What should I do if my baby's calf is red and swollen?

In real life, babies not only need to take care of their daily diet and daily life, but also pay attention to the health and cleanliness of all parts of the baby's body. Redness and swelling of the genitals of male babies is also a relatively common symptom. Generally, there are many reasons for the redness and swelling of the baby's genitals. This may be an infection caused by long-term accumulation of urine. You can wipe it frequently with clean water or wash it with saline.

Clean the genitals with warm water or saline every day. Most of the time, it is caused by long-term accumulation of urine and cause local bacterial infection. Slightly push the foreskin when cleaning. If it is more serious, you can apply erythromycin ointment after cleaning and drying.

How to clean a boy's external genitalia?

First, gently lift your baby's penis and gently clean the base with a piece of soft gauze. Then clean the baby's scrotum, which has many wrinkles and is more likely to hide sweat and dirt. The area below the scrotum is also where sweat and dirt can easily hide, including the area near the groin, so pay special attention to wiping it.

The next step is a very critical one, which is sometimes easily overlooked, and that is cleaning the baby's foreskin. Use your right thumb and index finger to gently pinch the middle of your baby's penis, gently push the foreskin back toward his body, and then gently rinse it in clean water. When pushing the baby's foreskin back, stop immediately when you feel resistance. Never push or pull too hard to avoid causing discomfort to the baby or even damaging the baby's fragile body tissues.

For new mothers, bathing a baby is already a hectic task, and cleaning a boy's external genitalia seems to make the task even more difficult. In fact, as long as you master a few key precautions, cleaning your baby's external genitalia will be an easy task.

Control water temperature

A boy's external genitalia is the part of his body with the lowest temperature and is most afraid of heat. The temperature of water used to clean a boy’s external genitalia should be controlled below 40°C to avoid scalding the baby’s delicate skin. In fact, the most ideal temperature is around 37°C, which is closest to the baby's body temperature. Some people even suggest using water at 32°C to 35°C.

The baby's external genitalia is covered with nerve tissue and the skin is very fragile. You need to pay special attention and use gentle, steady, and slow force to avoid squeezing or pinching the baby's external genitalia, including the penis and scrotum, due to momentary nervousness.

Avoid overstimulation

The baby's external genitalia will swell when heated, and the urethral opening will open accordingly. Excessive stimulation may increase the baby's chance of urinary tract infection. Some experts also believe that over-stimulation of the baby's external genitalia will stimulate the baby's sexual activity and increase the risk of precocious puberty.