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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Ear Piercing - What age is ok?

167 replies

WannabeNigella · 09/07/2011 12:31

My friend is letting her DD have her ears pierced for her 5th birthday. I know it is none of my business but I wanted to plead with her not to.

My DD is just 3 and there is no way she will be having ears pierced till at least 12 or 13 the way I feel about it at the moment, preferably 16!

AIBU? What is an acceptable age? I just think that it looks so chavvy when they are young and it's so unnecessary too.

OP posts:
Poshbaggirl · 09/07/2011 20:34

13

orienteerer · 09/07/2011 20:39

16

joric · 09/07/2011 20:41

12! Not a day earlier!

RumourOfAHurricane · 09/07/2011 20:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

joric · 09/07/2011 20:43

Hate seeing little boys ( age 2 /3 ) with one ear pierced ( also hate the accompanying rat tale hairstyle too- shaved head with long bit at back) :(

MummyTigger · 09/07/2011 20:46

I had to wait until I was eleven, when I finally went into Claire's Accessories and paid to have it done myself. I'd saved my pocket money for a good two months to be able to afford it and my dad was almost adamant that I would NEVER get it done, but I obviously convinced him otherwise.

I think I vaguely remember telling him that if he didn't let me get it done professionally I'd do it myself with my GM's sewing needle and some ice like on The Parent Trap. Right little madam, wasn't I?!

In my opinion, secondary-school age is the cut off point. They are able to understand the risks involved and consent to it themselves. They are also old enough by then to make sure they are taking the proper care of it. So that's the rule I'd stick by.

FWIW, I can't stand seeing babies with earrings. Sorry, but would you give a baby a nose-piercing?! Or an eyebrow stud? Any piercing is an open wound that needs care.

jellybeans · 09/07/2011 20:50

Mine were 10 and 12 and have had no probs. I think 7 up is OK if they want it. Mine weren't interested till they had it. I don't like it on little ones.

unfitmother · 09/07/2011 22:25

DD wants hers done, she's only 10, I think she should wait another year.

controlpantsandgladrags · 09/07/2011 22:42

It looks fucking awful on babies and young children. They need to be old enough to understand what it is and that it hurts. Piercing a 5 year old's ears is nothing short of child abuse IMO. We are not allowed to smack a child, but putting holes through it's ears is ok? What the fuck is that all about??

sundayrose10 · 09/07/2011 22:57

I saw a baby no more than 3/4 weeks last week getting her ears pierced at the jewellery shop. I have no opinion of when people should pierce their babies ears but it made me feel so sick that I left the shop.

Gooseberrybushes · 09/07/2011 23:01
  1. 16 if I have my way.
DrCoconut · 09/07/2011 23:18

I am certainly not from a chav family but I had my ears pierced when I was 2. Apparently the Italian jeweller who did it didn't have a problem with it. Boots had refused to do it. As Mrs Victor says I grew up with earrings so there was never an issue in caring for them. They were just there and it was as normal as brushing hair or cleaning teeth. I never had the problems of not being able to take them out for school as I didn't go yet and they never got infected as mum cleaned them well until they healed. I don't recall it being traumatic at all and am really glad I had them done as I would never have dared later on, I'm a wuss :) My family were all rather shocked that I had had it done so late, the tradition is as soon as possible after birth. But only for girls! Grandma would turn in her grave at the thought of a boy with piercings (though grandad paid for my brother to have his done at 13 to be sure he had it done properly!)

PrincessScrumpy · 09/07/2011 23:21

In the summer holiday before starting secondary so they are healed up and dd can take earrings out for PE. That's the earliest I would allow it and only if dd asked.

My parents said 16 but I did well in my end of year exams in secondary school so they let me then - I think that was fine. I personally hate seeing babies with them.

BustersOfDoom · 09/07/2011 23:29

I'm nearly 44 and wasn't allowed to have my ears pierced until I was 10. I was made to wait until the the start of the summer holidays before I started middle school so all the anti-septic washing and the odd sleepless night from sore ears - which can happen - was done with.

And yes, I hate seeing babies and toddlers with pierced ears. And little boys.

MrsVictorUbogu · 09/07/2011 23:33

DD1 and DD2 had theirs done at 4 months, after their vaccinations. DS had his done at 6 years. The girls were much easier to keep clean, as they didn't fiddle with them or want to keep changing earrings. I only had DS's done later as DH wasn't keen on boys piercings, although he likes DS's now. They all had them done at Claire's, which was very good IMO. Clean, hygienic, and quick! They all had the piercing studs in at first, then the girls went into my gold baby creole earrings as soon as it was safe to change them, and DS went into some punky studs!! They all love their earrings and wouldn't be without them. I had mine done as a six week old baby, and have never had problems....I had a second hole done at 18!

And SeenButNotHeard......I saw his bum on TV once when his shorts ripped.....from that moment on I was smitten Grin

Gooseberrybushes · 09/07/2011 23:38

Threads like this make me want to leave mn immediately.

monkeyslut · 10/07/2011 02:15

MrsVictor If you really think that Claire's is "clean and hygienic" then you are stupendously ill-informed.

I really wish people would do their research before getting such a procedure done. Especially when it concerns babies/small children.

theoldtrout01876 · 10/07/2011 02:28

Both my girls had their ears done before their first birthdays.I think it looks really cute on infants. My 15 year old is now has her lip, nose, industrial and 1/2 dozen piercingst in each ear plus shes gauging 1 set ( not what I want to hear) My 6 year old is pushing for a second set of earrings at the moment but I plan on holding her off for another year or so. Her siblings are all heavily pierced and I have a couple so I cant really blame her or see the problem,Its a personal choice and i choose to let all my kids decide how they look ( after explaining to them how others perceive/see them because of it)

BrianAndHisBalls · 10/07/2011 10:45

but you didn't choose to let your children decide how they look, did you? If you had their ears pierced before they were 1??

catgirl1976 · 10/07/2011 11:18

I think if you are going to get a very small childs ears pierced, why not go the whole hog and get them a mullet to go with it?

IWantAnotherBaby · 10/07/2011 11:38

I think it is child abuse, frankly, to impose body mutilation under the guise of fashion/ art/ culture on a baby or child too young to give informed consent. It looks unbearably cheap and naff and many people will make (justifiably) negative judgements about the child's parents when they see piercings on any small child.

I begged my mother to allow me to have my ears pierced from about the age of 12 or so. She adamantly refused to even consider it until I was at least 16. In the end I was 20 when I had them done. My own DD can make the decision to have hers done when she is an adult at 18.

As a doctor I have seen many small children with permanent deformity caused by infected or traumatised ear piercings. Awful keloid scarring is permanent and very disfiguring, and earrings being ripped through delicate earlobes is agonising and common in pre-schoolers particularly. Infection and scarring are much more likely in children than in adults.

I would go further; I think ear-piercing is like tattooing; it should not be legal to pierce the body parts of anyone under 18 - the same law as for tattoos.

gorionine · 10/07/2011 11:38

monkeyslut

Such a helpfull link, NOT!

drivemecrazy63 I was livid but she is from a differnt culture and still now (6 years on) does not get what all "my fuss" was about and in a way maybe she was right as Dd never had any sort of trouble due to her ears having been pierced.

apprenticemum · 10/07/2011 11:39

I just took my 11 year old to have her ears done last Friday(first day of the hols). Apart from her primary school having a ban on earrings there is still too much rough & tumble in primary school and many schools insist that earrings are removed for PE. Knowing my DD she would probably lose them or have trouble putting them back in. Besides it does look a little tacky on little ones

PaperBank · 10/07/2011 13:38

Never. Pierced ears are horrible.

monkeyslut · 10/07/2011 14:41

gerionine Why the beef? All it takes is a simple google of piercing guns to let you know of the risks involved as to why they are not recommended and deemed unsafe.

So how was that not helpful?

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