At what age do you start pulling DS's foreskin back to clean his penis?

[shoobaloo]

DS is 19mths and DH just giving him a bath said, 'do I need to start pulling his foreskin back?'. Have to admit I am stumped. Remember being told in early days not to, but he's a lot older now. When do we need to start doing this?

Leave it alone. Can't remember age, but not necessary till much later.

I'm sure its not till a lot later. I think there is a thread somewhere on this but defo at that stage the foreskin doesn't retract properly so by forcing it you could make it sore or infected so just leave alone for now!!

From Babycentre

For babies, it's best to avoid bubble baths, as they can be drying and irritating to penile tissue. And when bathing your son, it isn't necessary to retract his foreskin. Actually, you won't be able to for several months or even years - it takes that long for the foreskin to separate from the penis. Even when the foreskin has separated and can be retracted safely, the best advice is simply to leave it alone. You may do more harm than good by interfering with its self-cleaning mechanism.

If your baby has been circumcised, you need do little more than keep the penis clean with soap and water as a part of normal bathing. For the first few days after a circumcision, the penis may look quite red, and you may notice a yellowish secretion. This is not a cause for alarm - both indicate that the penis is healing normally. Though circumcision sites rarely get infected, signs of an infection include persisting redness, a swollen penis tip, and crusted yellow sores which contain fluid. If you notice any of these signs, call your doctor immediately.

Leave it alone. They will do enough pulling back, in time.

Rofl!! Notquiteacockney... How very, very true!!

My DS is (currently) one of those 1 in 3 that can reach his with his mouth!!! I almost choked to death laughing when I say him having a chew!!!!!

thanks all, thought this was the case but just wanted to be on the sage side

safe side!!

I remember the nurse at Dt's medical in reception class saying to start showing them how to wash their winkies...so around 4-5ish i think.xx

Ask your DH if he would like someone to pull back his foreskin & you will have your answer shock].....NEVER!

The foreskin is attached at birth & gradually detaches itself through erections them having a fiddle (so nappy free time is always a good idea if you dont mind the mess ). It can be as early as 2 yrs or as late as puberty that it detaches & unless there is a problem with infections or ballooning when he wees etc then its best not to touch it at all yourself. It doesnt need cleaning at all until later. When he is about 5 or 6 you can encourage them to pull it back gently & show him how to clean it himself but never do it yourself as there is too much chance that you will pull it a little too far causing a LOT of pain & problems in the future.

I think never is the answer. My DS is five and I've never done that to him. ouch no?

Terramum - your reply has just made me laugh so much.

I read the title of this thread out to my husband in shock saying 'oh i did't know that's what you had to do with boys'

My husband looked at me in total horror and replied in a very horrified squeaky voice 'You DON'T, NOT EVER' then added 'a boys penis is his own business'

So yes, for correct answer ask your hubby...

i was told by some mums ona course i was doing that you have to do this,and i asked dp about it later that day,terrified that i'd caused ds1(9) to be at risk of infection by never telling him to do this.

my dp also said NEVER do it,it cleans itself.

so i was right in the first place to just leave well alone.

kbear I'm so glad you said that

LOL dancingtina - thats what my DHs response was when I asked him about this issue last year some time.....his face was such a picture & Ive found its the best way to illustrate this point - this q comes up quite frequently on parenting forums...