# Some advice needed : My ds is fericiously pulling at his penis



## Velvet005 (Aug 9, 2004)

This has been going on for a couple of days. My 8 month old ds is pulling so hard, it looks very painful. He even tries to do it once his diaper is back on after a diaper change. Sometimes, it looks a little red around the end but usually is better pretty quickly. I didn't notice it being red this morning. I am not sure if he has some sort of infection (like yeast) or if this is normal. Dh says he can't stand to see ds pulling and tugging on it like that. Dh wants me to take him to the dr. but I am scared hr will try to retract it or even worse tell me ds needs to be circed. I need some of your opinions


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## healthymantra (Nov 12, 2005)

I don't know about the redness, could be from the diaper, or from the pulling. My DS is the same age, and has started this too. We use cloth diapers, and he is becoming aware of sensations (wetness, pooping, peeing), and his hands are now enough in his control for him to be able to reach down to investigate. I think he's trying to get it up to his face to see (and, if he's as oral as mine, to investigate it with his mouth)LOL
Keep his fingernails trimmed, and try giving him something else to focus on during diaper changes.
If the redness is worrying you, maybe a call to the doctor (or an experienced mom of an intact boy) would be in order.
Good luck!


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## dynamohumm6 (Feb 22, 2005)

I think it's totally normal.
My almost-7 month old just found his penis last month, and yanks at thing so hard I'm afraid he'll rip it off. I give him naked time so he can air out his bum and have "play time", and by the time I put a diaper back on him, his penis and his foreskin are both pretty red. It used to bother me to see him pulling so hard on it, but it's his penis, he'll stop if it hurts him. Seriously, it's astounding what he does to that thing.









DS also tries to get at it through his diaper. It's a newly discovered built in toy, he'd play with it 24 hours a day if I let him!

If he were uncomfortable, he'd cry. If he had a yeast infection, it'd be red all the time, and he'd be uncomfortable. No worries, he's just being a little boy!

Also, the other option is that the foreskin is starting to separate from the glans a little bit, which might feel strange for him, prompting him to pull on it...but I might be making that up, hopefully someone else will chime in on that note.


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## athansor (Feb 9, 2005)

I think it's normal too, at least my ds seems to do the same thing! I did laugh when I saw the name for your ds in your sig, though


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## TortelliniMama (Mar 11, 2004)

Sounds very normal. Like PPs have said, if it hurt to do it, he would stop. It's kind of like the way that some parents prefer that their kids suck their thumbs rather than use pacifiers, since they can't drop/lose their thumbs. His penis is the one toy that he always knows where it is!


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## Velvet005 (Aug 9, 2004)

Quote:

I did laugh when I saw the name for your ds in your sig, though
I call him that too because he does - he grabs it all!!!









I also thought this was normal but dh seemed to be very concerned. I figured as most of you have said that if it hurt him then he would stop. I just couldn't see him hurting himself and enjoying it. IYKWIM.
I did an inspection last diaper change and I didn't notice any redness. It did seems to retract a tinnie little bit. Not that I was trying to retract him or anything I definetley know better than to do that to him. But I could see his glands but they were still under the foreskin. Does this make sense? I really want to be clear that I did not try to retract him in anyway. I was just looking (I was really trying to see if there were any signs of a yeast infection - which there are not - no odor, discharge or anything) and it seemed to kind of roll back a very little bit. I think I'll just tell dh that the dr said it was normal for babies to do this when they discover their penises so he will not worry and I dont have to worry about going to the dr and him possible doing all the don'ts to my ds

THANKS so much for the replies. I really appreciate it. I am the only person I know with an intact son around here - sad but true. Although my friend did just have a baby and it's a possiblity he is intact (hopefully) Although I will not know til I visit her and I don't want to ask her since she is in pp and had a very difficult birth. Sorry OT.


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## Nanners (Nov 28, 2004)

my son has been doing that since about 7 mos. totally normal, he'll stop when it hurts!


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## njeb (Sep 10, 2002)

Your son is perfectly normal. My sons did the same thing when they were babies/toddlers/preschoolers. As the PP's said, if it hurt him, he wouldn't do it.








What amazed me is that it starts so young!


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## Lula's Mom (Oct 29, 2003)

Just one more vote for "it's normal"! My son loves to strrrrrrrrrrretch his too. It's funny to both of us, and I'll wait for him to finish before I snap up his diaper.









You know, try stretching your outer labia (or even just the lip on your mouth) sometime. I bet you can get it pretty far before it hurts!


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## calngavinsmom (Feb 19, 2003)

Just another chiming in to say NORMAL! Both of my guys were around 7 months when they "discovered" themselves







They haven't looked back since. My oldest is four and is still does the "taffy pull" so I hope it doesn't freak you all out too much, as it probably won't stop any time soon.

Take care,
Tara


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## Velvet005 (Aug 9, 2004)

I told dh what you all have said and he didn't insist I talk him to the doc today.







Whew what a relief. Dh is circed so he knows NOTHING about the intact penis and he's always looking at it and asking me if it looks normal. I say "yes, honey, it looks normal"







I love him he's so funny. I do think he is a little scared of the fact that we didn't go with the mainstream but it's more because it's like stepping onto a path not traveled. If you know what I mean. Hey somebody's gotta make the first step right? Why should we wait for the rest of the US to conform? By then the damage is already done.

Anyways, as I always say I am very greatful for you all here at mothering. You have saved me on having some parental freak outs


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## hubris (Mar 8, 2003)

One more vote for NORMAL! Griff has pulled on his since he found it at 7 mos old or so. It looks horribly painful but he wouldn't do it if it were, and what do I know, I don't own a penis! My mom would see him do it at a diaper change and laugh, "boys have a toy."

About it being pink - if you pulled on your earlobe enough, it would be pink from all that attention. Doesn't mean it's infected. So again, most likely normal.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Sounds like he's found his new favorite toy!







Sounds normal.

-Angela


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## TortelliniMama (Mar 11, 2004)

If it makes you or your dh feel any better, this would probably be making him wince even if he were intact. I've seen some little girls being very, um, enthusiastic about exploring themselves, and it's made me think, "How could that not be uncomfortable?!" And I have all the same parts that they do! Little kids are just rougher with themselves than we expect them to be. (Not to mention, no matter aware we are that their interest is completely developmentally appropriate, social customs are frequently embedded in our minds, muttering, "Hey! He's not supposed to be doing that, at least not in front of people!")


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## Girl Named Sandoz (Jul 16, 2002)

Yup, normal.


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