"Our son is uncircumcised. We have never forcibly tried to
retract his foreskin for cleaning. Recently, at our two-year
check-up, the doctor told us we SHOULD be retracting it. He even
attempted to do so, but our child (wisely) would not cooperate.
Should we have been forcibly retracting the foreskin all this time?
Should we start doing so now? Are we supposed to be doing anything?"
Uncircumcised infants do not need any special care for their
penis. I call it "the un-care of the intact penis". You should
completely leave it alone. You should NOT forcibly retract it,
EVER. And you should not allow anyone else to do so either. This
causes considerable trauma, both physically and emotionally.
Forcible retraction can lead to soreness and infection of the
foreskin.
Why all the controversy? Rarely, an intact foreskin will
remain tight and unretractable into adulthood. This can interfere
with urination. If this occurs, it can be corrected with a minor
surgical procedure. Years ago, doctors thought that we should
therefore forcibly retract the penis during infancy so that this
rare problem won't occur. If it was not retractable by a few years
of age, it should be forcibly retracted. Now we know that the
trauma of doing so far outweighs any benefits.
The pain and trauma just isn't worth it. Virtually all foreskins
will loosen up and retract just by the child normally exploring this
body part.