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Original poster

DS grabbing his penis as soon as nappy off.......HELP!

28 replies

DetentionGrrrl · 20/01/2007 10:43

DS is 7mths old, as soon as we change or bathe him he claws at his bits like hell. I ignored it at first, thinking he'd just 'found' it and the novelty would wear off. He's been doing it for a few months now though, and he grabs at it as though he's in discomfort, until he makes the whole area bright red and even breaks the skin at times. It's very difficult to change him because of it- it normally takes two of us, with one of us to pin his arms away from his genitals.

Any ideas? Could there be something irritating him that we can't see?

OP posts:
MamazonAKAfatty · 20/01/2007 10:47

He may have an infection under his foreskin, but i think more likely is that he is male and just likes to grab at it....its a phase and he will grow out of it......when he is about 95

purplemonkeydishwasher · 20/01/2007 10:48

boys love their willies.
FACT.

Original poster
DetentionGrrrl · 20/01/2007 10:49

you'd think if he loved it so much he wouldn't keep making it bleed! (he's going to be a masochist isn't he?)

OP posts:
foxinsocks · 20/01/2007 10:50

sounds like that area could do with a bit of airing

have you got any aqeous cream or something like diprobase or eumobase? something that might soothe his skin...maybe his skin there is getting irritated by the nappy

but yes, I'm afraid penis grabbing is inevitable

MamazonAKAfatty · 20/01/2007 10:53

when you wash him do you do the "pull back an wipe" thing? sounds horrid but you have to gently pull the foreskin down and make sure it is all clean underneath as otherwise it can cause infection.

He may have a urine infection. i know baby girls get them sometimes so would assume boys do too.

if your worried speak with your gp, they may be able to take a sample or swab and get it checked for you.

mummyhill · 20/01/2007 11:01

I was under the impression that a boys foreskin should be left well alone till the were older and it retracted easily on its own, and that to retract it before then was likely to cause infections etc.

MamazonAKAfatty · 20/01/2007 11:03

no so long as you don't pull it to hard it should be fine. you shouldn't use soap or anything other than warm water.

but then my ds is 6 now so maybe the rules have changed

mummyhill · 20/01/2007 11:04

More information on this can be found here The thread is about circuscision but has some information that may be relevant.

Little boys do love their penis though.

Chandra · 20/01/2007 11:11

I think it's a phase, boys are fascinated by their penises, I have even found DS sticking stickers to it

MamazonAKAfatty · 20/01/2007 11:13

i remember my brother waking up with an erection at about 5. he was seen fiddling and when asked what he was doing he said "trying to push it back in again"

he was then seen later that day, again fiddling and asked what he was doing "trying to make it go big again"

as i say, they grow out of it.....im sure

flutterbee · 20/01/2007 11:16

DS is 14 months now and when he was born we were told to leave the foreskin and never try to pull it back and wash under it.

Chandra · 20/01/2007 11:34

AS far as I'm aware, not all children are the same and there are some, perhaps the majority, for which it would be better to leave the foreskin alone. But mums of some boys experiencing pain or frequent infections may be asked by the doctor to pull back slightly and clean. Sometimes the foreskin is not "elastic" enough, so the process may need to be done little by little over several days.

americantrish · 23/01/2007 13:22

ds is 2 1/2 and while he doesnt grab himself anymore while being changing, he does while in the bath.

have you tried giving your ds something to hold while changing him? (so someone doesnt have to hold his arms down?)

dandycandyjellybean · 23/01/2007 14:15

...they grow out of it....?????? I thought all men had a life long love affair with their willies once they've found them!

hotpot · 23/01/2007 20:18

my 3.6 yr old has just stopped playing with his obsessively but still has a good old fiddle now and again and my ds2 started at about 6 months.

They just have no real grabbing ability so they claw, keep his nails short and give him a toy to play with when you change him and try to distract him when in the bath.

Boys so love their willies, my friends little boy made his hard and then shoved in through the middle of a CD!!!! Ah that's a story for his 18th birthday

VeniVidiVickiQV · 23/01/2007 20:20

DS does this. A bit of airing does it good, and tonnes of sudocream.

Advice I got from a urologist re DS - NEVER EVER pull the foreskin back to clean. Its Not Necessary.

FioFio · 23/01/2007 20:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

VeniVidiVickiQV · 23/01/2007 20:21

Mind you, not that I ever did, but he wanted to make doubly sure.

MarsLady · 23/01/2007 20:22

DT2 has been grabbing his penis since birth I think. He's about to be 3 and he's still grabbing it. When he's not grabbing his penis he's groping my norks! I think we can guess the kind of man he's gonna be huh?

KezzaG · 23/01/2007 20:22

Im glad to read this thread. My ds is just in pants so now has much easier access, and will even lie on the floor face down while playing with toys and thrust up and down. I didnt think I would have to worry about stuff like that until he was about 14!!

I know what you mean about them being rough with it too, he used to poke it right in and then pull it and stretch it.

However, if it did get red and sore I think I would just take him to the gp to get it checked out.

MarsLady · 23/01/2007 20:25

kezzag... trust me there's far more to worry about at 14..... and strangely it also involves the penis! Sigh............

KezzaG · 23/01/2007 20:27

LOL will I be wishing back to the time of innocent carpet thrusting

uwila · 23/01/2007 20:33

My DS pulls his when the nappy comes off. I'm convinced he is trying to stretch it.

Furball · 23/01/2007 20:36

they do really pull it don't they? makes you eyes water just looking....I wonder what the reaction would be if i treated dh's like that!

MarsLady · 23/01/2007 20:36

Yes! lol

He's an adorable 14yo though!