Worried

[guineverelady]

My son is 5 months old and I noticed that his penis is red around the bottom. It's like a little ring and looks a little raw? I don't know how to describe it. He has begun exploring and not sure if he scratched when he grabbed himself during changing time at some point. his nails get really sharp and scratch me all the time. I have to cut them nearly every week. Anyway, should I be concerned? I'm a little worried. This is a whole new territory for me since my older 2 are girls and my son is intact & my hubby isn't so when I ask him he's like I don't know. LOL Any advice!

[buckeyedoc]

I can't envision exactly where you are describing the irritation, but I commonly used diaper cream or Aquaphor on the outside of my sons' penises/foreskins when they were still in diapers and had irritation, like from acidic poo blow-outs.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Are you talking about the base of the penis that meets the body? If it is that spot then it is probably just diaper rash and you should be extra careful to wipe that area off when changing his diaper. The bottom of my ds's penis where it touched his scrotum would get sore and red if I wasnt careful because it is a moist area that needs wiped.

[guineverelady]

yes that is exactly the spot. thanks! he does have a rash on the front part of his body as well so that is prob it. sucks cuz we're using cloth and i thought we were supposed to avoid these diaper rashes with cloth!!!! plus in order to put ointment on him i'm going to need to get diaper liners. oh well.

[Crunchy Frog]

Yes, there's a little fold where the base meets the body. My boys sometimes get a little redness there too, but it's never been a problem. If you're worried, a little barrier cream will probably work.

[tammylsmith]

I also wanted to add that your son could have this problem even if circ'd. My dh is circ'd, and has had a terrible problem with heat rash because of our extra hot summer. It bothers him whenever sweat and his man bits interact and all the friction from walking and so on. I only use rash cream when ds actually has one... so at this point dh is using rash cream more often than ds!

[guineverelady]

oh thanks so much for that extra bit of info as well. he also gets a little red where the penis sites on his testicles. so he's just sensitive down there regardless of being intact. he also has eczema so like his big sister we will have these skin issues. i don't remember her getting diaper rashes a lot tho. i'm trying to change him more often and give him some air time. LOL I feel much better now!

[nerdymom]

Originally Posted by guineverelady

yes that is exactly the spot. thanks! he does have a rash on the front part of his body as well so that is prob it. sucks cuz we're using cloth and i thought we were supposed to avoid these diaper rashes with cloth!!!! plus in order to put ointment on him i'm going to need to get diaper liners. oh well.

if you have any extra fleece laying around, old scraps or whatnot, you can lay them in the diaper as a re-usable liner. It will protect your diapers from residue from creams, and wick moisture away from the body to promote dryness and healing. Just make sure you don't wash them with your regular diaper laundry. I'd wash them with the towels or if they get soiled just toss them. They're only scraps after all.

[eepster]

Check the base carefully to make sure there isn't a hair or some other sort of fuzzy wrapped around it. It most likely is just heat/diaper rash, but best to check for other causes just to be on the safe side.

[Norasmomma]

My son gets this too, I just put a little cream on it and it goes away.

[trauerweidchen]

We've had similar things happen from time to time too, and I don't think it has anything to do with being intact either. I've found naked time is one of the best ways to help with rashes. You might also try to find out what kind of rash it is--Dr. Sears has some helpful information here about diaper rashes in general. Good luck!

[serendipity22]

It its at the bottom it has nothing to do with the foreskin.

If it was me I would let him have some nappy free time.