My 3 year old uncircumcised son....?

Question

He is complaining that his pee pee hurts. he says it burns. I have never tried to pull back his forskin because I was told not to....now I think that is the problem. I just didn't want to force it or hurt him. There is no sign of infection that I can see...anything else that could be wrong?

Answer 1

You should be pulling back the f******n to clean it...you may want to take him to the Dr.

Answer 2

At about that age the f******n naturally begins to retract. Maybe that's what is happening. You were right not to force it, it would have really hurt him then.

Answer 3

At his age, his f******n may be fully retractable.  Sometimes the process of it becoming retractable is a bit itchy and feels weird.  You could try gently retracting his f******n to see if it goes back.  If it doesn't, well you know not to force it.

It could be a UTI or a yeast infection.  Have him drink cranberry juice and eat yogurt.  Drinking lots of water also helps.  If it doesn't seem to get better in the next 3 days or so, might be a good idea to take him to his doctor.

Also, it's possible some soap got under his f******n and irritated the area.  Try washing him down there with just water and no soap.  Or, if the soap you're using is scented or strong, switch to a mild and scentless soap.  Hope all this helps!

Answer 4

I would take him to the doctor an have him tested for a UTI. They happen in boys as well as girls, and even circumcised boys can get them. If thats what he has, a simple course of antibiotics will clear it up. You might also ask the doctor about urinary analgesics if the burning is really bothering your son. I know they make on OTC called Uristat that takes the pain away immediately, but I'm unsure if its safe for a 3 year old.

The other thing it could be is that his p***s is irritated. When I was a kid, soap from the bathtub used to give me the same symptoms. You shouldn't be using soap on his p***s, and make sure he rinses well with fresh, clean water after a bath. Ussually if that is the case, the genitals seem red and inflamed though.

You first course of action should be to bring him to the doctor for a urine sample. If it is a UTI you want to get it treated ASAP, as they can sometimes turn into kidney infections or even more serious problems. Make sure your doc is f******n friendly, or keep a close eye on him. Retraction should NOT be nessecary for this exam. If they insist on getting a "clean" urine sample directly from his bladder, they can catheterise him WITHOUT retraction. Really though, wiping the outside with a sterile wipe and having him pee in a cup should be enough.

Its refreshing to see a parent so well versed in intact care! Congratulations on your beautiful son, I hope he feels better soon. :) -Neb

Answer 5

All of you uninformed people should keep your mouth shut! Of course she was right not to pull the f******n back, he will do it by himself at some point, that could happen in quite a few years and still be normal.

As for the pain, I would take him to the doc as it does sounds like it could be a UTI.

Good luck!

Answer 6

It angers me all the people telling you to circumcise. You made an awesome decision to leave your son's p***s intact :-) I doubt this burning sensation he's complaining of has anything to do with you not retracting his f******n. Unfortunately, I'll admit I can't really help you on this, but I will star the question as some of my Contacts may be able to help better.

My only advice would be to take him to your doctor anyway and at least ask the question. If your doctor starts talking about circumcision like some of these previous answerers, just walk away and get a second opinion.

Answer 7

It may be a UTI. Just take him to the doc. They'll probably take a urine sample and give antibiotics. No need to get him circumcised. And no, definitely don't force the f******n back. I can't believe what a lack of knowledge there is about perfect penises with some of the people on here. Good luck.

I agree with Michael, if the doc mentions circumcision-walk away.

Answer 8

He could have a UTI.  I would take him to the doctor so they can determine what may be wrong.

Answer 9

Probably a UTI, but don't let people tell you it's because he's not circumcised... sheesh. ANYONE can get a UTI.

Take him to the doc, if it is a UTI they can give him some antibiotics to help clear it up quick. One of my lady friends who gets UTIs often talks about cranberries being a good treatment, but I don't have any personal experience with it. But heh, I always knew when she was having an issue because she'd be chugging that cranberry juice....  

Maybe in the meantime you can give cranberry juice a try? Not the cranberry juice cocktail stuff though, get 100% cranberry juice. Maybe water it down a bit if it's too strong for him? It's something to try if you can't see the doctor right away.

Answer 10

Im pretty sure you needed to pull the skin back with almost every diaper change. My children are circumcised so Im no expert on it. My nephew however is uncircumcised and he complains of the same thing when he has to pee or if it becomes erect and they had to start pulling his back more often. I also here it is good to let your child run around without a diaper or underwear. I dont know what the story is behind that but my fiancee's grandmother told my sister in law to that and she raised several uncircumcised children.

Answer 11

Could be a UTI. I had one when I was 3 and that was how I'd described it, but obviously I didn't have f******n that could have also been an issue!

Answer 12

You sound like a very smart lady based on your comments, so I'm sure you'll know the right thing to do.  I cannot believe how many people are telling you to pull the skin back!  Some intact guys do not retract the skin until their teenage years!  It makes me sick to think of how many misinformed people are ripping skin from the head of their child's p***s.  :(

So I would guess he has either a UTI or is irritated by soap or something in his diaper...is he wearing diapers?  Anyway, I normally don't give the advice to go to a doctor, but I would go to the doctor for this one soon because a UTI can turn into a worse infection.

Good for you staying strong about leaving your boy intact.  He does not have an infection or irritation because he's not circumcised, but you already know that.  :)  Good luck.

Answer 13

urethral infection. Get him circumcised. that's just a personal recommendation.

Pull the skin back only half way, being concious of whether he is in any pain. then rub some antiseptic (has to say antiseptic on the label) cream onto the exposed area and rub plenty on the opening (where the pee comes out) try to push it down into the hole by rubbing the cream in.

Cut out and acidic foods from his diet, like  orange juice etc this will make his pee more watery and less likely to burn. I used to get it as a boy too - dont panic.

for future prevention - if you decided not to get him snipped then he HAS to be taught how to wash properly.

Answer 14

Bravo for not having him circumsized!!!  Way to go mom!!  Your son will thank you for it someday!

As for your problem, it is highly likely that he has a urinary infection.  It's not uncommon (it's a bit more rare in boys than in girls though, due to the difference in distance for bacteria to travel from the r****m to the urethral opening, but not impossible).  You have two options - bring him to a doctor and have a urine test performed, and if it's positive, he'll be given a course of antibiotics, or you can attempt to care for this yourself (though in this case I would take him to a doctor, who may very well recommend circumcision, which you do NOT have to do).

Signs of a urinary tract infection:

- burning sensation when urinating

- feeling as though you need to urinate, even when you don't

- dark urine

- cloudy urine

- urine with a strong, unpleasant odour

You can have any or all of those.  I am prone to these infections, to the point where the infection has spread to my kidneys.  I only ever have the following symptoms: cloudy and unpleasant-smelling urine.  I never have the burning sensations, or the feeling like I always have to urinate.  It's possible because I've just had them so often now.

Anyways, enough blabbering.  I keep mine at bay by drinking 4 ounces of cranberry juice per day.  It doesn't have to be the red kind; the white kind works just as well (and I prefer it; it is less tart tasting).  I also like to water mine down with a 1 to 1 ratio.  If I find that my urine is starting to smell again, I'll increase my juice intake by drinking an extra serving for a couple of days.  I have not had a serious infection in over a year since I started this regimen.

And you are correct: do not pull back his f******n.  If there's an infection, it will show on the outside as well.

Answer 15

First of all, you should ALWAYS pull back his f******n in order to properly clean around the area. It is very common for circumcized and non-circumsized babies and toddlers to develop an attachment of the f******n to the p***s shaft.

My son was circumsized and when he was around 2 yrs. old we noticed that he had a very small portion of the remaining f******n on his shaft just below the head of the p***s that had basically reattached itself to the tip of the p***s. We had to take him in to have it surgically fixed. It was no big deal, but it could have caused him a lot of problems down the road if we had left it unattended to.

It could be that your son may have the beginning of a small infection of the f******n due to the underlying f******n not being allowed the dry out properly when it gets wet from either him peeing or even after a bath and this could be causing him irritation. There is also the chance that he could have a small urinary infection which is irritating the inner urinary tube (ureter) that externally delivers his urine when he pees.

If I were you, I would lie him down and explain to him that you want to look at his pee-pee to see if it has a boo-boo on it somewhere. Ask him if it hurts on the outside or the inside and have him show you where it hurts. Try to get him ot answer as many questions about how and why it hurts as you can. Either during or directly after giving him a bath, try to gently pull back the f******n to look underneath for any signs of redness, irritation, etc. If he continues to complain, take him to the doctor for an exam.

Good Luck!!

Answer 16

There are many things that could go wrong down there. I would strongly recomend seeing a doctor before doing anything. Don't pull back his forskin unless directed by a doctor because then you could cause a lot of other problems. Good luck.

Answer 17

You are correct for not pulling back the skin to clean. he could have a urinary tract infection in which case he should see a doctor for antibiotics to clear them up. If it doesn't hurt while urinating, I'm not sure what it could be. does it look any different to usual? has he been playing with it? It could just be hurting because the f******n is separating from the glans, I have heard that can cause slight pain.

Answer 18

If it doesn't hurt to pee, It could be worth checking to see if you changed fabric softener or something that could be irritating the f******n as the end part is really feeling-full. A change in laundry soap can do that as well. The perfume in a soap can cause irritation.

My skin reacts to fleecy fabric softener, and makes an itch like crazy on my ankles, like huge, where the socks come in close contact with my ankles. My f******n hasn't reacted, but my underwear isn't close contact or tight.

If he had an infection of the urethra, it would hurt to pee! The burning could burn the outside on an irritated f******n tip.

I know that nature makes the head and f******n semi bonded with a film, to keep things safe from an infection, as well as clean until a later part in life, like a cocoon, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to just peak into the beginning of the skin to see if there is red or irritation.

I suspect an external irritant, then the pee burns that spot as it comes out in contact. A barrier antiseptic cream on the outside, and just dabbed on the tip of the k**b inside the f******n opening would be a good try, to clear away any irritation and keep the irritant from having direct contact.  

Worth a try

:- )

Answer 19

you need to fold back the skin to clean it and he probably has an infection now

Answer 20

Good for you keeping him intact. It may be a UTI but it could also be from irritation. Is there any redness at all? One thing to really avoid is kids' bubble baths. They are extermely irritating to foreskins and girls genitals too.

DOC is a good source for f******n-friendly doctors but there is also NOCIRC. http://www.nocirc.org/centers/

Answer 21

you didn't have his fireman scalped?

Answer 22

How I wish I would have had a caring person like you for a parent.   Bravo to you!!!      You cared enough about your son to leave him normal and natural.

Now, seeing a doctor, you need to be careful, as most of them are completely ignorant about the intact p***s.   The first thing many of them will do is to force the f******n back.

You may wish to select a doctor more knowledgable about the care of the intact male, and you can get a list from DOC, or Doctors Opposing Circumcision.    

It could be a UTI, anyone can get them, whether mutilated or intact.       I don't have any idea of what else it could be, as usually there will be some discharge with a UTI.

You could try having him drink some cranberry juice, I don't think it would hurt him, and it changes the PH of urine, so that may be of some help.

You are a caring parent and deserve the best of luck for loving your child and leaving him intact to experience having a complete p***s in adult life.

Answer 23

It is most likely a water infection or UTI as is the proper name. It could also be thrush, it can occur at any age and is most definately not a STI like most people think. I highly doubt that his f******n would cause this to happen. Take him along to your GP and have him seen by someone who is pro f******n.

Oh, and good on you for not wanting him cut, ever! =) I hope your son gets better soon x

Answer 24

Both of my sons are circumcised but I have heard that you are not supposed to pull back the skin until they hit puberty.  Maybe you should take him to the doc to see if there is a serious problem just to be on the safe side.  But do not pull the skin back it could cause more problems.

Answer 25

No, you shouldn't be retracting.  You are right about that.

He could give a urine sample to check for UTIs.  Retraction is *not* necessary for this.

Mothering.com has a great forum for this.  You can find other folks who aren't pro-circ who can give you great information about separation and other things that matter when one has an intact p***s.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions/for...

Answer 26

YAY YAY YAY im not the only one! The myth about not moving it is a lie. He might have a lil infection.  similar to a woman and a yeast infection...I would have him lay down...and with out hesitating... carefully pull it back... take some baby wipes and wipe it. Then i would put some baby desitine or something on his head. The skin will go back to how it sits naturally, dont worry about closing it yourself. When you change his diaper next time, i would clean off the creme and leave the skin open again.

When you bathe him... you should be cleaning it out with PURE water. Dont use soap or anything... just Pull his skin back and clean it. When you put his diapers on after the tub... I would pull it back.

Dont ever Force it. it should slide easily. If it does not slide easily... then i would not do it. That could lead to pain and injury.My sons has always moved eaily.. i cleaned it the way the dr told me since he was born when i decided not to cut him.