Penis

For the most part, the penis in babies and kids sort of takes care of itself. You don’t really have to do much. The foreskin will make its own natural cleaning and hydration mixture called smegma, which you may see as some white stuff that collects around the edge of the foreskin. When cleaning, don’t feel the need to pull the foreskin back. Just wash the outside of the penis like you would wash any other part of little dude’s body. 

Sometimes kids’ foreskins can be overly tight, though. The fancy term for this is phimosis. If the tightness of the foreskin impedes urine outflow or causes pain, we will often recommend softening the foreskin with a topical steroid that mimics what happens during puberty (with increased steroid production of the body in the form of testosterone). This will then naturally cause the foreskin to loosen and thin. Never forcefully retract the foreskin. This is not only painful, but what could happen is that the foreskin could actually get stuck behind the head (glans) of the penis. This is a medical emergency that needs prompt treatment from the urology team in the emergency room to make sure there is still blood flow to the rest of the penis. 

If the penis is red and swollen, this could be a sign of an infection, and that kiddo should be seen by the pediatrician. To treat this, we often use a mixture of ointments to fight a possible fungal or bacterial infection as well as a gentle anti-inflammatory to decrease swelling and pain.