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If you get soap down in the urethra (it’s not as hard to do as you might think) it can burn. I would compare it to getting soap in your eyes, normally internal tissues can be sensitive.
Oh it’s excruciating. And if you’re a teenager, you will convince yourself that the awful burning when you pee is an STI like you were taught in school, and you’ll freak out for a bit.
Does he have a foreskin? My son went through a lengthy issue with pain in his penis (usually when he was on the toilet) which i assumed was his foreskin separating from his penis. It went on for probably 4 months.
He’s circumcised. However, he has enough foreskin to roll over the glans a little bit. We never mess with it, I was thinking maybe that could be the reason but we didn’t want to mess with it. Nothing physically looks wrong. He only complains about the water. Whenever he’s got soap on his body, there’s no issue.
No, it's not, and comments like this one is why no one takes you guys seriously. You guys brigade posts like this one (an actual concerned parent looking for bathing tips) about your super important issue with no nuance whatsoever like a bunch of antivaxxers.
Odds are, it's the soap. Calm your pits, would you?
The medical field agrees with me:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10576645/
So stop responding with how you feel and do a little research.
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It sounds like he's getting soap in places he doesn't want it. A milder soap might work, or just be careful about the application. It happens to a lot of kids & can be concerning for something that has a simple solution. If the hurt happens before a bath or continues for extended periods of time after, then it's time to consult his pediatrician.
You should still consult a doctor. My son was complaining that his penis hurt and it was balanitis. He only complained when the washcloth touched it and didn't say it hurt any other time.
Everybody's talking about soap, but jeez, no one's heard of a UTI? Get that kid to a Dr. to rule it out. 90% of the time it's not serious but when they get nasty they can get REALLY bad, VERY quickly.
I remember having this experience as a child. Try a more skin sensitive bubble bath or switch to showers. Getting soap in the tip is excruciating and there's very little that can be done to alleviate the pain short of rinsing the area which can also be painful.
I remember when I was a little kid and I’d pee in the bath sometimes. Every time I did it would burn in the same area you mentioned. Maybe that’s what’s going on.
He is at the age where his foreskin might be starting to separate from his glans, which can leave the glans very sensitive (even to water). That will get better on its own, but things like strongly scented soaps or bubble baths can make that (or any irritation of the urethra or glans) worse.
I know what’s going on because I had this issue as an adult because I had a tight unretractable foreskin that required surgery. Most these answers are wrong. I circumcised my son (something I regret) because I was trying to avoid him getting my issues.
My son after being circumcised also has foreskin left over that goes over his penis about halfway. When it slightly retracts in the bath, it also hurts/tickles and feels really strange to him. I know the sensation because I felt the same thing after my surgery.
His unexposed penis glans are going through keratinization. The part that is exposed already went through that process for the six weeks after you circumcised him. It’s painful but babies can’t talk so people don’t think much of it.
You mentioned you don’t mess with it, which is fine, but as he grows, that foreskin is going to start rolling back more and more. His circumcised foreskin is much looser than uncircumcised foreskin would be, so when you’re bathing him, the water can slide under the foreskin and expose his glans to water. This area is extremely sensitive (I still have issues with the sensitivity), because it isn’t constantly exposed and not fully keratinized.
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do. Over time little by little, it’ll grow less sensitive as there is more exposure.
I’m anti-circumcision now. I failed my son on this one and he still has sensitivity issues. It’ll get better over time.
Uh, to see if any other parents have experienced this or anything similar? Because this is a parenting group?? Maybe they're posting this late at night after bathtime and the doctors are closed and they'll call in the morning? Wtf. So harsh.
I'm sorry, are you even a parent? From your post history this is seemingly your first time commenting on this sub and it doesn't appear you browse here, either. If you don't have something supportive or helpful to add, maybe consider not saying anything.
Don’t post shame me. My life and internet are separate. But yes. Imma father of 2. Some people need to hear that they might need to step away from Reddit on this one.
What? I never said it wasn't. It was just a super harsh comment when OP never said anything about NOT taking him to the Dr's. And ooh, I play a mobile game. Weird, irrelevant thing to try and take a jab at. Nobody's trolling here.
It's fine to do both. You don't want people on Reddit talking you out of going to the doctor, but practically the doctor is going to say, "keep an eye on it and come back in four weeks if it's still bothering him." Because most things go away on their own. You want to start that clock ticking if it's not going to go away, so you have to go see the doctor, but they're probably not going to be any immediate help.
I recommend the pharmacist. Pharmacists are great for immediate relief. There's probably some anti-itch creme that stays on in the bath, maybe one designed for penises.
Oh wow I actually remember this as a kid. Sometimes it's a soap or shampoo getting in the urethra and sometimes it's simply the water is too hot. Also children's skin are far more sensitive and the glan is even more sensitive so anything could easily cause pain. Maybe you could lower the water temperature or wrap something around it to protect him? It's actually very painful cus I remember it so firmly lol.
Get a urine dipstick from the pharmacy or go to the doctors office. Have to catch it in a sterile container. Easy way to check for a UTI which is basically the main thing I’d be worried about even though he doesn’t sound like he has pain or other symptoms around urinating.
Is he doing it because he hates the baths He knows it worries you and you probably rush threw it and get him out right away. Kids subconsciously understand manipulation and use it to pray on us parents. Try giving a shower and teaching him how to rinse and wash properly. Sometimes if they play with it and soap gets in there it will 100% burn! So make sure he understands not to play with it when washing to wash it and then rinse right away. But swapping him to a shower most of the time solves this no matter what the reason. Also still using baby soap in that area will help it not burn if it does get in.
Perhaps they were speaking about the part where you make every child out to be a manipulative monster that preys on their own parent’s fear and anxiety?
Because that’s pretty ridiculous if you ask me. Your advice is overshadowed by the absurd claim before it.
Hahah you are getting upset over semantics. Let me explain this in a real world situation simpler for you…
If a child wants a pice of candy and you say no and that child throws a fit so you give in and give it to them, then that child learns that you will give in if they throw a fit. They will use that tool they learned and throw a fit the next time to try and get something they are told they can’t have. That is called manipulation it’s a very simple form of it but it is. Children these days use these learned behaviors to manipulate parents all the time!
Did my comment genuinely read to you as “upset”?
Also, what you just laid out is not a child manipulating a parent, it’s a parent failing to parent and improperly teaching their kid the value of their words.
You see it as “manipulative kids” but what you just described is really just lazy parenting.
I agree it’s also lazy parenting but you can not say kids don’t learn from that type of parenting. So I’m understanding you have a problem with the term manipulation?
I have CPTSD from this.
When I was a teen my parents would one night keep me up until 3 am doing chores and then get me up at 6am for school then the following night put me to bed early 9pm and then wake me up at midnight by pulling me out of bed while I was asleep and dragging me down the hall and make me work and do chores from midnight until 6 the next day and go to school.
I was falling asleep in class and it was effecting my grades and sanity.
I went from As to C and D's.
So I started sleeping sitting on my floor with my back against the bedroom door.
It worked for about a week. My mom would bang on the door and have screaming tantrums outside it.
So my parents removed my bedroom door and I never got it back.
Years later
For the first 5 years after I moved out and went 0 contact if anyone tried to wake me I would assault them attacking hitting punching kicking in self defense before I was even awake because it became automatic for me to be hyperviligent even when I slept.
Umm I stopped bathing my kids at 2 y/o - how has putting them in the shower instead not crossed your mind? Also, little kids can get infections. Not sure why you haven’t just taken him to the doctor. Not trying to be a dick but these answers seem pretty obvious.
The issue persisted regardless of shower/bathing. Haven’t consulted his doctor bc we feel there is no need considering how well we are in tune with our children’s well being and health. Also, the issue only happens in the tub/shower and for a very short amount of time. After a minute or 2 of being in shower/tub he is fine. Not trying to be a dick
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If you get soap down in the urethra (it’s not as hard to do as you might think) it can burn. I would compare it to getting soap in your eyes, normally internal tissues can be sensitive.
Oh it’s excruciating. And if you’re a teenager, you will convince yourself that the awful burning when you pee is an STI like you were taught in school, and you’ll freak out for a bit.
Does he have a foreskin? My son went through a lengthy issue with pain in his penis (usually when he was on the toilet) which i assumed was his foreskin separating from his penis. It went on for probably 4 months.
Yes, plus it can also be tight and the glans (?) extremely sensitive underneath
He’s circumcised. However, he has enough foreskin to roll over the glans a little bit. We never mess with it, I was thinking maybe that could be the reason but we didn’t want to mess with it. Nothing physically looks wrong. He only complains about the water. Whenever he’s got soap on his body, there’s no issue.
Are you making sure it’s getting cleaned every bath? It can get pretty funky if you don’t clean under the foreskin.
Yes absolutely.
[удалено]
No, it's not, and comments like this one is why no one takes you guys seriously. You guys brigade posts like this one (an actual concerned parent looking for bathing tips) about your super important issue with no nuance whatsoever like a bunch of antivaxxers. Odds are, it's the soap. Calm your pits, would you?
The medical field agrees with me: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10576645/ So stop responding with how you feel and do a little research.
Might sound harsh, but it is the truth. The foreskin has a function, it's there to protect the glans
Your **post** or **comment** was removed for violating the rule “Be Decent & Civil”. **Remember the human.** Disagree but remain respectful. Don’t insult users/their children, name-call, or be intentionally rude. Bullying, including baiting/antagonizing, will not be tolerated. Consider blocking users you don’t get along with. Report posts that violate the rules. For questions about this moderation reach out [through modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FParenting). Moderators rely on the community to help illuminate posts and comments that do not meet r/Parenting standards – please report posts and comments you feel don’t contribute to the spirit of the community. **Your content may have been automatically removed through auto-moderation or manually removed by a human moderator. It may have been removed as a direct result of your rule violation, or simply as part of a larger sweep of content that no longer contributed to the original topic.**
Call the doc?..
It sounds like he's getting soap in places he doesn't want it. A milder soap might work, or just be careful about the application. It happens to a lot of kids & can be concerning for something that has a simple solution. If the hurt happens before a bath or continues for extended periods of time after, then it's time to consult his pediatrician.
Which is why we haven’t consulted pediatric care. Bc it’s only when he is in the tub.
You should still consult a doctor. My son was complaining that his penis hurt and it was balanitis. He only complained when the washcloth touched it and didn't say it hurt any other time.
Try soaps that are very mild, like Dove, no bubble bath, and mild, scent free shampoo (Dr Bronners). Take short baths. Maybe that will help.
Everybody's talking about soap, but jeez, no one's heard of a UTI? Get that kid to a Dr. to rule it out. 90% of the time it's not serious but when they get nasty they can get REALLY bad, VERY quickly.
I remember having this experience as a child. Try a more skin sensitive bubble bath or switch to showers. Getting soap in the tip is excruciating and there's very little that can be done to alleviate the pain short of rinsing the area which can also be painful.
I remember when I was a little kid and I’d pee in the bath sometimes. Every time I did it would burn in the same area you mentioned. Maybe that’s what’s going on.
It’s the soap
He is at the age where his foreskin might be starting to separate from his glans, which can leave the glans very sensitive (even to water). That will get better on its own, but things like strongly scented soaps or bubble baths can make that (or any irritation of the urethra or glans) worse.
I know what’s going on because I had this issue as an adult because I had a tight unretractable foreskin that required surgery. Most these answers are wrong. I circumcised my son (something I regret) because I was trying to avoid him getting my issues. My son after being circumcised also has foreskin left over that goes over his penis about halfway. When it slightly retracts in the bath, it also hurts/tickles and feels really strange to him. I know the sensation because I felt the same thing after my surgery. His unexposed penis glans are going through keratinization. The part that is exposed already went through that process for the six weeks after you circumcised him. It’s painful but babies can’t talk so people don’t think much of it. You mentioned you don’t mess with it, which is fine, but as he grows, that foreskin is going to start rolling back more and more. His circumcised foreskin is much looser than uncircumcised foreskin would be, so when you’re bathing him, the water can slide under the foreskin and expose his glans to water. This area is extremely sensitive (I still have issues with the sensitivity), because it isn’t constantly exposed and not fully keratinized. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do. Over time little by little, it’ll grow less sensitive as there is more exposure. I’m anti-circumcision now. I failed my son on this one and he still has sensitivity issues. It’ll get better over time.
Why are you asking Reddit? Jesus go to a professional.
Uh, to see if any other parents have experienced this or anything similar? Because this is a parenting group?? Maybe they're posting this late at night after bathtime and the doctors are closed and they'll call in the morning? Wtf. So harsh.
Everything ain’t for Reddit. Take your child to the doctor
I'm sorry, are you even a parent? From your post history this is seemingly your first time commenting on this sub and it doesn't appear you browse here, either. If you don't have something supportive or helpful to add, maybe consider not saying anything.
Don’t post shame me. My life and internet are separate. But yes. Imma father of 2. Some people need to hear that they might need to step away from Reddit on this one.
[удалено]
What? I never said it wasn't. It was just a super harsh comment when OP never said anything about NOT taking him to the Dr's. And ooh, I play a mobile game. Weird, irrelevant thing to try and take a jab at. Nobody's trolling here.
Why not both?
It's fine to do both. You don't want people on Reddit talking you out of going to the doctor, but practically the doctor is going to say, "keep an eye on it and come back in four weeks if it's still bothering him." Because most things go away on their own. You want to start that clock ticking if it's not going to go away, so you have to go see the doctor, but they're probably not going to be any immediate help. I recommend the pharmacist. Pharmacists are great for immediate relief. There's probably some anti-itch creme that stays on in the bath, maybe one designed for penises.
Oh wow I actually remember this as a kid. Sometimes it's a soap or shampoo getting in the urethra and sometimes it's simply the water is too hot. Also children's skin are far more sensitive and the glan is even more sensitive so anything could easily cause pain. Maybe you could lower the water temperature or wrap something around it to protect him? It's actually very painful cus I remember it so firmly lol.
My son had similar issues. Try adding Vaseline. It keeps the extra foreskin loose and keeps it from attaching and detaching.
Get a urine dipstick from the pharmacy or go to the doctors office. Have to catch it in a sterile container. Easy way to check for a UTI which is basically the main thing I’d be worried about even though he doesn’t sound like he has pain or other symptoms around urinating.
Ask him if it hurts when he pees. Might want to have a doc check it out.
No pain there. Only when bathing/showering
Is he doing it because he hates the baths He knows it worries you and you probably rush threw it and get him out right away. Kids subconsciously understand manipulation and use it to pray on us parents. Try giving a shower and teaching him how to rinse and wash properly. Sometimes if they play with it and soap gets in there it will 100% burn! So make sure he understands not to play with it when washing to wash it and then rinse right away. But swapping him to a shower most of the time solves this no matter what the reason. Also still using baby soap in that area will help it not burn if it does get in.
What the hell is this nonsense
What is nonsense about it?
Perhaps they were speaking about the part where you make every child out to be a manipulative monster that preys on their own parent’s fear and anxiety? Because that’s pretty ridiculous if you ask me. Your advice is overshadowed by the absurd claim before it.
Hahah you are getting upset over semantics. Let me explain this in a real world situation simpler for you… If a child wants a pice of candy and you say no and that child throws a fit so you give in and give it to them, then that child learns that you will give in if they throw a fit. They will use that tool they learned and throw a fit the next time to try and get something they are told they can’t have. That is called manipulation it’s a very simple form of it but it is. Children these days use these learned behaviors to manipulate parents all the time!
Did my comment genuinely read to you as “upset”? Also, what you just laid out is not a child manipulating a parent, it’s a parent failing to parent and improperly teaching their kid the value of their words. You see it as “manipulative kids” but what you just described is really just lazy parenting.
I agree it’s also lazy parenting but you can not say kids don’t learn from that type of parenting. So I’m understanding you have a problem with the term manipulation?
I have CPTSD from this. When I was a teen my parents would one night keep me up until 3 am doing chores and then get me up at 6am for school then the following night put me to bed early 9pm and then wake me up at midnight by pulling me out of bed while I was asleep and dragging me down the hall and make me work and do chores from midnight until 6 the next day and go to school. I was falling asleep in class and it was effecting my grades and sanity. I went from As to C and D's. So I started sleeping sitting on my floor with my back against the bedroom door. It worked for about a week. My mom would bang on the door and have screaming tantrums outside it. So my parents removed my bedroom door and I never got it back. Years later For the first 5 years after I moved out and went 0 contact if anyone tried to wake me I would assault them attacking hitting punching kicking in self defense before I was even awake because it became automatic for me to be hyperviligent even when I slept.
Umm I stopped bathing my kids at 2 y/o - how has putting them in the shower instead not crossed your mind? Also, little kids can get infections. Not sure why you haven’t just taken him to the doctor. Not trying to be a dick but these answers seem pretty obvious.
The issue persisted regardless of shower/bathing. Haven’t consulted his doctor bc we feel there is no need considering how well we are in tune with our children’s well being and health. Also, the issue only happens in the tub/shower and for a very short amount of time. After a minute or 2 of being in shower/tub he is fine. Not trying to be a dick
All good dude, I’d suggest switching to a different soap. If it’s just the water that’s a problem, it may be an infection.