To think pierced ears on a baby look horrible.

[Tealady1983]

So on fb tonight and a old school friend had pictures of her 3month ish baby with her ears pierced am I the only one that think this looks awful and that it's a bit cruel?

I think it's more cruel to get your baby's ears pierced with a gun! Christ on a bike, how unsanitary. If it can't be put in an autoclave (to completely clean it with high, intense heat) it should not be used to pierce ANYBODY. It can cause all sorts of complications, such as cauliflower ear. NEVER, EVER go to a place to get pierced, and they bring a gun out. They've probably used it on 50 other people. Don't do it. Single use needle, always.

Liking sweet things is not automatically self abuse (regardless of weight). Take it from me -I know the difference.

Conversely you might say that overly restricting your sugar intake is self-abuse (unless you have never liked sweet things, of course -I have a friend who can demolish anything fatty/calorific, but, from a baby, has genuinely never liked anything sweeter than a lemon).

Bollocks, wrong thread!

Piercings on under 12s look vile.

so for dd's 2nd birthday I'm getting her inked. The earlier you do it the more value for money you get and she won't remember it hurting.
I'm thinking either a tribal sleeve or a butterfly tramp stamp. How cute would that look poking out behind her nappy?

I had my ears piecerced as a newborn because my family are part Spanish and that's what was done. I have never had any problem with that decision and I think it looks pretty.

My dh (English) was 'routinely' circumcised as a baby (cause that's what that Health Authority did??). He has never been traumatised by his lack of a foreskin. We didn't choose the same for our children but I didn't feel strongly about it either way.

I always think there is a nasty undertone of cultural imperialism on these threads mascarading as concern for children.

totally agree BarbarianMum

Barbarian: I think it more insulting to infer that people from cultures where baby ear piercing is common are incapable of independent thinking and decisions around that topic.

and then you get the patronising tone well in some cultures it is tradition but white English children look like chavs/common not written but obvious that is being said

Barbarian there have been threads here and there are masses of support groups and campaign groups online of men are massively traumatised and furious that their parents choose to remove their foreskin at birth. I am amazed to hear that any local
Authority in Britain routinely circumcised babies. Where was this and when? Are you able to share?

It's great that you and your dh are happy with those cosmetic procedures done to you before you could consent. . Others are most definatly not.

Totally don't understand any references to imperialism?

Are you suggesting that as long as things are deemed to be culturally/religious norms then they cannot be questioned?

Very dangerous thinking.

Never really understand the term chav myself.

Informed consent yes that's easy!

I'd never dream of piercing a baby's ears, not merely because in my opinion, it looks awful, but also because it's fucking dangerous. When they get to the age of grabbing everything they see/feel you bet their earrings aren't going to be spared.

Won't look so pretty when their earlobe's split in two.

^^
My thoughts exactly!!

To hell with the health and safety of your little one's "let's put little hoops in their ears so they so they can put their tiny fingers in and have a good pull"

Slightly off the baby topic but I though this was interesting. I was talking to my 91 year old grandmother about ear piercing the other day. She told me her mother had had her ears pierced by a gypsy lady who came door to door and did it with a hat pin (which is still better than Clare's IMHO), my grandmother had her ears pierced by the doctor, my mother's were done by a jeweller and both mine and DD's were done by hairdressers/beauty therapists. I don't think any of us were babies when it was done though.

I do wonder why anyone would do it. It immediately marks you and your child out as having a certain lifestyle. When I see a child with pierced ears, they usually also have rotten teeth, and if they are boys, shaved heads.

Since when has getting braces, eating Macdonalds, sweets and sugars or playing in a playground been dangerous.

I was sacked from my Saturday job at the hairdressers aged 16 for refusing to hold down a screaming baby so she could have her other ear pierced. She had been all happy and smiley until the first one was done.

I think it is unfair to permanently change your child's body when they are too young to understand what is happening for no other reason than you thinking it looks nice.
Even if I did like it I don't know if I could go through with it. DS2 has had to undergo several medical procedures as a small baby and as a toddler. There have been times when he has had to be held down and it was bloody awful. I don't know why you would choose to have your baby hurt or distressed like that.

However as I say to my children I'm not everyone else's Mum and I can't control what they think is best.

No I love them. Three months is the right age for a few tattoos too, maybe even a sleeve

I can say that I never have had rotten teeth or a certain lifestyle because I had my ears pierced as a baby. That's a ridiculous thing to say or think. From old baby photos I don't think I was rocking the pat butcher look just simple studs or sleepers as they were called back in the day.

dragged up? Wow I thought the tattoos on women thread was a bit but this really shows what sort of people there are around who would likely never dare say these things to someone they saw with a child with pierced ears so they vent their misplaced anger online where they are 'safe' Yuck

Stripped bare of all the crap the fundamental thing is this.

Do you feel it's your right as a parent to perform any procedure on your child that has no medical benefit whatsoever without their consent simply because you feel you have the right.

If you do then go ahead.

Iscream - of course I'm not saying EVERY baby with earrings also has rotten teeth, that would be a ridiculous thing to say. I'm saying that it seems to me that the type of parent who pierces a young child's ears is often also the type who doesn't care much for dental hygiene. Just an observation

YouMakeMeHappy you mean parents who do not really care for their children in the way you do, ones that can not possibly love their children they way you do

I get it

dragged up is a fairly funny phrase.

The fundamental argument of a persons autonomy over their body is solid though.

You either support that or you choose to ignore it.

Religion/custom/race/ have absolutely fuck s to go with that in a civilised world.

freudian no that's not the issue here.

The issue is bodily autonomy.

For me children should have that right unless a medical procedure is needed

It's not about parenting one up man ship.

Melonbreath That's hilarious!

I was going to get my daughter's pierced but I read too many horror stories, I'd be worried if she got an ear infection and started pulling on them or, they got caught whilst playing but I wouldn't judge anyone who had them done.

I've opted for a baby bracelet instead.

Happy it was in Derbyshire but I don't want to be more specific than that. Very white, working class community. He and his younger brother were both done so the practise must have gone on a while.

Barbarian totally understand no more info. I wonder if it was for tight foreskin and that particular consultant favoured that proceedure.perfectky acceptable for medical reasons of course.

freudian absolutely not being personal here. My dd 15 has ears and belly pierced. Both my adult sons have tatoos.

However I didn't choose that for them they did.