That whole battery debate with the Ipod is so old. I've had Ipods in our house for over a year and nothing has happened to it. That was more of the problem with the first few generations of Ipods, but it seems to have been corrected with more recent ones.
Of course I have bought the extended warranty (on a discount of course), so that helps with any issues or problems.
If your have a problem, and your Ipod is out of warranty, there are many many websites that show you how to fix your Ipod battery. I've seen the steps, it doesn't look too hard.