how to clean a little penis

I know this may sound strange but how do I clean my little boys penis specifically the foreskin? My son is now 10 weeks old. I was told to not do anything with it. But friend of mine who has a 9 month old went to the Dr as he had spots of blood in his nappy. And he has an infection because he had muck under his foreskin and he is now on a special ointment. The Dr told her that she needed to pull it back and clean it. Which of course I thought as did she that you weren't supposed to do that. What age do you start doing this? and which is the best way to do it so you don't cause any harm...:wall:

I don't know but I'll be subscribing to this thread as I'm having my first little boy and I have absolutely no clue either!!!!

you're not supposed to pull back the foreskin at all. i have never had any problem with my little boy, i just make sure that he baths twice a day.
by the way, had a little chuckle when i saw your subject....

ive always been told to do nothing. Just sort of rub/clean it when they are having a bath. But then again.. older men pull it back and clean it. Well Dp does. TMI i know.

ETA - by saying that.. remember i dont have a little boy. Just going off what i was told.

I'm pretty sure the common advice is not to pull it back, apparently that can do damage pulling it back before it's ready.
Just keeping the area really clean by wiping well at nappy changes, and if there's a poop explosion and you aren't convinced you got the tip of the penis clean enough, then maybe try a bath.

You will notice if it looks infected (neither of mine have had foreskin infections so far), and I suppose then you could visit a doctor. As for when we can pull it back, I always thought that it just came away on its own...

The foreskin is actually attatched to the head of the penis, so dont pull it back... OUCHIES!!!

Just a swish over the outside in the bath is plenty... it will losen itself, and also through playing with it when your son is 18 months and older....:rolleyes:

Once you notice it retracts a little, a bit of a better wash in the area is all thats needed.. around 2 yrs onwards.... I have 4 uncircumsised boys and not a days troubles....so far...;)

Dont pull back ouch.

Just make sure the genital area gets a wash in bath each day. And at nappy change clean poo from around there well.

Yep my nurse said most boys wil discover it them selves and unti then dont pull it back.

Yep your boy should be the first person to pull it back.
I have been told to clean it like a finger... lol. Just rub down the shaft but don't apply too much pressure and certainly don't pull the foreskin back;)

yep same as eveyone else - don't pull it back. Just make sure you wash it when he bathes and when you change him - even if only a wee nappy make sure you give it a wipe. I found they quite enjoy washing it themselves from about 1 when they realise that if the wash it really well it stands up for them lol!

Maybe your friend has to gently pull it a bit for the cleaning due to the infection. But ditto what everyone else said, but you don't have to do anything.

I feel sorry for your friends little boy though - hope it all heals soon and he has no lasting problems.

Noooo!!! Don't ever, ever ever ever (ever!) pull a baby's foreskin back.

It doesn't need to be cleaned and your friends doctor is plain wrong. Infections do occur but they are not common and when they do, this is NOT because mum didn't pull the foreskin back to clean it.

The foreskin will detach by itself but this occurs over a period of years.

Until that time, it's very important that it not be pulled, tugged or anything else because this causes damage :( The first person to retract the foreskin should be owner of the penis ;)

Have a look here too:

Care of Intact Boys - Fathering Magazine

I thought so. I don't want to hurt him either so I will just continue to wash him as normal in that area. You just don't know these things sometimes.
Funny my friend says her 9mth old has a little hard penis in the mornings. I never knew that happened so young.

Tobily,
Thanks for that link to the article. I have been looking everywhere on the net to find something that explained it all to me. I am going to print this off and give it to my friend. Interesting topic. Since my DH is circumcised he didn't know either. But now we do, I feel much better.
Thanks

Hi Puppies
You are doing the right thing. Do not pull back the foreskin.
It is quite common for little boys to get an erriction

Alan, This is this common erection caused by something I am doing? I don't want to it to be sexual if you know what I mean cause then I wont want to touch him, cause it will feel weird.

Puppies Zachery often wakes up with an erection.....babies in the womb get erections even (so ive been told).

No it is not caused by anything you are doing and at this stage it is not sexual. An erection at this age can be caused by many things, most of the time there is no known cause but a very common cause is the need to pee. You will probably notice that you son has more erections shortly before he has a wee. But as I said mostly the cause is unknown.

It gets funner when they start telling you all about their 'strong' willies......!

Hun DS's first erection was 2 weeks old! A tad early I thought!!!
They mostly are from needing a wee after he wakes up. Or from playing with it....ALOT! Lol!!
He is 1 & I've never used anything at all in that area. The only times we've had any probs down there are when there IS soap around, so I don't use it on him.

As everyone else said. Don't pull it back. They should do that themselves anywhere from the age of 3 - 9.
You can damage it if you do.

Ditto what everyone else has said. Your on the right track just by giving it a gentle wash and not pulling back the foreskin at all. I had heard that in many boys the foreskin will not physically be able to be pulled back until the boy is about 3 or even 4. I have 5 god sons and this was true with all of them.

With regard to erections, I learned early that if DS had one to quickly put the nappy back on as it usually meant he was about to wee :lol:. DS is now one and just started playing with it in the bath, he's a bit young but DH and I are already telling him to 'clean his penis' so it will be something he grows up hearing.

Yeah, my boys both get little erections all the time. Jackson always has one in the morning before he does a wee, could knock a lamp over with it. Leo's aren't quite as severe, but both have got them since birth - completely normal, and not sexual at all.

In regards to cleaning I just give Leo a good wipe after a nappy change. I lift his penis up because he can get a little "cheesy" in the crease where his prenis joins to his testes, but I never pull the foreskin back, and agree with everyone else that it is a big nono. Jackson is 4 and his foreskin has not retracted at all. I give their bits a good wash with soap in the bath each night and they have never had any problems

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Care of Intact Boys - Fathering Magazine

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Hey! Thanks for this one. Harry was walking along fine after a nappy change before and then he started screaching and demanding a new nappy. It was wet (he wont pee in a soiled nappy) and I was wondering what could possibly be wrong. It was fine when I changed him only a few minutes before hand. Got my answer now. Needs more water.

Thanks bunches!

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With regard to erections, I learned early that if DS had one to quickly put the nappy back on as it usually meant he was about to wee :lol:

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Yep, it's usually my cue to grab a towel or a nappy quick!

:rofl: Yes... The pee stiffee as I call it...

DS (9mo) has just discovered his penis, and now changing nappy time is getting even more exciting... Especially with poops...

In relation to cleaning, I occasionally notice a tiny red penis tip, so I just make sure to give it a good swish with water in the bath, and pop a tiny bit of cream round the edge of the penis, and it usually clears up overnight.