Once you have decided to circumcise your son, a second decision shows up almost immediately… who should actually do it? In the GTA, you have more options than most parents realize: a mohel, a family doctor, a pediatrician, the SickKids clinic, or a dedicated circumcision specialist. Each path has real differences in training, technique, setting, anesthesia, and follow-up. This guide walks you through the four most common options and gives you a short list of questions to ask before you book.
Quick answer: what kind of provider can perform infant circumcision in Ontario?
In Ontario, newborn circumcision can be performed by a certified mohel, a family doctor, a pediatrician, a urologist, or a dedicated circumcision specialist. The right choice depends on your family’s cultural needs, the provider’s volume of infant procedures, the anesthesia and technique used, the setting (home, clinic, or hospital), and the quality of follow-up care after the procedure.
The four main paths Toronto parents take
1. Certified mohel (Brit Milah or Khitan tradition)
For Jewish families observing the eighth-day Brit Milah, and for many Muslim families observing the Khitan tradition, a certified mohel is often the natural choice. Some mohels are trained physicians who hold full medical licences. Others are religious practitioners certified through community programs. In Toronto, several of the most active mohels are also pediatric anesthesiologists or pediatric surgeons at SickKids, which is a uniquely Canadian advantage.
What you gain: cultural and ritual integrity, the ceremony itself, and (with a physician-mohel) full medical training in one person.
What to ask about: whether pain control includes a local anesthetic injection (not just sucrose or wine), whether the mohel is comfortable performing the procedure in a clinical setting if you prefer one, and how follow-up is handled after the day of the bris.
2. Family doctor or pediatrician
Some family physicians and pediatricians offer newborn circumcision as part of their practice. The key question here is volume. A family doctor who performs five circumcisions a year is in a very different category from one who performs five hundred. Both are legally permitted. Only one has the muscle memory that comes from doing the procedure regularly.
What to ask about: how many newborn circumcisions the doctor performs in a typical month, what technique and anesthesia they use, and what their complication rate has been.
3. Hospital-based circumcision (SickKids and others)
The SickKids Circumcision Clinic in downtown Toronto performs elective newborn circumcision for babies under eight weeks of age. The procedure happens in a sterile surgical environment with a paediatric surgical or urology team. Because SickKids is a teaching hospital, the procedure may be performed by a qualified surgical fellow under the supervision of a staff physician. As of late 2025, the cost was $1,130 including taxes.
What you gain: a hospital setting, full pediatric backup, and a structured follow-up program.
What to ask about: how long the wait is for an appointment (this can stretch past the eight-week eligibility window for some families), whether parents are present in the room (at SickKids, families are not), and the total cost compared to other GTA options.
4. Dedicated circumcision specialist
A dedicated circumcision specialist is a physician whose practice is focused largely or entirely on this single procedure. In the GTA, several physicians fall into this category, including doctors who practice the Pollock Technique, the Mogen clamp method, or other approaches. High volume is the defining feature. Many of these physicians perform thousands of procedures over their careers, which translates to faster procedure times, lower complication rates, and a more predictable experience for the family.
What you gain: experience, efficiency, a setting designed specifically around this one procedure, and (in most cases) the ability to see the same doctor for the consultation, the procedure, and the follow-up.
What to ask about: how long the doctor has been performing newborn circumcision, what technique and anesthesia they use, what complication rates they track, and how they handle questions during the healing period.
What actually matters when you compare providers
Setting aside the broad categories, here are the specific factors I tell parents to weigh when they are comparing two or three options.
Volume and infant experience
The single most reliable predictor of a smooth procedure is how often the provider does it. A doctor performing newborn circumcision weekly will handle the small variations in anatomy (a slightly buried penis, a tight foreskin, a webbed scrotum) more confidently than one who performs the procedure only occasionally. Ask directly: roughly how many newborn circumcisions do you perform in a typical month?
Anesthesia approach
This is where I see the widest gap between providers. Pain control for newborn circumcision should not rely on a single tool. The published evidence supports a combined approach: a lidocaine dorsal penile nerve block (a freezing injection at the base of the penis), oral acetaminophen given before the procedure, and sucrose-coated gauze or grape juice for comfort. Topical creams like EMLA alone are generally not enough, and in some cases can cause side effects.
If a provider tells you they use only a topical cream, only sugar water, or no pain control at all, that is a signal to keep looking.
Technique
The four most common techniques used in the GTA are the Mogen clamp, the Gomco clamp, the Plastibell, and the Pollock Technique (which itself uses a Mogen clamp under long-acting local anesthetic). Each has a long safety record in trained hands. The Mogen tends to be the fastest, often under a minute of actual procedure time. The Plastibell leaves a small ring in place that falls off on its own over several days. The Gomco takes longer but is the most common technique taught in residency. The technique matters less than the experience of the person using it.
Setting and family presence
Some families want a clinic environment with privacy to feed and change the baby afterward. Others want the bris ceremony at home with relatives present. Some want to be in the room during the procedure; others would rather wait next door. Hospital settings often do not allow family in the procedure room. Most private clinics and home brises do. Ask in advance, because the answer can shape your whole experience of the day.
Follow-up and after-hours access
This is the factor most parents underestimate when they are choosing. The procedure itself takes minutes. The healing period takes weeks. If you have a question at 9 p.m. on day three, who do you call? Some specialist clinics offer a direct cell phone or WhatsApp line to the doctor. Some hospital clinics route you through a general triage line. Some providers will review a photo of the healing penis through a secure portal, which can save a midnight trip to the emergency department.
Ask: if I have a concern after the procedure, what is the fastest way to reach you?
Cultural and religious fit, without compromising medical standards
One of the things that makes the GTA different from most North American cities is the diversity of families requesting circumcision. Jewish, Muslim, Filipino-Catholic, Coptic, Eastern European, and secular families all bring different needs and traditions, and good providers respect those traditions while still meeting the same medical standards. Pain control, sterile technique, and proper follow-up are not negotiable. Within those constraints, the timing, the setting, the prayers, and the people present are entirely yours to shape.
How to verify a clinic meets Ontario standards
Every physician practising in Ontario is registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). You can look up any doctor by name on the CPSO public register at cpso.on.ca to confirm their licence is in good standing, see their training, and check for any practice restrictions or disciplinary history. Out-of-hospital clinics that perform procedures under sedation or general anesthesia are also inspected through the CPSO’s Out-of-Hospital Premises Inspection Program (OHPIP). Newborn circumcision under local anesthetic alone is not always captured by this program, so the absence of an OHPIP listing for an infant circumcision clinic is not necessarily a red flag. The CPSO physician register, however, applies to every practising doctor in the province.
Questions to ask before you book
- How many newborn circumcisions do you perform in a typical month, and how long have you been doing the procedure?
- What pain control do you use? Do you offer a local anesthetic injection?
- What technique do you use, and why?
- Will I be in the room during the procedure?
- Who performs the follow-up visit, and how do I reach you if I have a concern after hours?
- What is the total cost, and what does it include?
- What is your complication rate, and how are complications handled if they occur?
If a provider answers these questions clearly and without defensiveness, that is itself a good sign. The decision about who circumcises your son is partly clinical and partly a question of trust. Both matter.
Frequently asked questions
Can a family doctor perform newborn circumcision in Ontario?
Yes, provided they are appropriately trained and the procedure is within the scope of their practice. The key consideration is volume. A family doctor who performs the procedure regularly will offer a more refined experience than one who does it only occasionally.
Is a circumcision done by a mohel as safe as one done by a doctor?
It depends on the mohel. Many mohels in Toronto are also licensed physicians, in some cases pediatric surgeons or anesthesiologists at SickKids. For non-physician mohels, ask about their certification, their volume, and how they handle pain control and follow-up. The same standards apply regardless of the provider’s title.
Can a non-Jewish family use a mohel?
Many mohels who are also licensed physicians will perform circumcision for families of any background, in either a clinical or home setting. If the religious ceremony is not part of what you want, the mohel’s medical training is what carries over.
Should the same person who does the procedure also do the follow-up?
Ideally yes. The doctor who performed the procedure has the clearest sense of what the healing should look like, and is best placed to recognize when something is off.
How many circumcisions should an experienced provider have done?
There is no official number, but most GTA specialists who focus on this procedure perform several hundred per year and have performed thousands over their careers.
A note from Dr. Greenberg
I have been performing infant circumcision in Toronto since 2001. My practice is now limited to two areas: addiction medicine, where I serve as Lead Physician at the RAAM Clinic at Sunnybrook, and infant circumcision, which I perform in my office at 4700 Jane Street. I use the Mogen clamp under a lidocaine dorsal penile nerve block, with acetaminophen before the procedure for comfort, an approach supported by published research I co-authored with colleagues at SickKids and the Pollock Clinics.
I see every patient personally for the consultation, the procedure, and the follow-up, and I am reachable by WhatsApp for any concern in the days after. If you are still weighing your options, I am happy to answer questions before you book, whether or not you end up choosing my clinic. There is no single right answer for every family, but there is a right answer for yours.
Have questions about newborn circumcision in Toronto? Get in touch or call (416) 661-0004.
