Post-Circumcision Care For Newborns, Babies And Toddlers

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Activity

Toddlers may resume normal quiet activities such as walking, climbing stairs and going outside with supervision. Keep your toddler away from rough play and put straddle toys out of sight for the first week, as they can cause oozing from the incision.

You do not need to restrict the activities of babies and newborns.

Bathing

It's best to avoid full-body bathing until the second day after surgery, but sponge bathing is fine. After the second day, you can bathe your baby or toddler as normal; with newborns, you should wait until the umbilical cord has fallen off, at about two weeks. Avoid very warm water.

Incision Care

Your son will probably have a wrap-around dressing on his penis. The dressing often falls off on its own after surgery, which is not a major concern. If the dressing is still in place on the second day after surgery, it should be removed. This can be done by sitting your son in the bath for 10 minutes, then unraveling the bandage completely. After the bandage is off, leave the penis open to the air and apply Vaseline or bacitracin ointment to the penis with each diaper change or several times a day. This will prevent the dry edges of the incision from sticking to the diaper.

Expect some oozing and bruising from your son's circumcision — this is part of the normal healing process. If there's oozing, it may be helpful to apply gentle pressure with a tissue. If you notice heavy bleeding, call the pediatric urology office at (415) 353-2200.

Pain Control

If your son has any pain from the operation, you can give him Children's Tylenol or Tylenol with codeine elixir. Follow the dosage directions on the bottle.

Follow-up

We will need to see your son for a post-operative visit about four weeks after surgery. Please make an appointment by calling Pediatric Urology at (415) 353-2200.

UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals medical specialists have reviewed this information. It is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace the advice of your child's doctor or other health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your child's provider.

Recommended reading

Post-Operative Care for Adolescent Circumcision

We offer information to help your adolescent heal after his circumcision. Read about activity restrictions, incision care, pain control and more.

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