Cleaning

[alinae]

I feel really naive and stupid...

My DH and I are adopting a little boy who is not circumcised. We plan to keep him intact. However, my DH is circumcised so neither of us know how to care for him. We also plan to CD, I've read lint, etc can cause some issues?!? How do you keep it clean or know that it is clean? We really don't want any infections/issues.

Thanks!

[Claire and Boys]

Wipe the outside like a finger.

That's it.

When he is older his foreskin will retract and he will need to rinse underneath with water when he bathes/showers. But that isn't something you need to do - only the boy himself should do the retraction.

So, it's really that easy. Much simpler than dealing with woundcare

We CDed our youngest boy, and never had a single problem with lint. I don't know why you would really.

[thixle]

Don't worry... just like cleaning your own genitals, there is no extra effort. When you change a diaper, just wipe like a finger. There is a sphincter at the tip of the foreskin that keeps it closed so nothing "gets in there."

You may hear people (sometimes even doctors or nurses) tell you to pull back the foreskin to clean. That is unnecessary and could be harmful (I liken it to using douche on a girl-child).

So, wipe like a finger, use soap sparingly, and no long soaks in bubble bath.

And congrats on the adoption!

[eepster]

If any lint (or anything else) gets into the sphincter it will be washed out with the urine the next time he pees.

Little bits of stuff being there are less of a concern for intact boys than circ'd ones. The foreskin of an intact boy protects the meatus (pee hole) from irratation and prevents meatal stenosis (narrowing of the opening.)

[Storm Bride]

I'll echo everyone else. There's nothing to it. I've got two intact boys, and two girls. Honestly, I've found diaper changes for the boys easier than the girls. I've used cloth with three of my four, and at least some sposies with each of them. It hasn't made much difference which kind of diaper they're in.

[knucklehead]

Originally Posted by alinae

I feel really naive and stupid...

My DH and I are adopting a little boy who is not circumcised. We plan to keep him intact. However, my DH is circumcised so neither of us know how to care for him. We also plan to CD, I've read lint, etc can cause some issues?!? How do you keep it clean or know that it is clean? We really don't want any infections/issues.

Thanks!

You are anything but stupid! You're little boy is going to be so lucky to have a mama as smart as you are. To actually take the time to research this subject and wanting to do the right thing shows how much you care. Most people would just get him circ'd. Congratulations to you and him!!

[glongley]

HEre are two good handouts on care of the intact boy.
Congratulations, and thanks for leaving you new little one intact!

http://www.nocirc.org/publish/4pam.pdf
http://intactamerica.org/sites/defau...or_Parents.pdf

Gillian

[alinae]

Thank you so much for all your help! I'm so relieved that it's that simple.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Keep in mind also dont let anyone mess with it. Many Dr. here in the USA are not up to date on intact care and may try to retract him. Please read the sticky in the resources called The Definition of Retraction & Why it is BAD. Also you may want to check out the one titled Possible Separation Issues so that if anything where to come up you would know how to deal with it and when to actually worry.