Almost 3 year old retracting his un-circ'd penis...

[janabonana]

I don't know where to go to ask about this stuff... My son's dad is circ'd.... but I chose not to do it to my little boy. I didn't feel it was right to make decisions about HIS body...

Anyways... a few months ago (munchkin will be 3 in Jan) he started to retract his own foreskin. He LOVES to be naked and is for much of the time (we are also toilet learning). I asked him if it hurt and he said no. His "glands" once he retracts, look reddish/purple (which I'm assuming is normal?)... When he did it in the beginning there was some reddish watery discharge, which has gone away since then.

I'm assuming he wouldn't do anything that hurt himself, but I'm curious as to the age that most foreskins retract naturally... and what am I supposed to do during bathtime now that it has retracted????

Any input?

[heket]

I'm sure a more experienced mama will comment more, but I don't think there's a problem. I believe this is normal for the age group.

There were some comments on this thread that seemed prevalent to your question: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ht=ds+retracts

HTH.

[tankgirl73]

I think the "normal range" is anything from 2-12 years old!

DS's was MOSTLY retractable by age 3, but not completely. It wasn't fully separated until about age 7.

Once he can comfortably retract it, you can ask him to retract it to wash once in awhile. Don't use soap under there (so not necessarily bath water) but a little clear water poured over it. I don't recall that it's absolutely necessary in order to keep it clean at this age, but it's probably a good habit to start, as long as he's comfortable with it.

[~Nikki~]

Yep, that's totally normal. You may want to pop into the circumcision board if you have any other related questions. There are lots of smart Moms and Dads in there.

[pigpokey]

DS 2 years 4 mos.

DS doesn't have to do too much, but if he doesn't retract and swish it in the bath, then once in a while his retracting smells will be less pleasant (or less than pleasant). Similarly little girls can smell a bit strongly if they do not open up their labia and let water flow around there in the bath.

[lizabird]

Yep, between the ages of discovery of a penis down there (a few months old) and 4 yr old, my ds plays with his penis a lot when he's naked. I think he was probably just after 3 when he discovered that the foreskin retracted all the way. At his 4 yr old pediatrician appt the ped suggested making sure he retracted foreskin before going pee to make sure urine isn't getting stuck under there causing irritation. Other than that, I don't know much about un-circ'd male genetalia either.

[janabonana]

Thank you everyone for your responses...

I had read it would happen naturally between 2-12 yrs as well, but that is a pretty broad range.

Thanks for the washing/peeing tips too. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to wash it with a cloth or if clean running water would do... so

[pigpokey]

Originally Posted by janabonana

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to wash it with a cloth

Yeah no I think that would be painful.