Do I retract my son't foreskin? If yes, when do I start?

adrea · Silver Member Joined: 01 Aug 2001 Posts: 289

Hi, I have a 10 months old baby-boy. He is my first son, and I don’t know how should I bath him. Should I retract his foreskin? If yes, when do I start?

brynne · Silver Member Joined: 12 Aug 2002 Posts: 277

Hi, if your son is just baby, you shouldn’t forcibly retract his foreskin. Usually the foreskin can’t be retracted completely in the first couple of years of life. However, sometimes it separates by itself in only couple of months, but it isn’t common. If you try to force his foreskin to retract, you could hurt him, especially if he’s still a baby. It will separate by itself when the time is right. You should wash it with warm water and soap. When he’s old enough to learn those things, you can teach him to clean his foreskin on his own. If you notice that your son has discomfort while urinating, or that his stream of urine is never heavier than a trickle, you should talk to the pediatrician.

Charles II · Silver Member Joined: 09 Aug 2005 Posts: 185

Brynne's advice is correct. But it is also ok, even advisable, to gently check for retractability, which can occur at any age. If it won';t retarct easily and freely, then it's ok to wait until the boy is old enough to be taught to try it on his own. He will know how hard and how far he can pull it back without hurting too much.
If this doesn't go well by about age 5 - 10, it may be time to start worrying, but not before that.
Here is a related story. I pulled this message from another forum:

Re: Asian Foreskin Story
I guess they don't see (circumcision) as necessary. For
them it is normal that the glans will be uncovered
after puberty, so what's the fuss? And if it's not,
that's when they think about circumcision.
A close acquaintance of mine is south-east asian
by origin and he told me that he retracted his
foreskin just once - about age 12 - and that's where
it stayed ever since. To him that's just the natural
thing to do. Is it paraphimosis? I don't know and
never will - we're both married family men.
--James

-------------------------------------------------

Note: My brother, cousin and I, and others we have met
or heard about later on, did the same thing. But some
of us think it would be better to start earlier, just
as soon as the foreskin is readily retractable.
Mothers, if for whatever reason you are going to delay
or avoid circumcision for your son, consider this cost-
less, painless and totally reversable alternative which
provides all of the same benefits.
Do him an important favor and help him get his foreskin
pulled back off the penis head at the earliest possible
age.
--Charles II

Do I retract my son't foreskin? If yes, when do I start?

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