the foreskin is flushed out several times a day by sterile urine. The protective functions of the foreskin work best if it is left alone and not disturbed.

Parents and caregivers should wash only the outside. No attempt should be made to retract the foreskin. "Leave it alone" is good advice. Only the child will know when his foreskin can be retracted without pain and trauma so the first person to retract the foreskin should be the child himself.

The foreskin protects the glans penis from the ammonia that is formed by chemical action in the diaper (nappie). One may see some redness of the foreskin from exposure to ammonia while an infant is still in nappies. Frequent diaper changes may prevent this. In severe cases, a protective barrier ointment may be necessary.

In older boys the foreskin may be retractable. Older boys may be taught to retract their foreskin rinse the area, and return the foreskin to its normal forward protective position. If the foreskin is non-retractile, there is no cause for concern. Only the outside needs to be washed.


:iagree: GREAT ADVICE

[Mummaholic]

When they get older, they will be able to move the forskin back to clean...but it can seriously damage little boys if you move it before it is ready to be moved...I think the guideline is around 5??? Please check with your GP :)

[julietv8]

:yes: Some foreskins don't retract until puberty, I just wipe/swish my DS's penis in water and thats about it, just keep the outside clean and the rest will sort itself out. Obviously, if in the future there is any inflammation that doesn't subside with barrier cream, see a foreskin-friendly doctor.

[trillian82]

My son isn't circumcised and I never pull it back to clean it and I wouldn't recommend it. His father is not circumcised either and he said his foreskin only retracted for the first time when he was young and "experimenting" and that's when he started cleaning under there himself.

[Pulp Fiction]

I think when he is older and his foreskin does retract that its really important to teach him to clean under it though. Not that I'm an expert. DP is circed and DS is only 11 months old.