Caring For Your Intact Son

Got a boy? Does he have foreskin? If you said, “Yes!” twice, read on. This week’s article is about circumcision or rather, the un-circumcised male. Some folks call such little gents intact meaning the foreskin is not altered in any way shape or form. Still, though the decision to leave your child intact is really doing nothing, many of us Mommas lack the practical advice needed to deal with some pretty typical issues your little guy could face. And really, us Mommas don’t have that particular piece of equipment and often Dads are circumcised and don’t have the experience to prep their own son for such a unique experience.

First rule? Leave it alone! Seriously ladies, besides normal diaper area clean-up, your son does not need any additional care. Do not, ever, try to retract the foreskin. Ever. The only person who should be retracting the skin is the person attached to that particular patch of skin. Allowing your child to safely pull, tug, stretch and manipulate the area will insure a safe and painless separation.

That rule established, there may arise issues if the retraction doesn’t happen by the double-digit age…which brings us to our second rule, Ask about it! Once your child reaches the potty training phase of life, it’s time to talk to your child about the proper care and maintenance of their genitals. I suggest, especially if your child has a long foreskin, teaching them to sit to pee. I know one of the few advantages of having boy kids is that they can pretty much pee anywhere, but really, it’s so much easier when they can’t aim.

While we are on the potty training part of the fun, let’s talk about that foreskin and its magical ability to stick to the undercarriage. If you’ve never experienced this, please count yourself lucky…and mentally prepare if it ever does happen to you. See, the foreskin can easily get stuck to the scrotum. When this happens and your son starts urinating the resulting flow can become, well, a sprinkler. A mom’s instinct of course is to “fix” it mid-stream often resulting in getting pee all over you as you “over-correct” the situation – and Heaven FORBID you give a little yell and have your mouth open. Take it from me, consistently suggesting that your son peels his penis away from his scrotum before he pees can save you a lot of headaches and laundry. Also, ballooning or a slight and temporary bulging while urinating is totally normal, and can also lead to a lot of misfires.

As your son gets older, chances are he’s going to have some sort of issue. Be very open and ask occasionally if there is any pain, itching or soreness. A good friend of mine had to visit the doctor with her older son as his skin had not retracted in “time” – the cure? Well, re-read rule #1. Our boy’s bits are in a natural state and should be treated as such.  

I wish there was a practical, comprehensive guide that addressed the everyday issues we face with boys. One that would save us from old wives tales and other myths that could potentially harm our kiddos. Perhaps this article will get us one step closer.