need quick advice re 2 yo with swollen red penis

[rubidoux]

He seems to be feeling fine otherwise, but his penis is surprisingly swollen.  He's very red and bulbous toward the tip, and his penis is generally bigger, like this morning I thought, wow, he's growing.  lol  But then a while later I realized it wasn't growth at all.  He is intact and he hasn't acted like his penis hurts.  He has pee'd fine.

I'm wondering if a warm bath would be a good idea.  And if so, is bubble bath a no-no?  He's crazy about bubble bath.  Also, I wonder if bubble bath could have cause the issue.  I've actually just been squirting some body wash into his bath for the bubbles.

Is there anything else I should do to help this progress?  I've been keeping him diaperless so far.  Anything I should watch for that would be a sign that he'd need a doctor?

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

This thread may be helpful
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=764732

[rubidoux]

Thanks so much!  That was very helpful.  

I put a dipe on him because I thought he might fall asleep in my bed (which he has) and he acted like it hurt a bit when I touched him.  :(  Nothing terrible, but still...  I think I'll wait at least another day before calling the doc.  Hopefully it'll be deflated when he wakes up.

[MyBoysBlue]

My DS had something similar when he was around two.  I just did diaper free as much as I could and gave him baths with baking soda in the water.  It was only 2 days and he was better.  Keep an eye out for fever that might be a sign of an infection and, not just inflammation from the separation process, that might mean he needs antibiotics.

[Jane McClintock]

I would say no on the bubble baths in general. Just like in girls, soap can get into the genitals and be irritating. It can also disrupt the normal bacterial flora that help prevent irritation and infection.

[rubidoux]

He recovered!  It was about 48 hours.  And I am soooooo happy I didn't have to get a doctor involved.  We had a ped in a very AP-friendly practice (not our doc but one of the partners) try to retract my older ds's foreskin and I know how easy it is for that to happen even if you're alert to the issue.  

My little guy has a real obsession with bubbles.  If he sees them in my hair or on the dish sponge or anywhere he gets so excited.  So, it would be a bit of a battle to keep them out of the bath.