It is essential to keep your son’s penis clean whether or not he is circumcised. Keeping the penis clean helps prevent infections. You need to teach your  child how to care for his genitals as he grows older.

Your son’s  penis (circumcised)

 
Circumcision is usually performed on the 3rd or 4th day after the baby boy is born. A light dressing such as a gauze and petroleum jelly is placed on the head of the penis. When the baby urinates, the dressing will probably come off. However,  health care officials recommend that you keep a clean dressing on until the penis is fully healed. It is very crucial to keep the area as clean as possible. When  stool gets on the penis, wash it with soap and water during a diaper change.

During the first few days, the penis may look red . You  may also notice yellow secretion. The redness and yellow secretion should disappear within a week. If the redness persist or there is swelling and crusted yellow sore, contact your health care provider immediately. This may be a sign of an infection.

After the penis has completely healed, it does not require any special care. Occasionally,a   small piece of foreskin may remain.  You need to pull this skin back gently anytime  you bath the baby. Make sure the grove around the head of the penis is clean .

If for some reason (usually medical reason) ,circumcision is not done within two weeks of delivery of the baby, the same care will be needed whenever it is done.

Your son’s penis (uncircumcised)

 
You can simply bath your baby’s uncircumcised penis with soap and water within the first few months. The foreskin is initially connected   by tissue to the glans, or head of the penis. You should not try to retract it. Cleansing of the penis with antiseptics or cotton swabs is not necessary. However you have to watch your baby occasional while he is urinating. This is to make sure  that the hole in the foreskin is large enough  to permit a normal stream. If the baby seems to have discomfort during urination or the stream is just a trickle, consult the pediatrician.

Do not forcefully retract the foreskin before it is ready. The doctor will let you know when the foreskin has been separated and can be retracted safely. This will not be be for several months or years. Forceful retraction of the foreskin can cause tears in the skin and painful bleeding.  After separation  of the foreskin, retract the foreskin occasionally and clean the end of the penis underneath.

As your son get older , teach him what he needs to do to urinate and how to clean  his penis. Teach him to clean the foreskin by doing the following :

• pulling it back gently away from the head of the penis
• using soap and  warm  water to rinse the head of the penis and the inside fold of the foreskin
• pull the foreskin back over the head of the penis

 
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