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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

5 nearly 6 year old wants her ears pierced. Would you?

255 replies

Charsy01 · 23/04/2021 10:48

My only daughter so this is all new to me. She’s mentioned she wants her ears pierced (she’s 6 soon). Would you let her or wait? I was about 7 I think!

A few of her friends in her class have but some will be 7 in the new year school. Dd is one of the youngest. I’m just worried she’ll fiddle with it all the time which totally puts me off as don’t want any infections.

Advice on this please? What’s a good age?

OP posts:
BringMeTea · 23/04/2021 11:55

Not a chance.

Dobbyisahouseelf · 23/04/2021 11:56

My DD had her ears pierced in the summer holiday of year 6, so age 11. Honestly any younger and they can't clean them properly and our school had a no earring policy. What about sport at school as a minimum they will need to be removed or taped up and at 6 I don't think children would manage this. You can't expect teachers to help they have enough to do.

Hoppinggreen · 23/04/2021 11:56

No, I told DD she could have hers done the summer she left Primary.
She wasn’t bothered and had them done at 15

ZombeaArthur · 23/04/2021 11:58

I have a few piercings. My piercer won’t do anyone under 14, so that’s when my girls can have theirs done. I won’t take them to anyone I wouldn’t trust to pierce me.

miliie55 · 23/04/2021 11:59

Ok so back in the day mine were done at 2yrs old 😮 I'm a wimp not sure mine wld still be pierced if I hadn't got it done so young.

My niece got hers done about a year ago when she was about 5/6. They are now closed over. She did well keeping them in and get them cleaned etc but they were hurting her too much. She stopped wearing earrings as it was sore and now it's closed up so all that for nothing 🙈

She was really brave getting it down as her friend got hers done at the same time and went first. She saw blood but still wanted to get it done. It's such a shame after all that, they've closed over. No mention of her getting it done again I think it's put her off now. I don't imagine she'll get it done again till she's in high school. I'm going to try and wait until my girl is about 7 or 8.

Seeline · 23/04/2021 12:02

I think it's too young.

They don't understand that it is a permanent change to their body.
They won't understand the need to keep them clean and are likely to be fiddling at them with dirty fingers.
They will probably need to remove them for PE at school - by themselves, and put them back in, and keep them safe.
They will probably get caught when playing.

I think the summer between primary and secondary is the earliest they should be done.

Ericaequites · 23/04/2021 12:02

There’s a time and place for everything, and the summer between Year 6 and 7 is good on both. At that point, they can make a better decision on this, and care for the piercings with much less oversight.

MariLwyd · 23/04/2021 12:04

It’s a real hassle when they get them done at that age because they can’t take care of them themselves. They need daily cleaning and taking out for PE etc plus infections can be really nasty. I didn’t get mine done until I was 16 and ended up having a really bad reaction to the metal and they got very badly infected. It was bad enough dealing with that at 16, can’t imagine how awful it would be for a 6 year old!

aintnocoffeebigenough · 23/04/2021 12:06

@thiswaythat

I don't think her age is a problem (but I'm probably biased because I remember my fave aunt took me when I was 6!) but I would definitely wait til summer holidays and go to a proper piercing studio. Also, to contradict a PP you must never turn a new piercing so that won't be part of your new job. Just supervising a saline spray should do it. They come in great little spray cans now so it's easy for a young child.
Came to say this - if you do go for it then don’t start turning and twisting them around!
Candycane57 · 23/04/2021 12:09

I've had 3 piercings on each ear done at claire's with no problems but I'd still recommend you take them to a piercing shop. Do it during the summer holidays so they have more time to heal before they need to be covered/taken out for PE lessons.

paralysedbyinertia · 23/04/2021 12:12

No, personally, I wouldn't have allowed it at that age. At the very least, I'd have made dd wait until secondary age.

notalwaysalondoner · 23/04/2021 12:12

I was desperate to have mine done at that age, my parents made me wait until I was 10 (and even then my mum was very against it). I went to a private school though who wouldn't let us wear earrings, so I had them done on the first day of summer holidays. I do remember it being very painful when I had to take them out and put them in again the first few weeks back at school in the autumn.

Basically - I don't think pierced ears look great on little girls, but on the other hand, I was so thrilled to be allowed to get them done, and it's something the majority of women do anyway, so I don't think there's a right answer.

Butwasitherdriveway · 23/04/2021 12:13

I've never had mine pierced but IME, PE no longer seems to require pupils to take them out.

Flowerlane · 23/04/2021 12:15

When ever a thread like this comes up (which it does often) Mumsnet is always a big no no on this.

Personally I don’t see the problem with it.
I had mine done before I was a year old and majority of family members have all been very young when they had theirs done.
Obviously studs and definitely not hoops etc to minimise any accidents.

You know your own daughter @Charsy01 if you think she will not fiddle with them, help keep them clean etc and you think she is ready for them then go for it.
Summer holidays are usually a better time to have them done as a longer time to heal before you have to remove them for school. Also recommend a jewellers does them not Claire’s.

ViciousJackdaw · 23/04/2021 12:17

What do they use to pierce ears at the jewellers? Is it just a gun like they do at Claire's?

IbrahimaRedTwo · 23/04/2021 12:18

No, I wouldn't. If my DD's want to poke holes in the bodies I made for them, they can do it when they are older and can pay for it and look after it themselves.

I hate earrings on young girls anyway, unbearably tacky.

SquashMinusIsShit · 23/04/2021 12:19

@Butwasitherdriveway

I've never had mine pierced but IME, PE no longer seems to require pupils to take them out.
It must depend by school, DD's infants let them tape over earrings whereas her junior school says they have to be removed.

A lot of DD's friends did it between year 1 & 2 but I'm glad DD isn't keen because I don't think she could handle the pain afterwards & the cleaning (but wouldn't want us to do it oh course 🙄)

ShagMeRiggins · 23/04/2021 12:19

Yes, I would. Go to a proper jeweller to have it done and select studs with proper metals.

The only thing that would dissuade me is if I felt the child wasn’t responsible enough to remove/replace earrings for PE/swimming or other activities when necessary.

Mammabearto3 · 23/04/2021 12:20

We have a Rule in my family (passed down from when my grandmother was a girl) we have to be old enough to know what it means to have our ears done and how to look after them, we also have to be the one to ask for them to be done by the body piercer/hairdressers when we feel we're ready.

My daughter was the same as your little one when she 1st tried to get them done she chicken out and went back a few week's later and got them done.

She had them done with gold stud's.
She was perfect cleaned them, for about 3 year's wonderful no problems had gold heart hoops and gold sleeper's for school then she started a new school and had to wear silver stud's.

That's when we had issues the Sterling silver butterfly clips were absorbed into the back of the ear and they had to be cut out.
Put new clean earrings from jewellery store earrings in on Monday morning doctors office Sunday.

She no longer has her ears done and doesn't want to ever get them done again.

Historytoo · 23/04/2021 12:20

Fifteen. Pierced ears for primary school PE is a pain. Ex primary teacher.

Mummacake · 23/04/2021 12:21

My daughter was similar to yours OP. I left it til she was 7, and as she kept asking I got them done.

viques · 23/04/2021 12:21

I held on until DD was 13! But that was a long time ago and I don’t think she has worn earrings for years.

The reason I held out was that I have very sensitive ears, and it makes me come over all fainting couch at the thought , so she had to be old enough to deal with everything herself. Which to be honest she did.

Peanutkitten · 23/04/2021 12:23

No way Hosè! Once at secondary where she can deal with them herself.
Seen too many accidents where lobes have been ripped at a young age.

RolloTomassi · 23/04/2021 12:27

No. It'll be start of secondary for mine.

FoxyTheFox · 23/04/2021 12:28

DD got hers done whwn she was 6, we went to a piercing studio which we chose based on a recommendation. They used a needle and did both ears at the same time, there was no pain and DD didn't even realise they'd been done until we told her that was it finished. All the aftercare was included and that also included having having open invitation to call in to have them checked if we had any worries or questions. They recommended not twiddling them around and said twice a day to push the back to make the front pop out, clean it, then push the front in and clean the back followed by a quarter turn and that's it. No need to twiddle around. Hers healed fine. Her school don't insist on removal so long as they can be covered with a piece of surgical tape for PE.