How was your child's ear piercing experience at Claire's?

[Hdaniels11]

My daughter has recently turned 12 and has been begging my to let her get her ears pierced, she is adamant on the thought of going to claire's because it's " the cool place to go" but i've heard mixed reviews about it.

I've looked on the website and the earrings are super expensive i was quite shocked! For the people who have been how was your child's healing process experience afterwards?

Going to a decent tattoo place is cheaper and guaranteed to be more sterile than a shop floor. And for a 12 year old it's cooler too!

I don't know why anyone would take the chance of Claire's over a more sterile and less expensive option? What's the benefit of doing so?

My daughter's piercing was fine at Claire's

Reading the replies is pretty convincing

Go to Claire's and let the Saturday girl do a bodge job or, go to a professional

Not exactly a hard choice to make

she is adamant on the thought of going to claire's because it's " the cool place to go"

She is 12.

'Yes you can get your ears pierced, but it will be done by a professional piercer'

I took my DD to a tattoo parlour and to a piercer who specialises in piercing. It was an all round good experience. We had a long appointment and spent a considerable amount of time planning the positioning. I can’t imagine in what world Claire’s would be better or cooler than that.

@ahunf you’re right - looked it up again and some news sites say Claire’s but it appears to have been another place.

I'm also surprised that Claire's is deemed cool at 12. My 9 year old is still a fan but nowhere near the way she was at 6/7. 12 year old will only entertain if she needs fancy dress props and no time to order from Amazon.

Mine had theirs done there age 7, as did most of yheir year groups. No problems, it's seems to be a bit of a mumsnet snobbery about having them done there.

Had my daughter ears pierced there when she was 5. It was no problem there was 2 assistants who pierced her ears at the same time which was great

No problem. Lots of people assumed Claire's even when the video circulated and the actual shop was mentioned. I think Claire's is expensive but my dd loves it. I thought it unfair that they are being mistakenly named.

It shouldn't be about price. A decent piercing place isn't necessarily cheaper. They now try to sell you that if you get your ears pierced, you have to go back to them for 'special' earrings and they need to change the earrings for you, etc. Plus they also sell a 'cleaning' lotion. They upsell as much as anywhere else.

I had my ears pierced at a jewelers. Friend had them done at Claire's. Other friend at a piercer's. Claire's was cheapest. Both Claire's and piercer's got infected - because my friends didn't look after them properly. There are pros and cons for all places. Just make sure you clean them properly afterwards and opt for expensive metal as lots of people can be allergic to cheap metal earrings.

it's seems to be a bit of a mumsnet snobbery about having them done there.

Really! Why? Surely most people would think an ordinary shop in a shopping centre or high street was a more acceptable place to take their child, a seven year old in your case, than a tattoo parlour.

Weird that people would think a tattoo parlours as a classy destination. It's almost as if it couldn't be true.

I don't have a dd but if I did I wouldn't touch Claire's with a bargepole, I'm heavily pierced and tattooed myself. A professional tattoo shop is much cooler than a kids tatty accessory shop surely.

It shouldn't be about price. A decent piercing place isn't necessarily cheaper. They now try to sell you that if you get your ears pierced, you have to go back to them for 'special' earrings and they need to change the earrings for you, etc. Plus they also sell a 'cleaning' lotion. They upsell as much as anywhere else.

Wasn't my experience. Dd still has the earrings in she was pierced with in 6 months later and the piercer told me to go to boots and buy contact lens cleaner. Exp was charged a fortune for the solution which was the same thing under a Claire's label. It cost him about £180 to get both DC's ears done. I paid £25 from the local very reputable piercer who said come back if any issues at all or call any time for advice. Wasn't needed thankfully

It's really not snobbery to pick a highly trained professional in a sterile environment over a shop worker in a grubby store and an uncleanable device, especially when the former actually comes at a fraction of the price. Just common sense I'd have thought!

I have 14 piercings from professional piercers and I've never been upsold anything. Salt water is usually the only advice.

They now try to sell you that if you get your ears pierced, you have to go back to them for 'special' earrings and they need to change the earrings for you, etc. Plus they also sell a 'cleaning' lotion.

Who is 'they'? Are you saying all tattoo and piercing studios are run by the same people?

Did you go as an adult? I don't know any piercer who tries to upsell adults but there are definitely piecers now upselling packages if you take a DC in to get their ears pierced. All the exact same nonsense as in shops - 'special' lotion; special earrings, etc. As I said, I don't think price should be the main consideration.

I it was my 9 year old dd. The fact it was significantly cheaper was a bonus not the main reason

Terrible experience.
Firstly they weren’t even.
More importantly she ended up in A+E having an earring removed that had become infected and embedded in her ear.

I'm not sure why it's snobbery to want to be in a quiet, calm environment rather than a shop window!
Or to heed the advice about needle vs gun. I've had problems with my piercings all my life and have to go for long periods without wearing earrings, so I read up on it and took as much advice as I could for my daughter. None of the advice said just go to Claire's.

Please go to a properly trained piercer who uses a needle not a gun. Piercing guns should have been banned years ago.

I got DD's done at 8 months in Claire's. Both pierced at the same time and she was shocked, petted her lip and the nothing, smiles. Really pleased with Claire's

Healed well, they never looked sore to start with though?

But maybe that's because babies have softer tissue. My own ears were done before I left hospital

I have a fair few piercings myself, and my DC were told "professional piercists or no piercings". Wouldn't go near anywhere that uses a gun.

It's a hole in an ear, not major surgery. Claire's and similar shops will have done thousands of piercings. If they're not cleaned properly or your child is allergic to some netsls then of course there may ge problems, no matter who does the piercing.