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AIBU?

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Original poster

What age for ears pierced?

223 replies

Gottastopspendingmoney · 10/08/2019 19:18

Almost 8 year old is asking more and more to get her ears pierced.

I am not going to let her yet. I say she can get them done when she is 18Grin.

But just wondering what age parents have allowed them to get done.

I am thinking 10 / 11 at the very youngest but I will happily push it longer than that.

She did tell me the other day that it would have been easier if I had got them done as a baby Hmm

OP posts:
Sooverthemill · 10/08/2019 20:30

I always said 18 ( mine were done on 18th birthday) but DSD was allowed by her mum to have them done at 13 so I had to allow my DD age 14. But they were continuously infected ( despite fastidious cleaning, she has a chronic illness) so came out after 8 weeks on GP advice. I hate young piercings except for cultural reasons and even then it makes me sad that the babies can't dissent

Walnutwhipster · 10/08/2019 20:30

DD asked for years but I waited until the day she left year six, aged 11. That way they were healed enough to be removed for p.e. when she started secondary school. I chose a piercer with a great reputation too, the thought of Claire's horrified me.

Ikeameatballs · 10/08/2019 20:34

Dad had hers done the first time at 7. She’s had another set and a tragus piercing done now at 13. I’m fairly relaxed about these things. I have however said no to a belly button piercing until 16, as everyone I know including me had nasty infections, and expander type piercings.

BinkyBaa · 10/08/2019 20:34

I don't agree with piercing a babys ears on the basis that they can't ask for it to be done and dont understand. As a result my stance is really whatever age they want their ears pierced and understand that its going to hurt and that they have to do their own aftercare. Only you know your child well enough to know if she understands what the procedure entails.
I think I was about 11 when I had mine done, which is probably quite normal and maybe a little bit conservative as my mother was a bit overprotective (and still is!). The only thing I'd say is dont do it at Claire's. Mine were, and while they're not that bad on their own, I had two more rows done at a real piercer years later and he noticed they were a bit wonky so had to even it out with the placement of the others. Honestly real piercing parlours are just a nicer experience overall. You could go to Claire's and spend £60 to get her ears pierced wonky by gun in a noisy shop window. OR you could go to a real piercer and have it done with all sterile instruments taken out of the packs in front of her, in a private room with an experienced piercer all for £20. Mine even gives you a lolly and let's you keep the pen he marks the location with!

adaline · 10/08/2019 20:36

Summer after year 6. So 11/12.

TheTurn0fTheScrew · 10/08/2019 20:41

Old enough to care for them, so 9 or 10. I think DC 1 was 10, DC2 is nearly 9 and hasn't had hers done yet.

The summer between Year 6 and Year 7 is often cited on here as a popular time. I would caution against this, as often secondary schools do not allow earrings at all, whereas primary allow them to remain in and be covered with tape for PE. Ear piercings can heal in 6 weeks but this really is a minimum. some take nearer 6 months.

ChristmasFluff · 10/08/2019 20:44

I'd say 16 - unless she can save up to pay for it herself and can show she understands the commitment to care for the piercings.

I wasn't capable of this at 18, hence lots of bleeding from the ear holes and a minor infection from wearing really heavy earrings a week after the piercing. What can I say, it was the 80s....

ReggieRed · 10/08/2019 20:52

I originally said 10 but DD was desperate to have them done at 9, so with her dads permission we said yes.

She had two people, one with a gun in each ear and I'm so glad because she was a tad upset (only for 5 mins or so) and not sure she would have got the other one done if it was one at a time!! 😂

user1471590586 · 10/08/2019 21:03

I think my daughter was nine. She had been nagging me for about a year. I made her wait until I felt she was responsible enough to keep them properly clean and change her earrings herself. For PE she wore tape over them when they were first done and now she is able to take them out.

Kinkybutkind · 10/08/2019 21:11

Just to say, most tattooist/piercing type places that use a needle rather than a gun won’t pierce anyone under 14 in the area I live. Daughters both had theirs done when old/mature enough to handle the aftercare - between 8 and 9 as I recall. I have a fair number of piercings so find it hard to get too worked up about them - they’re less permanent than a tattoo and can mostly be removed if the situation/activity requires it.

Pleasedontdrawonyoursister · 10/08/2019 21:16

I always said I would discuss it with them when they asked. My DD has been asking since she started school at 4.5. We spent a long time chatting about the process, watching YouTube videos and she spoke to some friends who had just had them done. I told her it would hurt and she would have to learn to remove them for pe herself. I finally took her two weeks ago, she has just turned 6. She cleans them herself (under my supervision) and we’ve had no problems. My mum didn’t let me have them done until I was in secondary school and I was probably the last in my class! I would never make my children wait that long! (DD2 is 4 and has no interest whatsoever, she watched her sister get them pierced and is adamant she never wants earrings Grin). To be honest I think waiting until 16 is ridiculous! Although I appreciate some people think my daughter is still too young sorry mum

simplekindoflife · 10/08/2019 21:49

My dd has campaigned for pierced ears since she was 5. She's now 7 and I finally agreed to her having them done last week.

We went to a place that uses a needle and ball backs instead of butterflies. She's very sensible, was fine, is cleaning them herself and they are healing very nicely.

Amanduh · 10/08/2019 21:56

Any time they decided they definitely wanted them and understood they might hurt etc. To me 16/18 seems ridiculous!
I know on mn ear piercing is seen as the devil incarnate, but irl I have taught 8 lots of year 6 classes now and would say by this point at least 75% have them pierced.

applepieicecream · 10/08/2019 22:13

My daughter was 8. It seems to be the birthday present in year 3/4 and that’s in 2 different prep schools. By the end of year 6 I would say that virtually all the girls had had them done so I don’t think it’s a class / money thing.

alphabetti · 11/08/2019 22:12

I took my daughter to get her ears pierced when she was 5, the start of summer hols between reception and yr1. She asked for them and I didn’t see the issue so allowed her to have them done.

I cleaned them for her and at same time also showed her how to look after them herself. She wore earrings every day for about 3yrs I then lost interest and wore them just once in a while. She is now 13yrs and started to wear them more regularly and has asked for a 2nd set. Many of her friends now have 2nd sets too. I said ok and said I would take her to Claire’s as that’s where I had mine done and got hers done too but she is insisting she gets them done with a needle as that’s what her friends having done.

I think as long as a parent willing to help their child keep the ear piercings clean then no harm.

Rockybooboo · 11/08/2019 22:22

My daughter had hers done at the start of the summer holidays, she's 8 years old.

Pipandmum · 11/08/2019 22:27

Tradition here to get it done last day of Y6 (so age 12). Junior school doesn’t allow earrings but studs ok for Senior school (taken out for games so ears need to be done beginning of summer holidays).
My daughter just had second holes done (14) and said she was last of her friends to get it done!

TellerTuesday4EVA · 12/08/2019 08:01

Totally going against the majority here but DD has here's done at the start of the holidays she's 5 almost 6.

I'm not a fan of people taking young children to get them done without them knowing what's happening but I always said when she asked for them done I would take her, I personally don't see the point of making them wait until they're 10 or a detain age etc.

I told her it would hurt, she watched a video of what would happen & still wanted it done so off she went. Yes it did hurt but she absolutely loves them.

TellerTuesday4EVA · 12/08/2019 08:01

*had her's

Myfoolishboatisleaning · 12/08/2019 08:04

Under a year, so there is none of this angst. Always with a needle though.

Chocolatedeficitdisorder · 12/08/2019 08:12

I hate to see children with pierced ears, so I told my Dd that she would have to have left home before she had hers done.

She's a student now, and had them done a few months ago, aged 20.

It still looks gross.

MoreFrog · 12/08/2019 08:44

I've never had mine done. I don't like the look of pierced ears. I don't understand why people want to punch holes in themselves. One of my daughters asked when she was 12 so I asked her why and she said because a lot of her friends had it done. I then asked if she'd want it done if none of her friends had pierced ears. And to think hard about the answer. She's over 30 now and still hasn't had them pierced.

SayOohLaLa · 12/08/2019 09:16

Where would people go to get needle piercing done for 10-11 year olds? I'm not taking my DD to the local jewellers with a gun, like my mum did for me, but I alsways associated neelde piercing with tattoo parlours, which have older age requirements.

DD isn't old enough yet, I'm just curious.

StripyHorse · 12/08/2019 11:20

Keep in mind...
What the rules in school are (6 weeks healing is not usually enough to be able to leave earrings out all day).
How able your child is in keeping up with aftercare and not playing with the earrings (touching earrings can lead to infection even with healed piercings).
If they regularly go swimming (another infection risk).
How old they have to be for local piercing studios to pierce their ears. A lot say 14 even for lobes, I know of one that says 10, while another will do it younger because they know otherwise people will go to Claire's etc. instead so they offer an alternative.

formerbabe · 12/08/2019 11:26

It still looks gross

What?! Normal pierced ears? Have a word with yourself.