Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To allow my 6 year old to hav e her ears pierced

33 replies

ForMashGetSmash · 19/10/2010 10:00

I am inspired by the post about the pierced baby. So my 6 year old DD is desperate to get her ears pierced...am tempted to let her...she understand what happens and also the afer care...but DH hates the idea and her Gran says it's too young and she will look common. I disagree...I saw lovely family on holiday this year...they were French and their DD was about 7...she had short bobbed hair and lovely little girl clothes...and diamond studs....looked pretty.

What do you think? I could do it in the Summer hols to avoid catching them at school....DH might object but if he agreed should I?

OP posts:

BitOfFunderthepatio · 19/10/2010 10:05

You should only do it if you are also planning to have any male children circumcised, smugly bathe all offspring twice-daily and park in disabled spaces at the supermarket because you drive a 4x4. Without all three in place, your flaying on mumsnet will be but a tepid and half-hearted affair, and you will be told to try harder.

GreatBallsOfFluff · 19/10/2010 10:05

I am going through the same thing - DD 5.5 wants her ears pierced too. I was the same age as her when I got mine done so I feel a bit hypocritical saying no, however I'm still not sure about it. My mum thinks it's fine, and I've discussed it with her father who is also ok, but I am a bit hesitant even so.

Original poster

ForMashGetSmash · 19/10/2010 10:11

Lol bitoffun I suppoe my effort was tepid at best. Is it more prvoctive if I ask AIBU to allow her to wear Lelli Kelly's and a crop top to her school disco?

OP posts:

thx1138 · 19/10/2010 10:11

And the Eleventh Commandment passed to Moses by the Lord read

"Thou shalt not consult mumsnet as to the merits of piercing they child's ears if that child is under the age of 15 for thou will bring down a mighty wrath and thou will realise that piercing your own eyeballs would have been less painful"

TheGrumpalo · 19/10/2010 10:18

My dd is nearly 7 and has been asking for years. I've refused as I think she's too young. She screams for hours if she skins her knee, if they got infected or anything I know she'd not take it well!

Loads of her friends have it done. Some of them look nice, others wear cheap, tacky earrings and others walk about in big hoops, yes hoops at age 7! I think they look horrible.

When I do let her get them done she'll be wearing tiny studs or nothing.

ArmyBarmyMummy · 19/10/2010 10:30

My DD1 is 12 next month and wants hers done. DH says not 'til she's 18! I think this is a tad unreasonable. My Dad had same view but aged 11 I persuaded Grandma I was allowed and she took me. Don't remember the ears hurting but remember the sore behind!

I'm not going to fight DD1's corner 'til I can stop nagging her to brush hair/teeth/take shower etc I'm looking forward to the stage wher I have to fight her 4 the bathroom but we're so not there yet.

DD2 is 4mths and there are some at baby groups that have already had their DDs ears pierced. Isn't there enough to do cleaning bums etc without earlobe care?

Euphemyknifeinyourback · 19/10/2010 10:34

DD had her ears pierced when she was 8, and then had hissy fits when I tried to take her earrings out after the 6-week period. She made such a bloody fuss (90 mins of screaming, totally unlike her) that I said I wasn't going through that again and she could let the holes heal up! Which she has, and doesn't miss her earrings at all!
On reflection, she was too young for the aftercare and the fiddly process of taking out and putting in earrings.
Also remember she might have to miss PE at school if you do it now, as they're usually not allowed to do PE wearing jewellery.

Littlefish · 19/10/2010 10:36

She's too young.

Serenity1 · 19/10/2010 10:52

I had my ears pierced at 7 and had no problems. I think you need to look at each child individually to assess how they would cope. It may of helped that I had an older sister so I had already watched her get her ears pierced and go through the whole keeping them clean for 6 weeks after process.

Girls at my school had to put plasters over tthere ear lobes to cover studs if they couldn't take them out ie. if newly pierced.

Some cultures allow pierce babies ears as the norm.

DELHI · 19/10/2010 10:59

MY DD1 had ears pierced for 11th birthday after asking for about 3 years. She's pretty mature, but actual piercing was a nightmare. Went to a branch of Claires Accs in London - very cramped, hot, stuffy, DD very excited, upshot was she had them pierced then turned green, then white, then passed out. Took her a couple of days to get over the shock - it hurt more than she expected. All's fine now and no regrets, but it wasn't great at the time

mrsbabookaloo · 19/10/2010 11:02

thx1138 - If I had been drinking coffee I would have spat it at the screen! Thanks!

1234ThumbScrew · 19/10/2010 11:08

DD1 is 11 and I'm going to let her have hers done, but she's like ArmyBermy's dd so I may take a leaf out of her book and wait until she doesn't need to be nagged just to brush her teeth.

I wouldn't go to claires, I posted a week or so ago asking where to go and the general consensus was a piercing studio.

amidaiwish · 19/10/2010 11:12

DD2 is 5 and received a make up set for her birthday which a sheet of tiny diamante stickers, to wear as earrings. They stay on for quite a few days before falling off. They look real and the response she/I have got has been quite "interesting". Mostly because people can't believe i have let her get her ears pierced and are visibly relieved when i tell them they're just stickers!

Why don't you try something like them?

Original poster

ForMashGetSmash · 19/10/2010 11:13

Ok ok...I've been told! Good point about the time being right when you don't have to nag about general cleanliness....as soon as she takes care of her personal hygene without my help then that's probably the right age. I would think around 12 or 13 is when they gget on with washing without being naggged.

OP posts:

pippoltergeist · 19/10/2010 11:21

I have a cunning plan...
DD is currently 6yo and slightly jealous of her schoolfriends with pierced ears. So far I have fobbed her off with 'when you are older', but I suspect that I won't get away with it for much longer.

DD has a cool auntie who she adores, and who has piercings and tattoos. Auntie strongly feels that piercings should be done with a needle not a gun. So, when DD is old enough to get herself to her auntie's house (several hundred miles), so that auntie can take her to the studio she uses, then (and only then) will DD be having her ears pierced.

verytellytubby · 19/10/2010 11:24

My DD got hers done at 7. I don't have a problem with it. It's not an issue that bothers me.

Joolyjoolyjoo · 19/10/2010 11:29

I think it's a bit young, tbh. My dd is nearly 7 and has friends with pierced ears, which I don't really feel one way or the other about. I just don't like the idea of the aftercare etc, worrying about earrings getting caught etc.

dd did mention it once, but when I told her what was involved in the piercing she hurriedly decided against it- she is a real wimp, which helps! dd2 (5) however, asked me if she could get her tummy button pierced Where that came from I have no idea, but I suspect she will be the one to watch!

Mooos · 19/10/2010 11:30

If you want her to look like a little gypsy girl go ahead.

loveulotslikejellytots · 19/10/2010 11:33

I had mine done at 10 after years of nagging. And that was only after spending 3 hours in a stuffy travel agents with my Mum trying to sort out a family holiday! I think she felt sorry for me honestly.

I think I was old enough then. Any younger I wouldn't have been bothered about cleaning and turning them.

Each to their own...

If it makes a difference, my Nan had 4 holes pierced in each ear at the age of 32. She'd never been fussed about it before hand!

RockBat · 19/10/2010 11:37

I'm really torn by this. I wouldn't let DD (she's only 2 but I'm practising the 'when you go to high school' line ) but I had mine done when I was 7 and had no problems and didn't look common.

maighdlin · 19/10/2010 11:40

ear piercing is nothing for me its the thought that DD will want to stretch her ear piercings like her daddy. she has been fascinated with them since she could see and adores her daddy.

zukiecat · 20/10/2010 11:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

discobeaver · 20/10/2010 11:19

Told mine they can have it done at 13 and that's it. And I won't have any sympathy when their hair gets caught, their tshirts get caught, they can't sleep because of the piercing, and so on.

But tons of girls do have it done earlier, it would have driven me nuts but I can only just bring myself to wear mascara and skirts at 41, so I'm probably not the best person to ask.

gapbear · 20/10/2010 12:11

It's personal choice really. If you think your daughter will look after hers ears (never thought I'd type that sentence!)then go for it. Be prepared for removal / covering with plasters at school though, for PE purposes.

musicmadness · 20/10/2010 13:05

Go for it if you think she's ready. I had mine done earlier than that (5) and did all the aftercare stuff myself (under supervision obviously). As long as she understands it could hurt and aftercare is a pain in the arse she is ready IMO

Zukiecat: Claires is bad because you never know who you are going to get. You can get someone who is 16 with a weeks training who is very reluctantly being pushed into piercing. Not good. You can't sterilise guns either (matters less with the ear lobe than other places admitedly) so the risk of infection is higher. The actual way the gun pierces is more traumatic than a needle as well. Again this matters less for earlobes, but people who use guns on the upper ears or noses are nuts! You could collapse the cartilage and do permanent damage.

Flip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread