Balloning or another problem?

[mrforbes]

Hi,
DS is 2 and we've never had any issues, I think he has a bubble/balloon thing on his shaft where his skin has detached and gotten urine trapped in it because he his still in diapers, but am not sure.

Does it ever look like they have a bubble on the side or shaft? Should I be worried? His tip is a little red but nothing alarming. Doesn't seem to be bothering him and he's not messing w/it or anything.

[Greg B]

Ballooning is perfectly normal. It may look like his shaft because his penis is not yet developed. Babies can seem to have way more foreskin than they do penis.

As long as he seems to be fine, and he is urinating normally, then he is fine. You could watch him urinate in the bath tube if you are curious, but it sounds like everything is perfectly normal to me.

Regards

[eepster]

That sounds like a smegma pearl. It is perfectly normal and harmless. It will go away as he separates.

Ballooning is when the whole foreskin fills up with urine then slowly drains. It literally looks like a balloon (though much smaller.)

[mrforbes]

Thanks, I thought it was something normal I'd just not seen before. I saw him urinate last night and he didn't seem to have any problems and it didn't bother him.

[calngavinsmom]

Originally Posted by eepster

Ballooning is when the whole foreskin fills up with urine then slowly drains. It literally looks like a balloon (though much smaller.)

It isn't always the whole foreskin. When my ds2 was a baby, he had little pockets where is foreskin was separated that filled up with urine and slowly drained. Our doc said that was just ballooning and not to worry about it. I think the term ballooning is used in both scenarios, to describe how the urine stretches the skin like a balloon and then "deflates" again when it empties.

Smegma pearl or ballooning isn't anything alarming though. As long as he isn't having trouble(straining) urinating and there is no infection(hot to touch, green/yellow discharge, fever) I wouldn't worry.

Take care!