As education has become available about the importance of keeping a child intact many parents are wondering how to care for those children assigned male at birth. Luckily intact care is very simple! Intact Penile Anatomy: When a child is born with a penis the foreskin is fused to the glans of the penis at birth. This fusion allows for the glans and urinary tract to stay safe from bacteria, dirt, feces, and any other contaminates that the genitalia may come into contact with. The tip of the foreskin may look very narrow and small leaving parents to wonder how will urine come out? The tip of the foreskin acts as a sphincter. It will expand as urine is coming out and close back up as the stream stops. As the foreskin begins to separate from the glans later on in a child’s life you may see the foreskin begin to balloon. This is completely normal and there is no need for concern. Ballooning can range from a tiny amount to a large amount. Extreme ballooning is sometimes seen as a problem, but is in fact very normal. Intact Care: Since the foreskin is fused to the glans of the penis at birth there is no need to do anything special when caring for your infant and child. Simply clean what you see. Never retract the foreskin in any way not even ‘just a little bit.’ Any amount of retraction can lead to tearing and scaring of the inner tissues. When this happens it can lead to painful adhesions and trouble for the child later in life. When wiping the penis make sure that you wipe from base to tip.
Intact Care When A Child is Retracting:
Retraction is a function that will happen later on in life. The average age a child will retract is 10.5 years of age. Some children will retract sooner and some quite later. Some people never retract and this is also normal. As long as the person is not in any pain they are fine.
It is important to remember that a child will retract themselves when they are ready. Never do this for the child or force them to at any age. Retraction comes with body exploration.
If your child is retracting before puberty there is no need to instruct them to retract to clean under the foreskin. If your child decides to retract themselves in the bath or shower while playing that is fine and up to them. Just make sure that you instruct them to replace the foreskin over the glans when done.
When a child has reached puberty and if they are retracting simply instruct them to retract the foreskin, rinse the glans with water, and pull the foreskin back over the glans. Avoid soaps as they can alter the pH balance of the genitalia. When the pH balance is changed this can lead to yeast infections and dry out the glans.
What if my Child was Forcefully Retracted?
If your child is ever forcefully retracted by a physician or a caretaker it can be a very scary situation. When this happens try not to panic. Usually a child’s body will heal itself as long as the foreskin is not retracted constantly. Continue intact care as you normally would. If there is redness or irritation a baking soda bath and Calmoseptine on the genitals will help. Make sure to have a discussion with the person that retracted the child so that they know never to do that again in the future.
Resources For Intact Care:
Kid's Health:
https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/how-care-your-childs-foreskin
More Circumcision Myths You May Believe: Hygiene And STDs:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/moral-landscapes/201109/more-circumcision-myths-you-may-believe-hygiene-and-stds
Beware the Well-Baby Check:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/circumcision_b_3443415