Care of the Intact Penis

I could write this blog post in one word:

NONE.

That is literally what you have to do to take care of your intact baby boy's penis. Nothing at all.

The best way to remember this is:

Intact, don't retract.

Only clean what is seen.

Forcible retraction of a foreskin that is not yet ready to be retracted can be very damaging and is certainly painful for the owner of the penis.

At birth a newborn's prepuce (foreskin) is fused to the glans (the head) and it is very important that the caretakers of the baby understand this is normal. The foreskin protects the head of the penis.

Detachment of the foreskin happens gradually and will normally be fully retractable anywhere between 2 and 18 years of age, with variations in different individuals.

There is something else that can happen to your little boy that might appear alarming but I assure you, is also completely normal. It's called "ballooning". When the foreskin begins to detach but still has attachment at or around the end, the boy's penis will appear to balloon out when he urinates. If you see this happening to your son, do not retract! It's working on detaching on its own, exactly the way it's supposed to.

There is no need for a doctor's visit for this very temporary condition, unless you see definite signs of infection or irritation, which might indicate a need for a soothing cream or antibiotic. If there is no irritation, *leave it alone*. Ballooning can happen at any time during the period of detachment.

Please feel free to email if you have further questions or do some research online to verify I am correct in my advice.