Retraction for very young child

[AfricanQueen99]

While taking a "family bath" tonight I noticed that my son's (turns 2 next week) foreskin seemed to be more flabby (for lack of a better term) than usual.  The opening also seemed larger than what I normally see, but please note that I don't spend a lot of time checking this out so it might have been this way for quite some time.  He's still in diapers so the only time I really pay attention to his penis is when he has fecal matter on it.

Anyway, because the opening seemed larger I did something I've never done - I manipulated it for the first time and noticed that he's almost completely retractable.  He could be fully retractable, I don't know, but I stopped long before hitting resistance.  Other than his Ped checking his penis during his two months WBV, this is the first time that his foreskin has been touched by anybody.

After a quick Google search I understand that, while not common, this can happen to very young boys.  I'm just looking for a little bit of information.

1. Once retractable, it won't fuse back together, right?  This just is what it is.

2. Do I still live under the logic to clean is like a finger?  I know older boys are told to retract, swish in water to clean and then put the foreskin back, but my son is still very much a baby and certainly can't be responsible for his own hygiene.  If possible, I'd like to just go the easy (do nothing) route until he's more in control of his bathing habits.

Thanks for any guidance you may have.

[tropicana]

i also have a 2 year old who is retractable. i know this b/c he goes naked in the house a fair amount and manipulates it *himself.*

in answer to your questions: no, of course it won't fuse back together again. the foreskin is meant to become retractable. if you want to see what an adult foreskin looks like and the reason men have it, google "sex the way nature intended." note it is "graphic" in its depiction of the foreskin functions. but it's simply logical that the foreskin is there for a reason.

and yes, continue to wash it like a finger. the need to wash under the foreskin only comes with the hormones of adolesence. like you said, that's a long way off. 

in short, no need for you to retract. best advice is to leave it alone. 

and ps: naked time is a great way to start getting him out of diapers. 

good luck!!

[AfricanQueen99]

Thanks for your response. :)  I figured those were the answers to my questions, but didn't want to have to look back years from now and say "How could I not have asked?!", yk?

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Unless he can do the retracting himself then it dosnt need to be done. When he is old enough to understand then you can tell him how to retract, rinse then replace.

[Lula's Mom]

It *can* become non-retractable again.  My son has been on antibiotics for Lyme disease for 4 months, and that resulted in a yeast overgrowth for him.  After we cleared it up and it stopped being red, swollen and itchy, it no longer retracted.  He had been retractable starting at 3 1/2, and at 7 he's not anymore.  I'm sure that eventually he'll be able to pull it back again.  I think Dr. Fleiss addressed this unretractability-after-infection/irritation somewhere.