Child ear piercing gone wrong - help me with what to say

It would have taken 15 minutes of internet research to learn that Claire's is not an appropriate place to get ears pierced.

I would take them both out, let them heal and take her to an actual piercing shop with qualified piercers to do it properly in a few years.

I'd ask for a full refund. Let it heal then go to a reputable piercing studio. I don't understand why people still go to places like Claire's where they still use guns and charge more than a trained piercer.

Why would you go to Claire's?!!?!! Is it that not a Saturday girl who's watched a YouTube video?? Go to a piercer!

I think OP is now aware that Claire’s may not have been the best option!

Also, I think OP now knows that not everyone agrees with children getting piercings!

Don't get her ear re pierced it will be agony for her!

Strangely a similar thing happened with my daughter only last week! She had her ears done with a needle, the guide she was using to put the earring in one ear fell out. Blood everywhere and she couldn't put the earring in without this guide, so she had to hold the earring with a clamp really hard so she could put the needle and guide through the same hole!

It was a n accident, my daughter was really upset and hurt, but the earring was in and her earlobe is more bruised but a week later it's fine.

My daughter is 10.

I would let both holes heal and try again in a few years time, it's going to be painful re piercing a hole which is healing and still raw.

No it's not. I had my ears pierced at eight because I really wanted them done. May be it was a 70s thing, but quite normal.
Also married into a culture where ears are pierced as a baby.
It's a reversible procedure. I don't agree with piercings as a baby but if a child is informed that it's going to hurt and be responsible to keep it clean and healthy and still wants it done then it is the child's decision - children can have body autonomy if they are informed and supported.
I had eight ear piercings and now just stick with three.

How's she going to get it out without touching it??

Go back and have the other earing removed and ask for refund. Have ears pierced when DD is older - say 12 - and can be relied on not to fiddle with the earings.

Go to Asda buy a cheap pair of earrings take the back off one of them then put the earring back in and pop the back on it.

I paid £25 recently for by (older) daughters seconds. From a tatooist shop, with a fully trained professional. Wouldn’t take her to Claire’s if you paid me.

i also recomend using salt water to clean the ears afterwards. Never had an issue, and what the piercer recommended too. You do not need to spend money on other products.

in your shoes OP, I would remove the other earring, wait 6 months and go somewhere better than a high street shop. Your daughter is quite right to be upset, you’ll know best how to manage that disappointment. She sounds like she has a few extra health challenges, and this means more to her than others. I’m the meantime, do your homework to find somewhere better.

YABU to go to Claire's to pierce ears. You said you didn't know they weren't reputable therefore again, YABU to have done ZERO research into this.

YABU to pierce an 8yr olds ears. That's too young, and she cannot give informed consent for the procedure. Yes, I'm judging you, as I'd judge any parent for piercing a young child's ears.

And just because a child asks or begs for the ears pierced, doesn't mean you have to say yes, be a parent and say no.

Take the other out right now.

Get a full refund. Insist on it.

Do not go back to Claire’s ever again (healed and re-pierced in a week?! That’s a sure fire way to a wonky earring, an infection or scarring). How they’re still allowed to pierce people is beyond me. Insufficient training, improper equipment and I very much question their hygiene.

Allow it to heal properly then go to a reputable piercer who will do it properly with a needle.

@formula3 i think a lot of people don't realise how crap Claire's are unfortunately, so don't be too hard on yourself especially with not having piercings yourself.
I had 3 sets in my lobes done with guns, 1 at Claire's 🫣 it was only 10 years later I found out about getting piercings done with needles 😳

I would agree with people who say get another earring tomorrow, make the hole super clean and then put that in and be scrupulous. The chances are it will heal within a few months and you will be fine. If you take them out now I would leave them at least two years to heal all the way through before trying again, which will disappoint your daughter if she told her friends she was getting her ears pierced.

Letting them start to heal and then making another hole in kind of the same place but not quite is a shortcut to infection and potentially years before they heal fully, if ever.

Oh bless her!

My DD really wanted hers done but also got really nervous about it all. Wouldn’t change them or allow anyone else to touch them, but a few months in now and she changes them all the time easily. They were pierced by UKAPP accredited piercer and they were really good, definitely better healing than ones I have had with a gun.

As others have said I would let them heal and get a reputable piercer to do them.

I would also be after a full refund.

Hope your DD is ok.

Why are you assuming that your choice to let your seven year old get her ears pierced means others should agree with you?

Your obviously don't think eight is too young, but lots of us do.

When I was 18 I got my ears pierced in Claire’s - I didn’t know it wasn’t great. The gun was painful and the holes were crooked. A few years later I got a piercing studio to adjust the bad hole with a needle (when I got second holes done) and it healed perfectly, it was painless and much less inflamed second time around.
It’s much less brutal on your ear using needles than guns. It heals more quickly too, I still followed all the guidelines for the aftercare.

Also don't beat yourself up about going to Claire's, I've had my ears pierced twice there, 4 of my daughters had their ears pierced there too (two of them have had them pierced twice there) and not had a single issue.

It also cost us £40 for gold earrings

Do they use a piercing gun? I use the stud types for day to date wear and takes months before they fall out. Def something wasn't right

I'd take the other one out if she let's you, let them both heal over and take her to a reputable piercing/tattoo place in the summer holidays, please don't take her back to Claire's they're awful but make sure you request a refund.

It's too young because you are giving permission for someone to cause your daughter pain and permanently scar her without her informed consent (an eight year old is too young to give informed consent).

You'll have loads of people telling you it's fine, but you really can't deny what I've written in the paragraph above.

I’m surprised they bled. Dd had her ears pierced last summer. We went to a tattoo parlour, who oddly enough used a gun rather than a needle. Quick pull and both were done. No blood, no drama. Dd was 11