To think that babies with pierced ears is not a good idea?

[Blackbootswithredribbons]

I wouldn't trust a baby to not fiddle with their earrings, cleaning might be a difficult etc. And then there's the whole business of an infant not being able to say whether or not they want them done, the pain and having to hold a squirmy baby still while it's done.
I also cannot fathom a single reason to pierce a baby tbh, when they're old enough to fully weigh the risks and benefits, that's old enough.
What are your thoughts on this?

I got my daughter's ears pierced at 4 months. She is the only person who can judge me on this matter.

I'm pretty crunchy as a parent but I can't get worked up about this. I'd even go as far as to say I think it looks cute.

Things I think are more harmful in the grand scheme of things:
Putting kids in forward facing car seats/boosters too early
Not giving your kids home cooked meals
Not giving your baby colostrum
Cry it out
Not letting your kid cry or express emotions

Which looks very strange when I write it down and unhinged if I mentioned it to other parents. If I look down on someone, it does make me better or raise my status. I like to think everyone is trying their best
*
This!!*

@Elsiebear90

I can’t stand it, I’m from a very working class background, not a middle class snob at all and I’ve always thought it looked awful and chavvy. There’s no need whatsoever to do it, there are risks even though small, I once had a patient who had her ears pierced as a baby, they got infected, the infection travelled to her heart and caused heart failure, she was dead by 21.

There’s no logical argument for it, it’s body modification on a baby for the parents vanity, should be banned imo.

Agree with this

Hurting your baby for the sake of aesthetics? Not ok in my opinion. Also, why would you disrupt temperamental sleep patterns with sore ears??

@Blackbootswithredribbons

Also I disagree with the word 'chavvy' because it is often used with references to class and someone's class does not and should not dictate how we view them and their actions. If someone was rich would we describe them as 'chavvy'?

Yes. Why not?

In Australia we have the concept of the ‘cashed up bogan’.

It’s beyond ‘not a good idea’
It is cruel and I think it should be banned till a child is of an age they can give consent.

My daughter is 12 years old now and I had her ears pierced when she was 5 months old with no problems .She went to a very reputable salon in London and the process took literally seconds.

She is in secondary school now and they are allowed to wear small plain studs which she does.

I have never seen a medical advantage to punching holes in a baby. Regardless of whether we are using hammers, knives, needles or microscopic keyhole methods.
Whether we doing it gently, or barbarically whilst pulling a scary face.
It's illogical.
Babies look great as they are.
The alternative is to not punch holes in a baby.
I think that's the logical option.

Someone probably punched a baby gently, for cultural reasons.
I would also question that logic.

I think we are all intelligent enough to understand that babies don't prefer to be injured.

There's all kinds of stupid shit going on in this world.
Perhaps it's time to stop justifying historical/cultural excuses for inflicting pain on other humans. Especially very small ones that can't do anything about it.

The same people justifying this are on other threads saying 'there is no acceptable level of abuse, so LTB'.

We should all agree on this. It's not complicated.

I had my ears pierced when I was 3

I looked very cute ☺️

If I had a daughter I would have probably got her ears pierced young if she wanted them done

@Nextlevelnonsense

I have never seen a medical advantage to punching holes in a baby. Regardless of whether we are using hammers, knives, needles or microscopic keyhole methods. Whether we doing it gently, or barbarically whilst pulling a scary face. It's illogical. Babies look great as they are. The alternative is to not punch holes in a baby. I think that's the logical option.

Someone probably punched a baby gently, for cultural reasons.
I would also question that logic.

I think we are all intelligent enough to understand that babies don't prefer to be injured.

There's all kinds of stupid shit going on in this world.
Perhaps it's time to stop justifying historical/cultural excuses for inflicting pain on other humans. Especially very small ones that can't do anything about it.

The same people justifying this are on other threads saying 'there is no acceptable level of abuse, so LTB'.

We should all agree on this. It's not complicated.

I find your post offensive as I have never Harmed my child and she is 12-years old and loves her pierced ears.If getting a child’s ears pierced is wrong then it should be Banned shouldn’t it and made a criminal offence.

@avamiah - the thread is about piercing the ears of a baby, not a 12 year old.

A 12 year old can consent to having holes put in their ears for decoration.
A baby cannot.

Something doesn't have to be illegal for it to be utterly ridiculous.
Balancing a baby on top of a dog isn't illegal, but it makes no sense whatsoever.
Putting a baby into a flower display isn't illegal either, but we don't do it.

Somebody once decided to make holes in a baby, because it made sense to that person.
Now loads of people makes holes in babies.
We should question if it makes sense, and whether it has a place in modern society.
Not justify it because 'loads of people do it'.

If a baby isn't cute without punching holes in it, perhaps we need to ask why.

I think if anything the baby ear piercing thing is a bit daft because in my years of parenting there has been a definite decline in girls wanting their ears pierced. First child born 1990, last child born in 2011.

I speak of girls because I am a woman and only my daughters wanted piercing.

When I was a kid (70's/80's) us girls were all desperately envious of the odd one who had their ears pierced. We wanted it done so much, it was seen as a badge of being "grown up" I think. I was made to wait until I was 12, my friend until she was 16! This was when such things were harder to get done, more expensive and pocket money a lot lower so it wasnt like we could just go and do it. Claire's et al didnt exist, it was usually jewellers or hairdressers that offered it and you had to book in advance. It was often given as a birthday gift. At a push you did it at home with a needle and then took the antibiotics and the bollocking as standard!

My DD born in 1997 was allowed to get it done at 10 and has kept the holes, she badgered me from about 6 to get it done. Her sister was born in 2001 and again was allowed at 10, she got fed up pretty quickly and they healed. My two younger DD's (17 and 10) have never been interested and none of their friends are pierced. They see tattoos as "sad" and dont feel the need to augment their bodies at all.

So if anything the babies pireced now who go to school with said piercings aged 5 will be seen as oddities rather than something to aspire to as they were 40 odd years ago.

@avamiah

My daughter is 12 years old now and I had her ears pierced when she was 5 months old with no problems .She went to a very reputable salon in London and the process took literally seconds.

She is in secondary school now and they are allowed to wear small plain studs which she does.

Why?

@PyongyangKipperbang

I think if anything the baby ear piercing thing is a bit daft because in my years of parenting there has been a definite decline in girls wanting their ears pierced. First child born 1990, last child born in 2011.

I speak of girls because I am a woman and only my daughters wanted piercing.

When I was a kid (70's/80's) us girls were all desperately envious of the odd one who had their ears pierced. We wanted it done so much, it was seen as a badge of being "grown up" I think. I was made to wait until I was 12, my friend until she was 16! This was when such things were harder to get done, more expensive and pocket money a lot lower so it wasnt like we could just go and do it. Claire's et al didnt exist, it was usually jewellers or hairdressers that offered it and you had to book in advance. It was often given as a birthday gift. At a push you did it at home with a needle and then took the antibiotics and the bollocking as standard!

My DD born in 1997 was allowed to get it done at 10 and has kept the holes, she badgered me from about 6 to get it done. Her sister was born in 2001 and again was allowed at 10, she got fed up pretty quickly and they healed. My two younger DD's (17 and 10) have never been interested and none of their friends are pierced. They see tattoos as "sad" and dont feel the need to augment their bodies at all.

So if anything the babies pireced now who go to school with said piercings aged 5 will be seen as oddities rather than something to aspire to as they were 40 odd years ago.

Not our experience. Our oldest were born in 2011 and 2014 and their peers are keen to get their own ears pierced. Both me and my husband have got our own ears pierced and i cannot say it's ever been an issue and despite society changing i really cannot see how having owns ears pierced would ever be a problem. It's quite inconspicuous in any event. Probably depends on your social circle. I also don't anticipate my children ever judging others for their choice on tattoos or piercing and i would hope others would raise their children to be similarly open minded and tolerant of others.

@Ohyesiam

I’ve told this story before on here.

Had DD in Brazil, when she was about 20 hours old the paediatrician came to our side room equipped to pierce her ears. We were like WTF???
He was concerned for us and explained patiently that people might think she’s a hermaphrodite if we don’t pierce her ears.
He was not wrong, we had people laughing and pointing and were continually asked what had gone wrong.
We moved back to the U.K. before she was one.

God that's awful

@Olleh6754

Hi my name is Leanne/Jade/Chantelle/Mercedes, and I’ve come to Claire’s to get my child Riley/Tyler/Mason/master or miss hyphenated’s name, ears pierced please!

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@Itsnotover

It’s just earrings. It’s not that important. Some people pierce their baby’s ears for cultural reasons and those people should be respected. The UK is about the only country in the world where people get hysterical about ear piercing. Yet we have a problem with obese kids that counties other than the US don’t have 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think those of us questioning WHY it happens (no hysteria here) are quite capable of questioning other things at the same time

Other than culture (which others have attempted to ask more about as making an unnecessary hole in a child's flesh should surely be for a better reason? I mean, how many of us would happily accept it because someone wanted to do it to us?) there's not been a good reason.

And "it's our culture " = covers a multitude of nasty practices and certainly shouldn't just be respected

I had mine done when i was tiny, and im actually glad it was done then. Can't remember any of it and have also grown up just knowing i could wear earrings. Had my daughters done when she was tiny as well.

@TheKeatingFive

I suppose sometimes people find it easier to be enraged by insignificant stuff i suppose

That seems to be the case

No one is enraged it's just a discussion.

No one is enraged it's just a discussion.

I think it's fair to say it's always a heated one

@oblada

I have piercings (ears and nose) and tattoos so no snobbery about it, I said that they could get pierced if they want to but they dont. I suspect my own tattoos and the fact that they are popular with "old" people (ie anyone above the age of 30!) is what "sad" and puts the kids off, no one wants to be like their mother do they?

[quote PyongyangKipperbang]@oblada

I have piercings (ears and nose) and tattoos so no snobbery about it, I said that they could get pierced if they want to but they dont. I suspect my own tattoos and the fact that they are popular with "old" people (ie anyone above the age of 30!) is what "sad" and puts the kids off, no one wants to be like their mother do they?[/quote]
Ah well I don't know, all my kids want tattoos when they are older on account that me and DH have some too lol

To me this discussion is quite odd as I am yet to meet someone who actually hold a grudge against their parents for getting their ears pierced early. If parents and child are all happy. The risks are minimal. The pain is minimal (many other parenting choices have more risk and pain associated with them). It is such a non issue.
My girls are both very happy to have had their ears pierced early. When we did it it was done properly (no gun) with them barely squirming in our arms. Really it is a complete non issue.
I am sure i will regret some of my parenting choices or my kids will judge some of them negatively. I don't think this choice has any hope of making it to the top 100 relevant topics on this.

I had my ears pierced as a baby. I don't see why people are so against it. Im not traumatised by it, I don't even remember it. I think it's one of those things that unless it has something to do with you, you just have to get over it.

It’s our culture can cover questionable and cruel practices (some look to ideals from western cultural as questionable) but not all cultural practices that you don’t believe to be right are awful/cruel/abusive

Unless you are claiming the vast majority of parents abuse their children from cultures where babies and young children (mostly girls) have their ears pierced. Or are they less intelligent and just don’t know any better