Ear piercing dilemma - 11 year old

[Jeosn]

My daughter is about to start secondary school and is desperate to have her ears pierced. There are exactly 6 weeks until the start of term. The school do a lot of sport and say no taping is allowed. Earrings must be removed for every PE games lesson and sports club. Is 6 weeks too soon for her to remove and reinsert the earrings by herself at school? I'm concerned that it is. The problem is there is no good time. But maybe she will manage better when she is a bit older.

She just doesn’t wear them on a pe day for school otherwise - just get them done if she wants them. No school lets you tape them anymore (change in guidance), perfect time to do them is now

She's too young. You're the mum. Tell her you'll discuss it at 15.

It should be fine. My DD had to do this, she did manage to remove them on her own but couldn’t put them back in so left them until she got home. It was ok. Funnily enough on week 2 she was trying to put them back in and caused bleeding so the PE teacher told her to use tape from then on until she was ready.

This is a good idea but is there a risk they will close over if she keeps them out until the end of the school day? I think there may be some kind of sport nearly every day.

6 weeks is plenty of time. I would let her.

15? Shes asked for her ears pierced not her nipples 11 is plenty old enough for her to decide she wants her ears pierced

No 6 weeks isn't long enough. She could chance it but more likely than not she'll get very sore ears and at some point not be able to put them back in.

Even a sports specialist secondary won't have PE every day - twice a week max is the usual timetable - they have a packed curriculum as it is.

Get them done asap otherwise it'll be next summer before you'll get another chance.

This is really bad of the school to not allow taping. Professional piercers advise not leaving newly pierced ears without earrings in for any time for much longer than 6 weeks - I've heard up to a year. I'm not sure what the solution is if the school are adamant you can't tape ears.

The advice I've had from the piercers is to keep them in for 4-6 months but that effectively means she can't get them pierced until after the end of her GCSEs. Taping is not allowed because the school abide by sports governing body rules. So we are a bit stuck. I don't mind her getting them pierced but I do mind if we can't find a safe way for her to get them done. I'm also conscious that it's an extra thing for her to manage when she first starts senior school. But she's ever so upset.

Why is 11 too young to have ears pierced and wear earrings? That makes no sense.

My daughter had real problems with her ears healing after they were pierced. If she'd had to take them out for PE they would probably have closed up.

I fail to see why wearing small studs with a flat back, and taped, causes any kind of risk when doing sports.

I see there is new guidance published about this though so I imagine more schools will impose the same rules.

Its now or this time next year. Id go with now.

I would go for it now as otherwise if you are waiting for a period of more than 6 weeks she'll have left Year 11..
Back in the 80s I remember we were told 6 weeks and that seemed fine, although I can't actually remember taking them out for PE or even wearing tape.

My child had theirs done after the last pe lesson a couple weeks back . It was a proper piercing studio. They said 8 wks

child waited all year to do it at the right time at the end of summer term. It will just be 8 wks when school restarts.

go and talk to proper piercing studio about it and aftercare.

mine waited until 12 y then decided ,then had to wait best part of academic year. There’s no way around it in our school.

That isn't what the OP asked

The school might have a policy of no taping but girls in secondary school getting their ears pierced is incredibly common, so they’ll be used to dealing with it. End of y6 in particular is a very popular time so she won’t be the only one. I got mine done end of y8 at the start of the summer and was fine removing them for PE and putting them back in after. She may need to practice a bit at home but I’m sure she will manage.

DD had hers done in primary so no issues as she could tape them. Started secondary where she had to remove them (nicely healed by then ) but after two weeks she just gave up as it was too much hassle so they’ve covered up now. She said she’ll wait until there is no more PE to have them redone. That’s another thing to consider.

If she's not going to be able to wear them for most days,it seems a bit pointless to get them done at the moment 😕

My 9yr dd had hers pierced at Claire’s with a gun and nothing but hassle, infections, bleeding and couldn’t take them out for at least 4months. She does BJJ and they let her tape them up.

my advice, take her to a professional ear piercing place and avoid piercing guns. I wish I had listened to advice on this.

Why can’t she take them out when she’s getting changed for PE and put them back after the lesson? I’m sure her friends will help her if necessary.

I wouldn’t not get her ears pierced on the grounds that she might not be able to get them in and out. She might be able to do it just fine. it seems a bit negative to assume that she’s not going to be able to manage. Best to send her off to secondary school feeling good about herself with her earrings in than with no earrings and the feeling that’s she’s not old enough or able enough to manage,

In my experience six weeks just isn’t long enough.
DD and myself had ours done together at the start of the hols at the same age as her secondary school was more relaxed about it, but it was at least Oct half term before they had healed. Up till then there were regular episodes of weeping and crustiness and I wouldn’t have liked to take them out at this point.
mine were thirds and took even longer.

I know many people who’s ears heal very quickly and she may also be fine so I suppose you could go ahead and try, as long as you’re prepared to let them go if it doesn’t work out.

If you fancy taking a chance on rule breaking, you can get invisible silicone studs that you could put in for PE days, very discrete

I would do it now. But get it done properly by a proper piercer so you give her the best possible chance to heal in the 6 weeks you have. My dd had hers done at 8 and definitely managed taking them out and putting them back herself. She must do it now at school for PE. At 11, she will work it out.

Thank you. This is what I am concerned about. It would be a real gamble.