Ok, time for a new poll (Average Age of Retraction)

[TigerTail]

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/531522/a-poll-retraction

The old poll is 5 years old, & besides new members, lots of us have had more kids, kids that are older, etc. Time for new data. (May be anecdotal, but still useful for those who are still getting outdated info from their families & health care providers.) Thank you for participating. 

[TigerTail]

8 1/2 & 10, neither retractable yet, no issues.

[TD Seattle]

I was routinely cut at birth (late '60s, the old hygiene excuse). 17yo intact son, no issues.  Fully retractable between 8 and 10.

[kythe]

I didn't vote because we don't fit any of the categories. My son's foreskin retracted spontaneously once at age 5, but he's 8 now and he has not retracted it since.

It was painful for him and didn't return to its natural position right away. I called his dr, who said sometimes foreskins can be tight when they first retract. He believes foreskin retraction is more of a process as the skin gradually loosens, than a specific event that happens at a certain time. He recommended a warm relaxing bath until ds's foreskin returned to its original position.

It worked, but ds has been afraid to retract it again, even to clean it or just work the skin a little looser. He has never reported pain since or shown signs of infection. A tight foreskin at his age is not unusual or inherently abnormal. Ds has an uncle who didn't retract comfortably until he reached puberty.

[super mamabug]

My husband doesn't remember when he retracted first.

DS1 almost fully retracts at age 5.  The last little bit is uncomfortable for him.  (I ask him to retract in the bath to clean himself, but never to hurt himself).

DS2 is 18 months and does not retract at all to the best of my knowledge.  Haven't tried.

[Lklsmama]

My son is almost 3 and his foreskin hasn't retracted yet.

My husband was circumcised after birth because "the foreskin is gross" and because my mil's father was intact and told her that he wished that he were circ'd.

[Lauren82]

My son is 8 and does not fully retract.

[kmh34]

4 year old, never retracted.

[Vancouver Mommy]

My son was 3.5 when he first retracted himself. He finds it very amusing.

[Ash!]

 

My son is 12 years old, and his foreskin does not retract... And I am not worried. It'll retract when it's meant to.

[Night_Nurse]

My son was mostly retractable by 2.5 yrs and fully retractable by 3. No one ever retracted (or tried) other than him. It happened naturally on his own and was never painful for him. He never had separation issues. I always feel like it's an odd thing that he retracted so early every time I read these type of post here. Most of the medical literature I've read says most boys retract by pre-school and then when I read posts by mom's here it seems pre-teen/teen is more the norm.

I just want other mama's who read this to know that some boys do retract on their own and "early". Every boy is different.

[littlemizflava]

4y4m not retracting. not even a little bit he has separated but his sphincter is still tight and still very much as it was at birth.

[Nimali]

2 next week, not retracted.

[vachi73]

Ages 6.5, 5, and 1 -- no one retracts yet. No issues.

[maeby]

i voted not yet for my 2 year 7 month old DS. no problems other than some mild separation pain.

[magentamomma]

My son is 4. He retracted himself at around 2 and a half. My infant is an infant so no retraction

[eclipse]

I said by 2 for my oldest. I really don't remember him not being retractable - from the time I noticed him playing with it, I noticed him being able to retract it. It might have even been by the time he was one. For my youngest, I said by 4, but I'm not really sure when he was able to. He's 5 now and has been retractable for quite awhile, so I guesstimated with the "by four."

[Storm Bride]

I voted age 4. That was for ds2. DS1 wasn`t retracting when he stopped hanging around the house naked, at about age 8. I assume he is now (he`ll be 18 next month), but he`s never mentioned it, and i have no reason to ask.

[ElizabethJH]

our son is not yet retractable (or even close to being so) he is 13 months

[jessjgh1]

Almost 7 years and not yet.