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Original poster

How old for ear piercing?

133 replies

Confessionsofashopoholic · 07/08/2025 07:37

My daughter is 5 and has been asking for her ears to be pierced for about a year now. I said in the summer holidays she could have them pierced but now I’m worried it’s too young. What is the general sort of age that people have taken their children to get their ears pierced, is 5 too young?

OP posts:
Springtimehere · 07/08/2025 08:24

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Tiberius12 · 07/08/2025 08:26

My daughter was 9 when she got hers done. I took her the first day of the summer holidays so they had 6 weeks to heal before school.
You may have left it too late for this year depending on the rules at school. If she has to remove them for PE you should really get them done right at the start of the summer holidays.

Tablesandchairs23 · 07/08/2025 08:32

Id say 10/11 when they're old enough to clean them themselves.

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xanthomelana · 07/08/2025 08:36

BusWankers · 07/08/2025 08:17

I'm boring and find it interesting how people are fine with letting a 6 year old pierce their ears, but probably wouldn't let them bleach their hair, or have a tattoo or similar.

My DD is 5y8m and hasn't shown any signs of wanting yet.

She is desperate to have makeup. Which she will not be getting! Facepaint for now 😁 And then her 12yo cousin does her "makeup" when she goes over there sometimes.

Probably because it’s illegal to get a tattoo at 6 years old so it’s a pointless comparison.

bigyawn · 07/08/2025 08:37

I had mine pierced for my 6th birthday. If my children showed an interest I talked to them about it and allowed it. Mine were about 5 when they got it done. I didn't offer though, they had to ask.

Earrings can always be taken out if they decide they don't want them anymore, as one of my DDs did after a few years.

bigyawn · 07/08/2025 08:38

xanthomelana · 07/08/2025 08:36

Probably because it’s illegal to get a tattoo at 6 years old so it’s a pointless comparison.

Show quote history

Also, a tattoo is permanent and removing them is much harder if they regret it.

I wouldn't allow hair bleaching because of the chemical exposure.

Stars15 · 07/08/2025 08:39

My DD was 8. She was the youngest the piercer would do and were done with a needle not a gun. They healed really quickly and easily. However my daughters school allow children to wear earrings, even during PE so she never had to remove them. My niece had hers done at the same time and she had more problems as they take months to fully heal and she couldn’t wear her earrings at school at all. It was a lot more traumatic removing and reinserting every day when they were still healing. Does her primary school allow earrings to be worn, even during PE?

Midnightlove · 07/08/2025 08:41

I don't see a problem with a 5/6 year old getting them pierced. So long as they're old enough to decide themselves a day understand the process.

16?? Are people for real 😳

Chickoletta · 07/08/2025 08:42

10th birthday here.

Mightymooo · 07/08/2025 08:44

My DD is the same age and I've told her she can get them done in high school. I don't think she is old enough to understand the importance of keeping them clean and not touching them (literally) while they are healing. I have quite a few piercings myself and in my experience they won't be healed enough after 6 weeks to leave them out all day so I'd want her to be able to take them in and out by herself on PE days. I think she would struggle with that.

Enko · 07/08/2025 08:59

Im not British and I do feel many Britts have a issue around pierced ears.

I had mine done age 7. I can still remember having them done and where. Ive always loved them and I am in my 50s now.

Dd1 had hers done age 7 but allowed them to grow back up as she didnt like taking them in and out for sports. She and her younger sister had them redone as young teens. Dd1 let hers heal again as she still didnt like taking them in and out. Her younger sister has gone on to have multiple piercings. Youngest dd (I have 3) was 12 and also has multiple piercings.

notanothernamechangemother · 07/08/2025 09:02

My dd is 17 and still hasn't pierced her ears. She has thought about but decided against it for now. I'm not against it, but want it to be her choice.

In the culture I'm from they pierce the babies ears as newborns 😞 I could never allow that .

I think if child can be responsible for keeping their newly pierced ears clean free of infections then that would be a good time, obviously this varies by child.

MyAcornWood · 07/08/2025 09:05

I think this is one thing I fully agree with my own mother on (I’m sure there are others!) she always said 10 for lobe piercings and 14 for anything else on the ears, 16 for facial/body piercings.
10 is old enough (in most cases!) to care for the piercings properly imo.

HorrorFan81 · 07/08/2025 09:10

My daughter was 8. Had them done with a needle (would never consider a gun) and the age limit there is 7 which i think is a sensible age

GraceEver · 07/08/2025 09:32

16 is ridiculous! I find MN bonkers 😝

was 12 when I took myself off and got my nose pierced (it was the 90s)
went home my dad didn’t notice and my mum said it looked lovely 🤣
it’s literally a little hole

Bitzee · 07/08/2025 09:44

I just don’t see it as that big of a deal so as soon as DD asked I explained that it would hurt for a bit and that we would have to clean them, which she was ok with, then as soon as it was the summer holidays I took her. She was just 6. No issues whatsoever. School lets her keep them in for most PE, except hockey, and then she puts plasters over so she doesn’t risk dropping the backs.

I don’t get the waiting until 10/11 so they can take care of them themselves- IME (at least based on my nieces and their friends) this age group isn’t always that hot on hygiene and I’ve seen a few get infections because the parents assume they can do it themselves but they don’t bother to do it properly or often enough. It’s some saline spray, hardly an inconvenience to spray it on a 6YO a few times a day and then at least you know it’s actually been done.

Moveoverdarlin · 07/08/2025 09:46

I’ve told my daughters they can get them done in the summer holidays after they leave primary school. But even then I will try and discourage it and try and make them wait a bit longer.

Any younger than 10 just looks really chavvy in my opinion.

Deadringer · 07/08/2025 09:51

For me there is no set age, my dc didn't ask for them until around 8 or 9 and once they understood that they had to follow the rules about hygiene etc I let them get them done. 5 seems very young but I dont see any harm in it really. Does she understand that it will hurt, and they can be sore afterwards?

3peassuit · 07/08/2025 09:55

I think summer of year 6. They’re old enough to be responsible about after care and they’ve got a few weeks before they start secondary school so the ears can heal.

distinctpossibility · 07/08/2025 09:56

Ours are allowed them at the end of Year 5 - for us this is "rising 11" age for all the kids just cos of when their birthday falls. Decided against the end of Year 6 simply because our secondary school do PE every day and I wanted them to get used to taking them out once per week for a year in primary school first.

Anything other than earlobes (I was open to DD1 aged 14 getting her second lobes done but she decided against it) would be once they've left Year 11 - school rules are very strict on nose studs and tummy buttons.

Iocainepowder · 07/08/2025 10:03

LillyPJ · 07/08/2025 07:53

I'd say 16. Any younger and they don't know enough to decide about things like that.

Nonsense.

I had mine done on my 10th birthday and was fine looking after them.

I have a DC who is nearly 5 and no way would I trust them with something like that tbh. So maybe a little older.

Just please get it done with a needle and not a gun in Claire’s!

ekk100 · 07/08/2025 10:13

I would definitely say 12-14. Earlobes grow and I know a few older ladies who regretted getting theirs done at a young age, as the holes are now in a slightly strange place.
Also even for older children they need to be checked regularly by a parent. Had a child on school camp (12 yrs) complaining her earring hurt. The butterfly had completely disappeared into the back of the ear and sort of sealed over, quite infected as well.

Bitzee · 07/08/2025 10:21

BusWankers · 07/08/2025 08:17

I'm boring and find it interesting how people are fine with letting a 6 year old pierce their ears, but probably wouldn't let them bleach their hair, or have a tattoo or similar.

My DD is 5y8m and hasn't shown any signs of wanting yet.

She is desperate to have makeup. Which she will not be getting! Facepaint for now 😁 And then her 12yo cousin does her "makeup" when she goes over there sometimes.

Such bizarre comparisons! A tattoo is illegal. Highlights are chemicals. Both are permanent. Whereas if they change their mind on the piercing they take them out and they heal up.

tumblingdowntherabbithole · 07/08/2025 10:24

It’s a weird class thing in the UK - it’s seen as common and trashy to let small children get their ears pierced but in many countries it’s just like getting your hair cut.

Personally I don’t think the age matters - as long as they’re old enough to clean them and care for them alone (including changing jewellery where necessary) it’s fine. For some kids that’s about age 7, for others it won’t be until 10 or even older.

TheFormidableMrsC · 07/08/2025 10:25

I was about 8 when I had mine done, my daughter was 7 and they were part of a birthday present.