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 don't like it, but never say in rl. Seems so pointless and I bet it does hurt even with cream.

zzzzz I hope everything works out for you all.

Why do these threads always have posters taking the piss by writing things like "her ickle pwincess hun x"? It really confuses and bugs me. Is there some sort of MN history that I've missed that someone could explain?

I agree. YANBU.

Just to offer a slightly different perspective, I'm a expat living just south of the US.
Many babies have their ears pierced here - close friends of mine just had their baby girl's ears done when she was 6 months and in every single picture she's smiling. Numbing cream was used, she didn't feel a thing and hasn't had any issues with healing.

Neither of her parents are "chavvy", both are highly educated professionals who are fantastic parents. I suspect part of the reason it is as accepted in the US and South America, as a norm, is that it isn't attached to class. In the UK, as evidenced by the comments above, piercing a baby girl's ears is "chavvy", looks "common" and "cheap" - there doesn't seem to be that same attitude here.

I don't really have an opinion on it (and have boys so don't have to worry about it!) In the UK, a baby girl with pierced ears elicits a certain reaction as it's so closely linked with a social class.

Over here, a baby with pierced ears has no bearing on class whatsoever and therefore nobody gives it much thought. And from that point of view, I can see where PrincessBabyCat is coming from given that she is American. It's not such a big deal there.

Erica there is no credible evidence that mass circumcision of men protects women from infections or both sexes from HIV.

That's simply wrong.

The world health organisation does not recognise this and has stated it as not correct.

Of course research for huge American/Canadian health care organisations produce stats. Probably because lopping off fire skin is huge big business and money.

Sorry fore skin.

Of course circumcision threads are massive on mumsnet too.

stroke for me it has absolutely fuck all to do with looking chavvy or culture/religion or commen practise. Not interesting or relevant.

It's about another human beings absolute right to bodily autonomy from birth to death. It's about not
consenting to a procedure that is invasive but not in any way needed.

Op yanbu to think it looks horrible, we all have different ideas on what looks nice and not nice. When it comes my own daughter my feeling is that they are not my ears and so, like with the rest of her body, I won't be making permanent changes to them unless there is a good medical reason.

According to Runesigil my DD age 7 must be VAIR PLAIN INDEEEED, as she doesn't have her ears pierced.
I shall just go and tell her.

It should be illegal .
My dd 14 hates pierced ears and vows never to have it done btw - bloody good job I didn't take that right away from her .

I'm with you OP, I think it looks awful and tacky.

Chavs will be marching on Parliament next to get the age of consent for tattoos lowered to 12 years. Probably.

I like it about as much as I like fabric hair bands on bald babies.

Nobody should make permanent alterations on somebody else's body without their consent.

I don't know one person in rl who has done this to their baby.

I conclude I must mix only with posho types.

Its a cultural thing. In slavic countries its common, not exactly for babies, but often for toddlers.

IMO.

Also, it's taking a rite of passage away from her. I loved going and getting my ears pierced as a girl. My sisters and I weren't allowed until we were 13 (!). It was part of becoming a teenager. I get that 13 is pretty late these days, but 'before you're old enough to want or remember it' is the other extreme.

I got my ears pierced at 18 in my first week at university as my mother hated it so much.

Clearly it must send different signals /no signals in US than UK. I'm white,British and middle-class and to me pierced ears on babies are well, let's just say not something my friends and family do.

I don't find it attractive.

I don't think it looks nice. Babies are beautiful just as they are. Judge the parent? Not really. I'd look, think aw poor baby, and then get on with my shopping or whatever.

Subject 'done to death' on here? Well, i've seen a few threads on it in the past, but then i've been MNing for years. New folk or less prolific MNers may not have seen the previous threads. There's nothing wrong with bringing a subject up a second/third/fourth time. There are always new people, new ideas, covering old ground perhaps, but that is literally just like real life once you've been around awhile.

Chavs will be marching on Parliament next to get the age of consent for tattoos lowered to 12 years. Probably.

Really?

I haven't read all the replies and I assume they are mixed but it's a personal choice - just like baby names are personal and not to everyone's taste.

I personally think it looks awful and hate it on babies and toddlers. I wont allow piercings until they are at least 7-8 years old and they've decided themselves they want it.

I think it's a bit selfish to stick holes in a baby's ears because you want them to 'look pretty'.

I knew one mum that posted on Facebook about her baby having her jabs and how upset it made her and she hated her being in pain etc, etc and a week later ...... Photos of the baby with bright red ears and a blotchy face from crying with her newly pierced ears!

And as so many of you have said - any would you willingly and by choice expose your baby to potential pain and infection.

Earrings in babies and kids commonly get - infected, embedded in the ear which is very painful, ripped out, and allergic reactions to the metal are also very common.

'I'm white , British and middle class '
Quote of the week ...

I like piercings.

Piercings should be carried out on a person who has chosen what they would like pierced, by someone who knows what they are doing, & is using a one-use needle.

They should not be inflicted on a child who has no idea what a piercing is, by an untrained shop assistant using a dirty piercing gun. In a shop window ffs.

Never mind how they look: pretty, chavvy, whatever, is in the eye of the beholder. I really don't think that personal perceptions of what a 4mo baby looks like with earrings are the issue. Obviously her parents think she's gorgeous either way, & are hardly going to be swayed by anyone saying they think it looks 'rough' etc.

For me, it comes down to going & getting my ears an extra piercing every so often because I fancy it. Other people's ears - including my dcs - just aren't mine to modify.