Talk Amongst Yourselves

What you mean "we," white woman?

Um, this is a topic on which I know nothing! Sorry!

On an unrelated note, I totally remember Linda Richman!

Don't you love how I'm going to comment even though I don't have a baby, because I'm just opinionated?

I wouldn't circumsize or use a wipe warmer, though, if I had one; I thought you'd like to know.

Well, foreskins are a little creepy to be sure, and you don't want to curse the little Adonis with a lifetime of shrieking women. But at the same time, it seems so mean to take a perfectly healthy intact child and cut something off just because modern americans don't like it. Like cropping a boxer's ears or something...I hope I have girls.

About the wipe warmer, just use a regular wipe dipped in warm water. My sister did that before they ever invented electric warmers, and a mug of warm tap water is infinitely easier than carrying around a stupid appliance. Tsk...it's like the greeting card industry. "YOU NEED THIS! BUY! BUY! BUY! You can't do this yourself! Here, eat some corn syrup!"

A close friend of mine has a son. Her doctor told her that if the father is circumcised, the child should be circumcised and vice versa. Something to do with the kid not feeling like something is wrong with his junk if it's different than his dad's. My friend told everyone this is why she had her son circumcised but really foreskins just creep her out.

I am decidedly pro-circumcision. My little brother was not done at birth but due to a string of UTIs that became a serious infection, he ended up being circumcised at the age of 4 and can remember it. I was prepared to do it, but we had a girl...
Some people say the wipe warmers keep a semi-asleep baby asleep during those night feedings. I didn't bother with them though and we were fine (even with a Feb. baby). I usually wadded up the wipe and held it in my hand for a few seconds to take the chill off.

I think more and more kids aren't circumcised these days. Some of my friends have chosen not to and they say cleaning isn't that big of a deal (which, as the person who would be responsible for doing it for a long time would be an issue to consider for me!) It's one of those things you want to grow up the kid and ask his opinion, then shrink him back and do whatever he wants.
As for wipe warmers? Bah!

When we found out our first was a boy, I asked hubby his thoughts about circumcision. He said "OF COURSE!". So we did. Of course, when the time came, on Day #2 of his life, Daddy wasn't brave enough to go with him for the procedure, so Mommy went. I couldn't imagine having a non-circumsized son but probably only because I've never seen (a grown) one that wasn't. I think if you're not going to do it, you need to be more diligent about cleaning and educating him as he gets older so to avoid the infection factor. Like a pp said, you don't want him to have to have it done at a later date when it'll be definitely traumatic.

As for wipe warmers, WASTE OF MONEY. Again, as a pp said, just hold it in your hand for a few seconds to take the chill off. I never had a baby shriek in pain or shock from a cool wipe.

Hope your shower is loads of fun and you get completely spoiled!

I went with the chop for lots of reasons (in addition to being Jewish.) One being looking "normal" by american standards, afterall he will be in an american locker room in high school.
I didnt use a wipe warmer so he didnt know what he was missing. If it is cold to the touch do what everyone else is saying and hold it for a second to take the chill off. But, if you get one as a gift try it. You and the boy may love it.
Have a fantastic weekend! Being the pregnant girl at a baby shower is THE BEST!

I was sure I was having a boy and HH and I decided in advance that we would not circumcize. It should be a decision he gets to make when he's old enough to understand.

Of my four brothers only one got snipped and that was for medical reasons. Now that he has had a child of his own, he is bitter about it, wishing my parents had tried harder to keep it. And yeah, nobody has ever said anything in any locker room/bathroom in any country in any part of the world we've ever been. And no girl has ever run screaming in horror or even seemed to mind.

As for buttwipe warmers, I guess it depends on the temperament of your child. Huey has never been fussy about that kind of stuff. She drinks breast milk from the boob or ice cold from the bottle. Sometimes one right after the other and has never cared. She also eats her pureed food either way just fine. She likes her baths luke warm or very warm. (Never tried giving her a cold bath, though.) But I am also worried about raising a weenie princess, so I tend to test her threshold for comfort in whatever we do.

Of course, she still needs a pacifier to sleep (she is 7 months old now) so I'm not all heart of stone.

The circumcision question is very controversial- kudos for people being so calm.
I have had this discussion with my fiance to which he says, lets just have a girl.. mmmkay?
I don't understand when people say "he'll be in a locker room." Do boys really get naked all the time in front of each other? It does seem quite barbaric to me. It is true that less and less parents are doing it- most insurance does not cover it from what I understand as it no longer "recommended by the Pediatric Association".
For me, I just wouldn't want to take the risk- god forbid something goes wrong- and things have gone wrong. When we now know its not recommended. I just couldn't take that. They don't even give them painkillers or anything.

We got a wipe warmer as a gift. It is a neat little contraption, but not necessary. We used it until our daughter was around 4ish months old and after that point she didn't seem to care if the wipes were hot or cold.

I probably would not circumcise my son-but I don't have angry views on it. It's simply not a requirement in my culture, I joke that I want to spare any future daughter-in-law (or the 10% chance of a son-in-law) the carpal tunnel and lockjaw. Heh.

When I told my sister this, however, she went apesh*t and started like a freaking 2 hour lecture on the benefits of circumcision. Okay, so she IS a doctor and everything but she's the type that prescribes valium and prozak, so can it Freud. Besides, she's the one who is married and closer to having a kid than me! I told her to look after her own hypothetical son's d*ck and leave my baby's 'nads out of it.

A pamphlet arrived in the mail 2 months later. She's big on followups.

I have no idea how you make that decision as a mother. But as a woman I can tell you that I preferred circumcised to non. It just seemed cleaner to me and that would probably guide my decision if I ever have the choice in the future.
I didn't know wipe warmers existed and I'm a little shocked actually.

Studies have shown that circumcision reduces the transmission of STDs so that's another reason for circumcision. I have heard of 2 people who had to get circumcision done later in life (both in their 20s) and believe me, they did not enjoy that experience. I believe in circumcision but I also believe in the right for parents to choose what's right for them.

Totally the first thing I thought of when I "knew" I was having a boy-child. Well, me personally, I want him to have it done simply because all of his friends around him are circumcised and being the lone wolf parent I don't want to have to explain why he looks different than everyone else, and I think the pros far outweigh the cons. I'm certainly not going to wait until he can decide for himself, OUCH! I wish it were a simple decision and I don't judge anyone who thinks differently than me.

Butt wipe warmers, funny the first thing people reccommended to me was swaddle blankets. I registered for one, b/c if he wakes up in the middle of the night just slightly and needs a-changin, I want to do everything in my power to keep him lulled, including keeping his little ass warm and snug. It's ridiculous, but I need all the help I can get.

My husband is circumcised (I'm sure he'd appreciate me sharing), and I believe he has told me that his son (my stepson) is not. Our 6 month old is not circumcised. I read quite a bit about it and it seems to go both ways. In our state, nearly 50% of boys born recently are not circ'ed, so I'm not worried about the locker situation. My stepson is in middle school and has yet to be naked in front of his classmates. I heard on one message board, if your uncirc'ed son gets grief about his, um, junk, he can say, "Why are you lookin' at it anyway?"

Wipe warmers? I don't use them. I really don't change my son at night. He hasn't yet pooped during the night, and we double his diaper to keep him dry. Seems to work. Wasn't there some big hoopla about the warmers burning babies or starting electrical fires? When my daughter was born in 1999, they were a big no-no.

Ooh, way to get the internets chattering: talk about circumcision.
I have never had to cross that bridge but here are some things I have heard...
Apparently fewer and fewer boys are getting circumcised these days, and while it's important for a son to identify with his father and have matching junk, it might be equally, if not more, important for him to have junk that matches all the other self-conscious preteens in his gym class. That being said, I am still undecided about what we'd do if we ever were to have a boy.

And as far as the wipe warmers go, I too scoffed at the thought of them. But just a few weeks ago I bought a pack of maxi pads that came with "clean wipes" (to mask that not-so-fresh feeling) and I used one and whooboy! was it cold. My crotch would have screamed if it could have. It got me thinking that that's how my baby feels whenever I change her diaper and use a cold, wet wipe. But, she's used to it now, so whatever. Life is rough, kid. :)

Didn't circumcise. We're both from Ireland, where it basically never happens, so it wasn't an issue. If we stay in the US, well it seems like boys are 50/50 these days, so I'm not too worried about his future locker-room experiences.

I actually have bought a wipe-warmer this time round, since it's going to be a winter baby and I remember how much baby #1 hated being changed as a newborn. I figure anything to make the experience less traumatic (for all of us) is worth trying. But I do feel like a big wuss.

very quickly: my side of the family immigrated from Italy so none of the men/boys were circumcised per the custom in most European countries. Married a circumcised American who didnt feel strongly about it. None of the pediatricians we spoke with had a strong opinion either. We opted to circumcise our now 18th month old son because there was a NY Times article around the time of his birth that showed a possible link between circumcised males being less likely to contract HIV/other STDs. We had it performed in the hospital by a surgeon and it healed nicely and Luca doesnt seem bothered by it one way or another.

Yes to the wipes warmer. It is just rude to smack a cold wet wipe on your baby's tush in the middle of the night! :-)

very quickly: my side of the family immigrated from Italy so none of the men/boys were circumcised per the custom in most European countries. Married a circumcised American who didnt feel strongly about it. None of the pediatricians we spoke with had a strong opinion either. We opted to circumcise our now 18th month old son because there was a NY Times article around the time of his birth that showed a possible link between circumcised males being less likely to contract HIV/other STDs. We had it performed in the hospital by a surgeon and it healed nicely and Luca doesnt seem bothered by it one way or another.

Yes to the wipes warmer. It is just rude to smack a cold wet wipe on your baby's tush in the middle of the night! :-)

So we circumcised for religious reasons and it was not as horrifically awful as I thought it would be. Also, hubby (the Urologist)is all for it.

As for wipe warmers I vote for stupidest product ever. Room temperature wipes are just fine. Can I put in a recommendation for Viva paper towels and some water for the first few weeks? Newborns and their sensitive skin and all...

The circumcision debate was a hot one in our house last time around and then we had a girl = easy! This time around its just as hot and who knows, maybe we end up with a boy and actually have to make the decision! You have reminded me to ask a few questions because this baby will be born in a different country to last baby and so a whole new set of standards. At the moment we are veering towards circumcision because my husband is although its not exactly the most valid argument.

Wipe warmers - no way. As for what you say about creating dangerous dependance, well my number one advice to MYSELF this time around is to not sweat the small stuff. I realise with hindsight that its pretty hard to get it wrong and I want to be more relaxed with our next baby and less concerned about creating bad habits.

Yes to circumcision and no to wipe warmers. For us, we decided daddy and son should look 'the same.' As far as wipe warmers go, I decided that was one piece of plastic crap I don't need cluttering up an already small and untidy room. Which by the way, with 7 days to go until the big due date, I am getting more than a little antsy to meet this boy.

No to circ, no to wipe warmer.

The chance of a UTI that requires circumcision is probably equal to or less that the number of botched circs that need to be redone. It reduces the chance of STDs for high-risk populations, but I don't intend to rip my son from his white-bread upper-middle-class existence and toss him into a third-world country. Also: condoms.

And instead of a wipe warmer, you can use a flannel cloth dampened with warm water!

I don't usually comment anonymously, but wanted to this time because I'm dishing personal details.

My ex-boyfriend was British and not circumcised. He has..um, A LOT of foreskin and it made sex halting and awkward..since the skin would flip back and be very uncomfortable for him. And irritate me (not physically but the stop 'n go of it all). The only real solution for this would be to get circumcised now in his 20s which is reportedly highly painful and probably embarrassing.

I realize that this is the exception to the rule but I think he wished it had all been done and over with back in infancy rather than something he'd have to deal with as an adult. Based upon my experience with this, I would choose it for any future sons.

Circumcision: My husband is circumcised but my son is not. When we asked our pediatrician about it she said that there is no real medical reason to do it, but that she recommends it because everyone else does it. I didn't love that advice so much. Maybe if docs stopped saying stuff like that we could avoid lots of unnecessary snipping.

Well, "everyone else is doing it" is not a sufficient reason to go removing a piece of my kid's anatomy, so I opted not to. So far we're happy with the decision. It requires no special cleaning until it begins to retract (which it hasn't yet) and we're totally prepared for the "you're just a little different from your dad" discussion when the time comes. We're having another boy in december and plan not to circumcise him either.

Wipe warmer: Never used one and never had a kid shriek in discomfort when faced with a cool wipe. I also had a brand new one offered to me by another mom who never used hers, either. My changing table gets to be a little chaotic as it is, so I fell like less is more there.

Adam's Jewish. We're circumcising if we have a boy. If you want to, but are afraid of backlash, make up some Jewish ancestry on one of your sides. (Ours isn't made up, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't convenient, as we probably would anyway.)

No comment on the circumcision ... will have to defer to Simon for this issue...

W.r.t. the wipe warmer, I returned the one I got because it dried out the wipes! Have fun at your shower!

Well being the baby sister to 5 brothers...cut that foreskin. It keeps infections down. My mother decided against it with her first two boys. They both had a case of "tonsils being removed" when they were teenagers. Not only embarrassing, but VERY painful! Babies don't remember some crazy doctor coming at them with a knife to remove foreskin and they heal up in no longer than two days with some Vaseline.

We have a wipe warmer. Some of them dry out the wipes and others work fine. BUT like you said the baby screams and cries when your out on the town and have to use a wet cold wipe.

Either way...both of those items above are totally individual preferences. I just wouldn't want my boy to be 15 or 40 years old and need his "appendix" taken out.

I guess I feel more strongly about this than other commenters, but my opinion is that it's a perfectly healthy and functional body part and there's no reason to remove it "just in case" or to make his junk look like dad's or whatever. Because little boy junk looks different from daddy junk anyway (size! hair!), circ'd or no. I think a boy should be able to make that decision for himself, unless there's an extenuating circumstance (religion or physical problem). And these days some baby Jewish boys I've known had a bris without an actual bris, if you know what I'm saying and I think you do.

The whole circumcision craze in this country started when doctors told parents it would help keep their sons from jerking it, so it's not like the historical reason for it is all that good in the first place. We're the only country in the world (except Israel I guess, but again, religion) that has taken the circ thing to such extremes, and I bet there's a lot of men and older boys in this country who wish that decision hadn't been made for them. And the arguments for circ'ing re: less likely to get diseases - well, teach your kid to use a condom, which people should be using anyway.

Sorry. I know I shouldn't really have a say, considering I don't even have a kid of my own, and it's completely up to you and Simon as to what you do with your son's tackle (if anything), but Dan and I decided a long time ago that if we have any boys they'll remain intact unless there's a specific medical reason to circ. If they want to undergo it as an older kid or an adult, that will be up to them. They'll be a heck of a lot more likely to have anesthesia in that case anyway.

Circumcision - yes, because that's what dad has and also, it seemed right for us.

WIpe Warmers - yes, stupid. Avoid at all costs. Your kid is going to grow up thinking that his toilet paper should be heated. That is wrong.

Wipe warmer = totally unnecessary space-taker-upper. Be hardy like your ancestors and just use the cold ones!

I wrote a good long one but your spam filter didn't like it. So I'll just say: foreskin = sexual pleasure.

Warm wipes = good.

Circumcision: good.

Warm wipes: good.

Wipe warmer: bad. Our pediatrician described it as a sauna for bacteria. "Wipe a butt, reach for another wipe and the bacteria on your hands just found a new nice, warm place to grow." Yeeeeuuuch. Since both kids have gotten rashes from wipes, we just use paper towels and warm water anyway.

We did circumcision. I was fairly indifferent, probably leaned more towards not doing it. However, my husband wanted it done since we live in the USA and most guys are circumcised. One less thing to face in junior high school locker rooms. God, I still remember how cruel the boys were and the things they talked about that happened in there.

Wipe warmers? We had gotten a hand-me down, so money wasn't the issue. I simply thought they were silly and one more thing to worry about a freakin' outlet for - therefore, I never used it. I just hold the wipe in my hand for a few seconds.

I find wipes in general a waste of money. Buy a bunch of baby washclothes. When you need a "wipe", wet the washcloth (with warm water if that's what baby prefers), wipe, and throw in the laundry. Yes, it produces laundry, but it saves on garbage and you'll be doing laundry every day or two anyways.

Wipes didn't and don't agree with my daughter. Tried many different brands and all caused BAD rash. Ouch and yuck.

Circumcision - no. Watched a video online (can't remember where, maybe circumcision.org) and the baby screamed and wailed in pain. My son was born with a number of medical issues and we didn't want to add any unnecessary pain. The circumcision rate in the US is going down anyway, so locker-room mockery shouldn't be an issue.

Wipe warmer -- two months ago I thought they were totally stupid and unnecessary. But my husband does all the night changings (yes, my husband is awesome) and he noticed the baby jumping every time a cold wipe was used. So even though I felt silly, I broke down and got one, and our son likes it much better. Yes, it's unnecessary and maybe I am turning the boy into a wuss, but as I mentioned, he has a lot of medical challenges and to me, he deserves a little pampering. He's just two months old, and the warmer only cost $20 bucks.

As for the warmer being a breeding ground for bacterial, ours is pretty hands-free. Once you open the lid the wipes pop up on their own, so I don't see how you're going to transfer any poop germs to the inside of the warmer.

I know you don't wanna think of your little guy like this and it too early to have to worry about all the awkward puberty stsuff, but not all ladies are put off by the foreskin. I personally wish every guy came equipped and would have trouble doing it to a son.

But either way he will be a cute boy and turn out okay. Can't speak for the guys, but most guys seem to consider whichever way they are as normal. Mainly I just wish all kids could be happy and secure in the junior high-ish years--so much so I am wishing Wombat good junior high karma a good 11 or 12 years in advance!

I know you don't wanna think of your little guy like this and it too early to have to worry about all the awkward puberty stsuff, but not all ladies are put off by the foreskin. I personally wish every guy came equipped and would have trouble doing it to a son.

But either way he will be a cute boy and turn out okay. Can't speak for the guys, but most guys seem to consider whichever way they are as normal. Mainly I just wish all kids could be happy and secure in the junior high-ish years--so much so I am wishing Wombat good junior high karma a good 11 or 12 years in advance!

Re: circumcision, just one thought: When your boy has a really, really disgusting bout of diarrhea, or even just a routinely disgusting poop, you will be grateful if he is circumcised, because otherwise you will have to yank the foreskin around to get at the nasties. And the less yanking necessary in such situations, the better.

Re: wipe warmers, when we lived in a house where the wintertime temperature IN OUR BEDROOM regularly hit the low 40s, my then-baby shrieked and writhed a lot less during diaper changes with a warm wipe. But when we moved to a house with an actual thermostat and could maintain a pleasant 65 degrees or higher in the winter, we quit using the warmer, as it didn't seem to make much difference to the shrieking or writhing.

These are deep questions, though, and I know you are struggling in your soul to resolve them. Especially the wipes issue. Any good mother would.

No offence, but when marketers see parents-to-be coming, they rub their hands together and think, "What completely unnecessary piece of rubbish can we produce to rip more money out of their hands?" And wipe warmers is the answer.
Who would even consider such a thing?! Sounds like a) something your mother/grandmother/millions of women everywhere get along just fine without and b) consumerist silliness that just adds to more junk in the world, not to mention landfill.
Please don't do it!

Guy viewpoint re circumcision: it's no big deal either way. Maybe 30 years ago I would have had it done, just so the boy doesn't stand out, but these days it's not so unusual. Sex: I've heard that it matters, and that it doesn't. (Doesn't, for me.) One consideration is that if you end up doing it late, the kid WILL remember (ouch!). As a baby, not at all, regardless of the screaming. (If a baby remembered everything that made it cry, we'd all be insane by age 4.)

(To the commenter who asked if boys really got naked in front of each other in the locker room: is that a serious question? yeah, that's how it's done. Staring is considered rude.)

Warm wipes? silly and excessive.

Circumcision; I held both my boys during the procedure. I figured if I couldn't stand to be there, they shouldn't be put through it.
I guess we did it in part to avoid the possible health problems and the certain repeated instructions to the little buggers to take care of the cleaning duties. Lil' bastards never listen without being told thrice.
No to the wipe warmers. Would Spartan children get wipe warmers? I think not!
Never too early to toughen them up a bit.

My husband is, my son is not. I mainly left it up to my husband, and he found it unnecessary. I htink the comments about locker rooms and looking like daddy are pretty weak reasons for doing it. I have small boobs; my mom has big ones - does that mean I should get implants so we look the same? And the bit about it looking 'creepy' - there's a lot of places on everyone's bodies that doesn't look so hot - that doesn't mean we should start chopping it here and there.
STDs - limiting high risk behavior should take care of that.
But after all is said and done, it's a personal decision. So I'll shut up.

when i have a boy-child i don't know whether we will circ or not, i am european, so don't think it's totally necessary. my husband is circ-ed, i think it will be something we will discuss at length.
baby wipe warmer? that's a no-brainer: no. frivolous.
can't wait to read what you decide.

Being 8 months pregnant and not knowing if we're having a boy or a girl (but I'm 'feeling' girl) we've had the conversation. Frankly, after research and talking with doctors and friends I don't feel strongly about it one way or the other. My husband though, being snipped himself, his first reaction was to of course have the procedure. Although now he's changing his tune a little when he considers the pain the little guy will go through.

I know we can't ask the baby how much it hurts or for how many days, but what do you think?

Well, sorry to be the voice of England, Europe or "the rest of the world", but...cutting off a significant part of boy's penis so that he looks likes his dad?

The only thing I can think of that sounds that daft would be wipe warmers--do these really exist?

I'm British and my husband's American, so HUGE sigh of relief round here that creature #2 is also going to be a girl. My husband would have wanted a boy to look like him, and ultimately I may have let him make that decision, but it would have really haunted me.

It just seems such an absurd cultural decision to me - after all - boys don't clean their ears either but we don't chop those off for hygiene reasons!

I too agree with the poster who mentioned that a World Health Organization study was cut short because the incidence of AIDs contraction amongst the non-circ'd group was so much higher they couldn't ethically continue with the study - but please, a condom people!!

Don't circumcise! I do have a son, a strapping 17 year old. I do remember the debate and decisions regarding circumcision. It was a hot-button subject. I chose NOT to have it done. I've never regreted the decision. And neither has the boy, as far as I know. Do you want your darling brand-new baby boy pinned down, and strapped to a board just to have his delicate little parts whacked at? Would you do that to a daughter, just for societal convention? They are born with it, let them keep it! The hygene thing is bogus, too. We teach girls to clean in the crevasses, so teach the boys as well. Good luck with your decision.

Well, I have to be yet another voice of Europe - I just don't get circumcision! I guess the only real reason is cultural habit, and as for sexual preference it's about what you are used to and not anything else. I've only slept with one who's had a circumcision and that felt really weird to me!

I have no opinion on whether to circumsize or not, as I don't plan to have kids, and I can see both sides. However, I do have an observation about the new way circumcisions are being done. My recently born nephew had this deal where they put a ring around the foreskin after it is cut a it, and then it falls off much like some breeders do with puppy tails. It was incredibly disgusting and sad to me, but he didn't seem to mind much.

the lame answer is this: eh. do whatever. i have heard a lot of these stories from others and blah blah blah. some gets just don't keep it clean and they had to be circumcised at blah blah blah. don't want to make the kid feel weird since daddies is different, blah blah blah.

here's the reality: he is going to want to be bigger, not get caught wanking it as a teenager, and want every girl (or boy) to say it is the biggest if it is circumcised or not. so cut, or don't cut, he isn't gonna hold it against you.

as for wipe warmers! hell yes! nothing cold in a warm area. ; )

btw, just thought i would add this in, but most euro guys (non-jewish) are not circumcised. so, if you want to go with the exotic factor...

This comment might just be a test as to whether you actually read all your comments or, in a warm-milk induced pregnant stupor, you just move on to the next topic.

Circumcision: If Simon's peter is (heh heh), then the boy's probably should be to. There's a whole line of thinking about how the son should look like the father, in various ways, of course. Better do it now as a wee infant than having to contemplate the knife later on. Plus, a trimmed wiener is more aerodynamic if the kid wants to try competitive swimming or a triathlon in the future.

Wipes warmers: Great for at least the first few months, especially (as you do) when you live in a strangely cold place and your child (as yours will be) is born in December. Eventually, you'll get tired of the wipes on the bottom drying out (continual rotation is key). Then, you'll pass on the warmer to some other new mom and win them over, too.

{Coming from the Advice Smackdown - nicely handled}.

I cheer your inclincation to "meh" about circumcision. That was the route that I took and let my Mister fret about it while I worked on ... well ... most other decisions. It's good practice for letting dad find his way with stuff.

We didn't circ either of our boys - but then we live in the UK and it's just not done here. You've heard a lot of horror stories in the comments but I think there's no medical reason for or against (yes there's a slightly higher risk of UTIs but it's still less than the average woman's risk and we don't stress about that for our girls do we?). As for cleaning, it's really not a big deal and I've never had problems with foreskins and poo blowouts (but the poo blowouts - uggh! I was up to my elbows in stain remover today).

Wipes warmer - definite no. Save your cash for take away meals (much more important).

Re: wipes warmer: I find that when the little ones are really small, it is good to have a warmer...or wipes that are warmed by something(not necessarily a warmer). Young babies have a hard time maintaining their body temp and any shocking coolness against their bottom during diaper changes sometimes sets them off. But once they are older like 3 months, it isn't such a big deal.

Re: circumcision: My hubby is Muslim and according to his tradition, boys are circumcised when they are seven years old. (I'm not sure this what all Muslims do but that is what his family does.) So the choice was between circumcision at seven years or at a day old. I chose the day old option for our son. I hated it because he was perfect as he was, but I knew it was necessary to prevent the trauma of circumcision at seven years. The wound got better much quicker than I thought it would. You just have to remember to put a lot of Aquaphor or Vaseline on it to prevent the diaper from sticking to it.

Well, first of all- I've been with both circumcised and uncircumcised men. I actually prefer my uncircumcised husband. Cleanliness is not an issue with him as he is very hygenic and loves to be clean. We did not circumcise our son. You should consider that circumcising does reduce sensation in the penis. Why is it ok to cut part of a boy's genitals away? Would we think
it was ok if you were talking about circumcising your daughter? I guess my biggest issue with it is that if you do it, I think it should be a personal decision- as in a man should decide for himself. It doesn't seem right to me to make that decision for someone else even if they are your child. I think the argument of trying to look like the other boys in the locker room is bollocks- I'm sorry, but, boys don't get naked in the locker room and look at each others junk to compare. Certainly not in the US where people are so uptight about nudity. There's my two cents- didn't know I felt so
strongly about it. Good luck with the decision.