I don’t have a penis. I have only rarely dealt with (read: changed the diaper of) an infant with a penis (and don’t remember doing it, so it was a really long time ago). So when an article about infant foreskin crossed my path, I opened it, because, “Hey, new thing I don’t know much about!”
And wow did I learn.
If the foreskin is still attached to the penis of the infant – you don’t have to pull it back to clean inside it.
Not only that, but you should NOT pull it back.
In an infant, the foreskin is attached to the head by a membrane called the synechia. The membrane dissolves (not unlike the hymen), but this takes time (2-6 YEARS is normal, although earlier or later than that is not concerning), and should not be rushed. The first person to pull back the foreskin should be the child – they will stop if it hurts or if there is resistance.
If the membrane is pulled back, severe pain, bleeding, tearing, infections, and permanent damage could happen to the penis.
Once the child does this the first time, you can teach them how to wash underneath the foreskin (pull back, wash under the folds, rinse away all the soap, push forwards again…references below). But until then, the foreskin protects the head of the penis from all bacteria – including poop! (If I had thought about infant penises before having read up on the subject, I would have assumed that you would have to pull back the foreskin to clean out poop – you certainly have to clean EVERYWHERE with an infant vulva! But nope!)
The only time you should be concerned about the foreskin of the infant is if it gets red, sore, or inflamed. If the child can’t pee, that is definitely a problem. Bring them to a doctor.
The human body knows what it is doing. Let it take care of itself, and don’t pull back an infant’s foreskin!
References
https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/foreskin-care
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/phimosis/
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