Slightly freaked out

[So-Called]

I noticed a few days ago that the tip of my son's foreskin was a little red, but he'd been having a lot of erections and I thought maybe it was either irritated or the inner foreskin was sort of rolling out a bit more than usual (don't know if that makes sense).

But I noticed tonight when he was having naked time that the end looks a lot looser, and realized it had been looking like that for maybe a week or so. It also looked very bright red tonight rather than just pinkish. At one point I could actually see part of the glans and the urethral opening, which usually only happens right before or after he urinates. It was a wider opening than normal, too.

Could he be starting to retract already? He's not even four months old yet. I know nobody's been fiddling with his penis because DH and I do all the baths and diaper changes, and his ped has never retracted him. It makes me a bit nervous to think about him retracting naturally this soon. I'm afraid he'll be losing all those protective benefits of having a foreskin, and that he might be more prone to infections or something. Then all the I-told-you-sos are going to get trotted out.

I'm sure this sounds silly, but please reassure me that he'll be okay this way and that there's nothing seriously wrong.

[Night_Nurse]

I really think your ds will be okay!

Children start to retract at all ages, very young to much, much older. Is your son urinating okay? Is he fussy when he pees? Does he have a fever? If the answer is no to all these, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I can't remember the exact age but there was a point where I could see more "redness" on the foreskin and I figured it was part of his growing and just me seeing more of the inner mucosa during diaper changes (my son was fully retractable around 2.5 yrs and many say even that age is early). Also, if you've been giving him bubble baths, maybe you might want to stop. Or did you recently change diaper brands (if disposable)? Or if you use cloth, do you think you might can strip the diapers? Are you still breastfeeding? I've heard breast milk can work wonders on irritated body parts. I never tried it personally, but it won't hurt to try it.
In the mean time, just keep an eye on it and watch for difficulties. Maybe others with more experience can chime in here too.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

There is no reason to worry. The foreskin will do its job still. The only thing that you need to be aware of is making sure it is put back down if you find it up.

Odds are that it will actually tighten back down a bit. Keep in mind that the inner foreskin and glans should be a bright red/purple on an intact boy.

Make sure to rinse well after a bath with clear water so that any soap residue is washed away. I would ask your dh just to make sure he hasnt been (not implying he would do anything to hurt your ds) just in case he had to clean up a really messy poo and thought he should move things more than he should.

[myllissa]

My son's did this when he was about that age as well. We figured out that it was his baby wash and the brand of disposable diapers we were using. Once we experimented with the soap and the diapers, he was fine. Every once in a while his tip will get red, but so far, no issues. If your baby doesn't seem in pain when you wipe and there isn't a funny smell or weird discharge he's healthy. Keep an eye on it, but I think he's fine.

[So-Called]

Thanks for the reassurance, all. He never seemed all that bothered by any of it, I just didn't want to ignore something that might lead to problems down the road. He does seem to be at least in the early stages of becoming retractable, though. I'm definitely seeing the tip of the glans when he has an erection, and not just the inner mucosa.

For now I'm just trying to keep from retracting it accidentally and prevent him from fiddling with it too much since I'm afraid he's still too uncoordinated to let go right away if he's hurting himself. Easier said than done. I'm quite sure DH knows not to try to retract him at all, but I've mentioned some of these issues as a gentle reminder.

I've noticed when he doesn't have as much opportunity to be naked during the day, that he tends to be redder. I haven't attached it to a particular diaper (we alternate between two brands of disposables and three types of cloth - long story) or his soap, but I'll watch more carefully for that just in case.

I didn't even think about trying some breastmilk on it, though I know it works wonders for other irritations/infections. Thanks!