a little confused.......?

listen, you should be retracting the foreskin and cleaning the head of the penis with every bath, not doing so is increasing risk of infections.

You got terrible, outdated advice. If this is a concern for you, I'd seek a second opinion. Because we dealt with various hospital pediatricians and had to see two different clinic pediatricians before we got to see our regular one I can safely say that ALL of them informed me "Do not retract the foreskin! Wait until it does it on it's own."

It sounds like you know better than your doc here. They used to tell you to force it back - this is part of the reason so many men had issues with their foreskins in the past (leading to various stories about men having to be circumcised when older.)

Leave it alone - I have never heard differently from any reliable source and that is what I am doing with my son.

this is from the Not Just Skin website

http://www.notjustskin.org/en/circumcisionfaq.html

Isn't it more complicated to care for an uncircumcised penis?

An infant's foreskin is non-retractable and should not be forcibly retracted for cleaning. It does not require any particular care. By the age of 18, most men's foreskins will have become retractable, and can be cleaned by sliding the foreskin back, rinsing with warm water, and letting the foreskin slide forward again. It is not necessary to use soap or any harsh cleansers; soap use may even cause problems. The intact penis is a self-cleaning organ that produces smegma (a creamy substance also produced by females, containing dead cells and immunological substances) to combat infection. See the Circumcision Information Resource Center, under "Proper penile hygiene for intact men."

Meanwhile, following circumcision, the injured penis requires careful attention and monitoring. In the absence of complications, the open wound takes about ten days to heal. During this time, the child may have difficulty sleeping and breastfeeding. In addition, there is a risk of infection, adherence of the bandages to the wound, and abnormal healing.

What if an uncircumcised man has problems with his foreskin later?

The most commonly cited indication for circumcision after infancy is a condition called phimosis, in which the foreskin has scar tissue or inflammation and becomes tight around the glans. In children, this can result from premature, forcible retraction of the foreskin, which causes tearing of the skin and creates a raw wound susceptible to infection. Circumcision is an excessive treatment for phimosis, which can be resolved by steroid creams, and gentle manual loosening and stretching of the foreskin, and in severe cases, moderate preputioplasty. See the Circumcision Information Resource Center, under "Conservative treatment of penile problems."

Like every part of the body, the foreskin has the potential to develop malignancies. Malignancy of the foreskin is extremely rare (approximately 1 in 100,000) and occurs mostly in older men. It is appropriate to treat this cancer by removing the cancerous region of the tissue. The only other medical reasons to amputate foreskin tissue are frostbite and gangrene of the foreskin, also extremely rare.

and this is dr greens answer to your question

http://www.drgreene.com/21_513.html

Structurally, the penis consists of two main parts, the shaft and the head (which is called the glans). Urine and semen exit the body through a tiny opening at the tip of the glans. At birth, the shaft and the glans are covered by a single continuous layer of skin. If circumcision is performed, the part of this skin that covers the glans is cut off. Immediately after circumcision the glans appears swollen, tender, and vivid red, since the foreskin was firmly attached to the glans before it was forcibly separated and then cut off.

In uncircumcised boys, the foreskin at first remains firmly attached to the glans, but gradually over time the attachments are broken (mostly by the stretching resulting from repeated normal erections). In 90% of boys the foreskin is loose and mobile by age 2, but the process can sometimes take five or more years. When the foreskin has separated from the glans, the foreskin can easily be retracted, or pulled back, to leave the glans exposed. Throughout life, a cheesy white material called smegma, consisting primarily of dead skin cells and secretions from sebaceous glands, will accumulate under the foreskin.

In uncircumcised boys, forcibly ripping the foreskin from the glans in the name of hygiene can lead to pain, scarring and adhesions. Do not try to forcibly retract the foreskin or to clean under an adherent foreskin with swabs, antiseptics, or even water. On the other hand, even though doing nothing at all may be considered natural, similar reasoning would lead to not cutting the hair, trimming the nails, washing the hands, or cleaning the bottom after a poop. Gentle hygiene enhances health.

Only the outside of the foreskin needs to be cleaned during the first year. It should be cleaned and bathed with soap and water just like the rest of the diaper area. After his first birthday, you might want to very gently pull back on the skin of the shaft to see if the foreskin retracts. If it doesn't at all, don't worry -- and don't force it! There is certainly no rush. If urine can flow freely, the hole in the foreskin is big enough. As long as the foreskin doesn't easily retract (even in a ten year old), only the outside needs to be washed. If the foreskin retracts a little, it would be okay to gently clean the exposed part of the glans with water (but don't use soap while the foreskin is still partially attached to the glans, since this can irritate this tender area). After cleaning, always pull the foreskin forward to its usual position. This is very important -- otherwise it can get stuck

NO YOU SHOULD NOT! their foreskin is not retractable for a reason. it will retract on it's own. forcing it back will be painful and it's like riping it from the glands. it can also introduce bacteria. even with the case of your nephew, with some boys it can take til they are 3 4 5 or even 7 to go back all the way.

you will knew by just brushing it back a little if it's retractable

BTW you shouldn't be cleaning underneath either until it's retractable, you just wipe it like a finger

I had my son circumcised because I didn't want him to go thru the pain later in life (that's if he needed to have it). It's best to get it done as newborns.. he healed within a week with no problem. My husband chose to have this surgery on my son to reduce infections. I have 3 nephews that didn't get circumcised & have never heard of their pediatrician saying that to any of my sisters. You should get a 2nd opinion. Not sure what that entails (working the foreskin back)?

I probably would not get my son circumcised either. I don't know a lot about what to do with this situation but i guess where neither of us do, i would just do what the doctor says or if you don't want to then maybe just call the doctor on the phone and talk wiht him about it and see what he has to say.

No no no no no!!!

You should not retract him and neither should the pediatrician. Your son should be the only one to retract him. I agree with you- forcing it back can and often does cause real damage.

Leave him alone and maybe make sure the pediatrician doesn't EVER forcibly retract your son.

sounds like your not wanting to listen to your doctor and for someone else to give you a way out of not taking care of your kids penis. Maybe you should have done alot more research before not getting him circumcised and in todays society you should have thought about his future hygiene practices and his dating and romance scene. It just may make it hard for him. And being circumcised it is not for the parents it for the child most boys 6-10 are very careless with hygiene. And you will probably have to remind him every night to pull it back and he can skip the whole part of being embarrassed about a situation that will arise in the future. Although you want under stand and yeah its your child's penis but your his parent and while he is unable to answer the question you are the one who is supposed to make decision that will best determine your child's future not yours its not about you anymore your life is to insure your child a HAPPY future. Good Luck! Oh and if you would have got him circumcised to begin with you wouldn't have to ask this question and you wouldn't have to worry about hurting him or rely on other people to help and maybe your childs penis is not willing to what another six months to have you start gently working the foreskin down maybe the doctor has seen this before and now its time. Why don't you take him back and ask him to show you how or what to do and ask the doctor his reason on wanting you to do this. And with the comment its natural, yeah its natural but so is child birth and if are society came up with away to make something easier or more healthier do you not use it? good luck again!

I know this isn't what you want to hear, it sounds like, but the pros of circumcision outway the cons. The Pros: Easier hygiene, decreased risk of urinary tract infection, prevention of penile problems, decreased risk of penile cancer and decreased risk of STDs and HIV transmission. The Cons: Pain and surgical risks suck as: the chance of meatitis (inflammation of the opening of the penis).

My thought is... do it now, so they don't remember how bad it hurts. I had a friend who had to have it done as an adult and it was horrible. Not to say that it's not as bad for a baby, but they won't remember it.

I think as long as you are cleaning under his foreskin during diaper changes and baths, he should be fine! Circumcision is not natural, so him keeping his foreskin is the way nature intended.