I needs me some advice, lovely people!
My Little Prince is due in 3 weeks, and I'm all of a sudden freaking out!
I know baby girls. I know how to care for them.
Boys? Baby boys are a mystery to me. I'm woefully unprepared.
For example, I just learned, this last week, that when changing a baby boy's diaper, you must point "it" down or you'll have a mess on your hands.
I didn't know! See? Woefully unprepared.
So here's my question: What else do I need to know about taking care of baby boys?
And if you don't mind answering another question: To circumcise or not to circumcise? I'm leaning towards not, but we just started discussing this. Terribly, woefully unprepared.
**********
Check out An Island Life for more questions you just may have the answers to.
My Little Prince is due in 3 weeks, and I'm all of a sudden freaking out!
I know baby girls. I know how to care for them.
Boys? Baby boys are a mystery to me. I'm woefully unprepared.
For example, I just learned, this last week, that when changing a baby boy's diaper, you must point "it" down or you'll have a mess on your hands.
I didn't know! See? Woefully unprepared.
So here's my question: What else do I need to know about taking care of baby boys?
And if you don't mind answering another question: To circumcise or not to circumcise? I'm leaning towards not, but we just started discussing this. Terribly, woefully unprepared.
**********
Check out An Island Life for more questions you just may have the answers to.
pointing it doesn't help much, you need to cover it up. then there's the whole circumcision debate, otherwise babyhood is pretty much the same in my experience.
ReplyDeleteBoys are WAY WAY WAY easier than girls...especially when they hit the teenage and pre teen years! You'll really enjoy the difference then! lol (seriously!)
ReplyDeleteJust cover it up with a small towel or washcloth. It's really so small that it's not much different from baby girls all THAT much. So there's no real extra care.
I will tell you though, I've talked to alot of moms and everyone really agrees that boys are just easier to raise. They aren't whiney!!!!!!!! Which is something to rejoice in after raising girls! lol
i did not circumcise. if i had to do it over i probably would, just because everyone says it's more "attractive" to do so.
ReplyDeleteboys are so much easier to change diapers than girls. girls have too many creases. boys you just wipe em clean. you will probably get peed on at least once though. just put a wipe over it.
the thing about boys vs girls is that a.) boys talk later and less. b.) boys are less social than girls at young ages c.) boys like guns. d.) boys dont always "get it" as fast as girls. some things your girls understood, enjoyed, or picked up on at 18 mos/2 yrs your boy isn't going to get for 6 mos-1 year later than they did. its not that boys are dumber, its just they development different things at different paces.
but what do i know, i dont have any girls.
I think if you know the point it down part of it you should be good to go. That is really the only big difference I can think of.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience boys are more laid back but they are horrible sleepers.
Good luck with the upcoming baby.
We circumcised, Hubs is circumcised...like father like son. Makes it good for role modeling! I LOVE LOVE boys! I have two! You need to wipe his wee wee really, really well when an infant so it does not become infected! They are active from Day 1. At least mine were. If your girls grew out of their clothes fast, a baby boy will outgrow his clothes faster. Personally, I don't like baby boy clothes that are too feminine...you know, light blue with rounded collars, knee highs. They like things with wheels (vehicles) from an early, early age, like 4 months! Your hubs will become very emotional over having a son...just wait!
ReplyDeleteOhhh and my two boys are both good sleepers....feed them on time and put them to bed on time. That is what they really care about!
ReplyDeleteGood stuff to know, everyone! Keep it coming!
ReplyDeleteDon't know if you've made a diaper decision or not, but we're using gDiapers over here. (I know, I know, it makes us sound like bleeding heart liberals...) But I have to say... they're great! And as for the whole pointing down thing... we've found it is important, especially when fastening the diaper. Otherwise, you get leakage out the sides. Wet diaper on the sides but dry in the middle, wet clothes on baby, wet clothes on Mama. Blech.
ReplyDeleteOn the whole pointing it down thing, yeah, that has to do with when you actually put the diaper on them. I learned that the hard way! ;) But I figure that's what you were refering to. We actually didn't have too many problems with getting peed on, but our boy was an explosive pooper... got us and the wall/carpet a few times... ew!
ReplyDeleteWe circumcised for multiple reasons. a) like father like son b) because we feel like God wouldn't have commanded it without a good reason and c) because my sister in law is in public health and says that it's much much easier to catch and spread STD's and other things when you're not circumcised. Mainly because the head stays as more of a mucus membrane than skin. Not that we hope this will happen, but it can also much more easily get infected later on unless they know how to clean it well.
Also, my son is quite large for his age and while we think he's pretty advanced socially we still get some people thinking he's much older. That can cause problems when he's not acting the age they expect him to be!
Also, he likes dirt and rocks and sticks without any prompting! ;)
Hope that helps! Otherwise... I don't have any girls to compare with so...
I have two little boys and have never really had them pee on me. I look for signs that they are going to do something and cover them up. It is VERY easy to tell on a boy compared to a geyser on a girl ;) My suggestion, have diaper/burp cloths handy to cover if need be and work fast!
ReplyDeleteWe circumcised both of our boys for religious reasons. With that said our youngest may need a re-circumcision down the line, but we have to wait and see.
Boys really are so easy to take care of. Their emotions are very much out there and they are unable to hide things and be sneaky like girls can (I taught at an all girls school and know that all too well).
Good luck and enjoy your little guy :)
after having two girls, and THEN my boy- here's what you need to know- boys are a HELL of a lot easier than girls!!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on his upcoming birth day.
ReplyDeleteCircumcise. like father like son and for hygiene.
Boys are so much easier than girls. They get mad...they duke it out and it's over. Girls get mad and it drama, tears, gossip and more drama.
You would never give up either though!!
-Didn't get peed on but once (I never covered). I think most moms get very efficient/fast w/ diaper changes, so usually there isn't a lots of time to get sprayed to begin with. Just take care of the business FAST! :)
ReplyDelete-I've read that potty training takes longer w/ boys (true for us).
-I also think boys are more straightforward in their emotional worlds. I agree w/ the other commenters about girls having more emotional ups and downs and more whining. Boys seem to move on faster and get over things that bother them. Although maybe they just hide it more and that's a different kind of challenge later.
-I like that my son is very phys/athletic and runs around like a maniac. He's more fit without us pushing him to do active things. I worry that my daughter is too sedentary.
-My son is actually the more verbal of my two kids, so I guess that's just a personality thing. But overall, I really like him being verbal b/c then I didn't have to go pulling info out of him. He still tells me a LOT about his day and his feelings and his friendships. I hope that continues. It's much easier on me when my kids choose to tell me things rather than me having to ask. :)
-Boys seem to care less about clothes - they're less expensive that way. ;) My daughter already wants particular clothing items and is difficult about it some days. (She's only 8!)
-Most boys need more "adventure" and risk. It's very common for moms these days to overprotect their sons, to the point of disallowing them to try things that could be "dangerous". I think if there's one piece of input I'd give to you for the long-term, it's to let your boy climb trees, ride his bike too fast down the driveway, and play swords with pokey branches, and even get hurt now and then (!) If he eventually wants to play tackle football, let him. If he wants to race BMX bikes with kids who crash into one another and fall off 10 foot high dirt hills, let him.
Yes, on purpose - let him adventure and risk and be freer than our current mommy-culture thinks is "best" and "safe". I have mom friends who were horrified that I let my son do the things I listed above (and more!). But I know I made the right decision in letting him be more free. Of course I allowed things as he was physically ready (I am not stupid!), but I allowed things much earlier and more willingly than our current mom-culture feels comfortable with. Yes, my son fell off his bike now and then, got scraped now and then, etc. But the boy loves every minute of adventurous activity and feels ALIVE rather than clamped down on and hindered. The ENERGY that exudes from him when he is allowed AND encouraged to GO FOR IT is irreplaceable. Most boys need freedom to risk in physically active adventures. As the mom, you reign them in when you REALLY have to, but otherwise... :)
Overall, I think there are very normal pros and cons to having one of each. I'm glad that I do and wouldn't change it for anything. The kids really do offer very different things to one another and to me. The variety of joys and challenges is so interesting.
Looking fwd to hearing your impending announcement! You're almost there! Yea!
-bm
Circumcising is one of my soapboxes.
ReplyDeleteBluntly, I think baby boys have just as much right to genital integrity as baby girls do. While other countries circumcise girls, we make that practice illegal because we consider it barbaric. Why are our sons' genitals less valuable than our daughters? The funny thing - those people who circ girls use the same reasons we do for boys, yet we consider it genital mutilation if it's a girl.
The study that showed STDs were spread more easily in uncirc'd men was severely flawed and has been rejected as a valid study by most medical agencies. Considering 80% of the world population isn't circumcised, um, I think there'd be a HUGE problem in the world if it were true.
My two boys are not circ'd. We've never had a problem with their little p*nises, and their dad is circ'd. They have never noticed the difference, other than dad is bigger than them. *ahem*
The argument so they will look like their father isn't sound to me either. If a daughter had black hair and mom had blonde, would someone dye it so she'd look like them mom? That'd be considered silly.
Check out http://nocirc.org/ if you are interested in further research on whether to circ or not. Lots of info debunking myths and misinformation.