cleaning baby boy

At nappy changes and bath times, wash or wipe around your baby’s penis and scrotum to clean away any obvious soiling. After a nappy change you can use a damp cloth or cotton wool. While your son is a baby, his penis will self-clean to some extent. Don't try to pull back his foreskin to clean as you won’t be able slide it back. 

Your baby’s foreskin will be attached to the head of his penis. The foreskin will separate from his penis by the time he’s two. You don’t need to help it along and you’ll probably do more harm than good if you try. Forcing back the foreskin may cause it to tear, which can hurt your baby and leave scarring. It may also cause problems for your little boy later on. If your baby has been circumcised, you can keep his penis clean as a part of his normal bathing. After the bath you could put some petroleum jelly on his penis to protect it from rubbing against his nappy. 

It's best to allow as much air as possible to circulate around your baby's penis while it's healing. So if you can, give your baby some time without his nappy on. Your baby’s circumcised penis may take about seven to 10 days to heal. For the first few days after circumcision, your baby’s penis may look quite red and swollen and you may notice a yellowish secretion. These are all signs of normal healing. If your son's penis does become infected it may have redness that doesn't fade or bleeding, and a swollen penis tip. Your baby will feel pain when he does a wee. If you notice any of these signs, call your doctor straight away.  

When changing a baby boy’s diaper, do not allow the old diaper to fall open.  By keeping the diaper up, it can form a shield between you and the baby in case he starts to pee again, and in most cases, he will.  Baby boys tend to pee as soon as their male genital hits the air for some reason.  Because of the size and the location of the male organs, the pee tends to go up and away from the baby’s body, and has been known to strike the face or chest of the parent doing the changing.  To avoid this, hold the diaper over the baby lightly while changing until he releases that urine. 

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