Should I clean under my son's f******n?

Question

I brought my two and a half year old son to the Doctor yesterday as he was in a lot of pain when he passed water and also was passing some discharge. The doc said he has an Infection in the skin due to poor hygine!! I was very offended and said my children are bathed daily! but he went on to lecture how I should have been pulling back the f******n every bath time and cleaning the area. He said to gently pull back and forth the f******n and will help it loosen.

Its just every book I've ever read, every health nurse and doc has said not to bother with this area as it not needed.

I have a seven year old boy with whom I've never pulled back the f******n and he has never had problems. Also speaking with Parents at my local parent group, none of them have ever heard of or has had it recommended to clean that area by pulling back the skin.

I'm just nervous as I dont want my son having reoccuring problems if I dont clean the area.

Does anyone know of a medical reason or have any opinions?

Answer 1

Don't force it back, no, but you can pull a little to wash the tip of the p***s. At this point, use some sea salt, about a tsp in a cup of warm water and wash it with that to help with infection. You can also add epsom salt to his bathwater for a bit. Get another doctor to take care of the UTI..for criminies sake, if a GIRL had a UTI they wouldn't cut off the skin around her clitoris, would they?! Why do they do that for a boy? Same skin people.

I have three boys, none circed, and the only one who did have one infection was the boy who didn't drink a lot of water. So the UTI led to swelling. UTIs are NOT caused by f******n, so ignore all the brainwashed people on the board.

Answer 2

My friends son is 2 and i dont know if anyone told her to pull it back to clean but weve all done it everytime we change him and everything since he was born pretty much.  So at least if its just for extra precaution just do it it takes an extra min to do it...

Answer 3

My first son I did pull it back to clean, always infections, the next 3 left them alone and they were fine. they say wait until 4-7 yrs.

Answer 4

Please ignore these judgmental people who are criticizing you for no circumcising your son.  I'm sure that they wouldn't want to be criticized for their choice by those of us who chose to leave our sons intact.  Even the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend routine circumcisions.  It's a personal decision.  My pediatrician, who is very supportive of our not circumcising our son, recommends that we leave the f******n alone until it retracts on its own, which is usually by 2 years of age, but it can take longer.  After that point, she said that we can just retract it while he is getting a bath in order to keep it clean.  I would seek a second opinion to see if perhaps there is another cause for the infection.  Three of my close friends have intact sons in their 20s and that's the advice they followed.  None of their sons had any problems. Good luck!

Answer 5

Some boys do have infection problems. Yours apparently does, so yes, pull back the f******n and keep the area clean until he is able to do it himself.

Answer 6

My son was born almost 2 months ago and I always clean under his f******n when I bathe him and sometimes at diaper changes.  I just figure that any time you have an area that is concealed by a layer of skin, the air does not ciculate as well and there is a better chance of bacteria becoming trapped in those areas.  When I do clean it, I sometimes notice a little white ring from his diaper cream or powder, so if that can become trapped there, I am only assuming that dirt and bacteria can as well.  Gently cleaning the area occasionally can't harm him, so I would say go for it.

Answer 7

I've heard and read that when it comes to diaper changes (unless it's a real mess) that you shouldn't pull back and clean, but that you SHOULD when you bathe the child.

It can sure be conflicting, but each child is different. Some boys also have more f******n then others really making it a case by case thing. I would just follow the doctors suggestions and make sure you teach your boy how to do it for himself.

Answer 8

No you shouldn't pull back a child's f******n at all ..my son is ten and not once have i ever done this and not once has he ever had an infection, my health visitor told us bathing a boy is enough and if the p***s looks infected to take him to see a doctor ...The f******n can be pulled back when the child is a lot older then They should clean underneth it

Answer 9

If you didn't want him to have reoccuring problems, you should have had him circumsized.

Answer 10

your supposed to pull back the for-skin to clean it,when you had him the nurse would of told you how to clean his p***s,they told me when i had my son and my son got circumcised for that reason and it looks better.trust me men look a lot better circumcised.

Answer 11

An infection can occur if it is not properly cleaned. I pulled my son's back to wash it. Lint, dirk will get around it and it has to be cleaned.

Over the years i taught him how to do that and he does it own his own now, has for years now....He is almost 7 now..

Read this: http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/surg...

Answer 12

Ummm, YEA ! Thats why circumcisions are such good decisions.

Answer 13

I think that if it is retractable, then you should teach your son to clean his f******n himself. My son, who is 18 months, is uncircumcised and his f******n does not retract at all, so I leave it alone and just wash the exposed areas.. If it's not retractable then you can't retact it without hurting him, which can cause scarring and other complications.

Answer 14

What!!! I have no idea where you live or where these people get their information, but OF COURSE you have to wash the f******n by pulling it back.

That is why circumcision is available, it is for HEALTH reasons. It's fine that you didn't want the circumcised but take care of it.

My hubby isn't circumcised, and we were just talking about not circumcising our next child if he is a boy, and that he'll teach him how to wash himself.  

You need to wash it despite the info given to you.

Answer 15

People are different, just because it didn't happen to one son doesn't mean you shoiuldn't bother doing it with the other. Obviously he has an infection so I would reccomend cleaning it to avoid further discomfort. He may be more susceptible to this type of infection and so you should simply do what the doctor says. He's a trained professional after all and it's best to follow orders

Answer 16

I was always told that you never touched a boys f******n to clean at all, I was under the assumption that it cleaned itself, though I do know that in babies it is fused to the head of the p***s and you can't pull it back. Some kids are just prone to urinary tract infections regardless of f******n or not. I would go and see another Doctor, this one probably would have preferred you to circumcise your babies too.

Answer 17

Absolutely not!  The f******n will loosen in time.  Forcing it ahead of time could cause damage and lead to complications down the road.

Nobody should retract a f******n but the owner of the f******n.  If your younger child can retract, you can show him how to retract, swish (with clean water, no soap), and replace when he's in the bath.  If your children are not yet retracting, do *not* force it.