Caring For The Baby’s Penis

The care that the baby’s penis needs is very simple: wash well with soap and water, keep the area dry and do not pull back the skin of the foreskin. Letting it happen naturally is best.

New moms rarely talk about caring for their baby’s penis. There is no spontaneity to talk about it and the subject can be ignored until it reaches the first consultations with the pediatrician.

Parents who opt for circumcision have the clearest picture, but for the rest it is a dilemma: should the foreskin be forced down or should it be expected to occur naturally?

What should I know about the baby’s penis?

In the baby, the foreskin is attached with tissue to the glans or head of the penis. The recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics is very clear: it is not necessary to retract the skin of the penis.  The foreskin has a hole large enough for urine to flow normally.

The foreskin is attached to the baby’s penis because it protects the glans, so this is normal and not a problem. In several months or years, it will separate and can be safely retracted. The foreskin can drop completely at three or four years, but it can also occur at six or eight years.

Forcing the foreskin and pulling it back early can cause painful bleeding and tears in the skin. This can affect the elasticity of the foreskin to lower normally once it has been separated.

Do you need special care?

To maintain the hygiene of the baby’s penis, it is the same as in an adult. Soap and water to clean and dry well. In the case of the baby, it is important to leave the skin very dry, by using disposable diapers. If moisture remains, the area becomes the ideal environment for the growth of fungi or bacteria.

Stool can always reach the baby’s penis. In that case, the basic recommendation is the same: clean immediately with soap and water, and pat the area dry. It is not necessary to clean the penis with either cotton swabs or antiseptic.

What if the doctor indicates that the foreskin must be dilated?

There are pediatricians who will instruct new parents to follow this procedure. However, it is a recommendation that is increasingly out of use. If your doctor indicates that a foreskin dilation is necessary, it is important that you consult another opinion.

This procedure is painful for the baby and, in many cases, unnecessary. Only in cases where you can determine that the urine comes out in drops, or that it is painful for the baby to urinate, the need to dilate the foreskin could be evaluated.

At most, you can make a pretense of lowering the skin to improve the hygiene of the area after changing the diaper. While the baby is being bathed, the skin can be very gently stretched to the point where it no longer sags. If the baby winces, it was excessive; you don’t have to bother.

You have to be patient with this. The skin will separate from the glans and the opening will get bigger and bigger, until it gives way and goes down easily. Sometimes the skin can be helped to stretch by applying a corticosteroid cream for a few days.

What do I do when the foreskin has already separated from the glans?

After the separation of the foreskin, it must be retracted from time to time, during the bath.  This procedure is to gently cleanse the lower end of the penis. Your son will need you to teach him how to wash his penis:

• The foreskin should be gently retracted until the head of the penis is exposed.
• The head of the penis and the inner fold of the foreskin are then washed with warm soapy water.
• After removing the soap, you have to push the foreskin back towards the head of the penis.
• This procedure is then repeated to dry the penis.

Teach your son that the health of his penis depends on the care and hygiene that he can perform from a young age.