When did your DDs get their ears pierced?

[Sundaydress]

I have a one year old DD born in UK where we live.

Dh is from a country where baby girls get their ears pierced pretty much at birth - I think hospitals there even offer to pierce their ears as part of post birth services!!!!

I'm totally against this and so is DH (he's lived many years in UK) its treating baby girls like objects to decorate and not letting them choose if they want it or not. Also could be a choking hazard.

We're visiting family in his country later in the year and one of the aunts is already talking about how she'll pierce babies ears as she's a qualified nurse!!!

I've explained on Facetime that it's not what we do over here and we don't pierce baby girls ears at such a young age etc but don't think the message is getting through. I'll have to be extremely clear when we arrive but it's clearly so ingrained in their way of doing things.

I know I'm not BU to avoid piercing her ears but it's got me thinking about what age is the right age? Baby/ toddler is far too young imo

I was thinking that when DD is old enough to decide for herself - maybe 12? I think i was 10 when i had mine done but I remember I had a friend whose father was very strict and acted like it was the same as getting a tattoo so she wasn't allowed until she was 16.

I had mine done on my 9th birthday.

I offered them from age 10 so summer after year 5. They both had them done later when they decided. So one was 12 and one 15.

Both DDs at 14

My DD was 13 - which is the youngest age that the piercer I go to does.
she'd wanted them done for a while, but was scared of the pain, and of them getting infected, but they have been fine (although she went through about a bottle of the cleansing spray a week for a while. not quite sure how she managed that 🙄)

My DH and in laws are Indian. I'm white British. When DD was a baby there was a lot of pressure from them to get her ears pierced (not from DH but from everyone else). I'm not an assertive person but I felt strongly about this and repeatedly said no. I could see they were very upset and to them it seemed completely wrong to have a baby girl without pierced ears. They brought it up repeatedly when she was a baby and toddler but I just kept saying "Not yet."
In the end we waited until DD was 9. This was the age I had my ears pierced so to me it felt like an acceptable age. DD was very keen to get it done and responsible enough. It worked out well for us.
The in-laws were delighted and are always buying her earrings.

My DD is 9, nearly 10 & she'll be having hers done at the beginning of the summer.
She's been asking for the last 2 years. Lots of her friends have them done already.
I think I had mine done at 8.

I had mine pierced somewhere between my 1st & 2nd birthday. I don’t have an opinion on the age I was personally, my mum had my older sisters done (she was 6 or 7) and just decided to have mine done at the same time!
my DD was almost 8 and it was her choice.

When I lived in the US it was offered as an ‘add on’ to baby vaccinations at the paediatricians office! But I think it should be their choice so waited until DD asked for which was for her 6th birthday.

Edit: I was 7, mum also let me as soon I asked, she thought it was ridiculous that she was made to wait until she was 16!

My DD was 8. She'd been asking for a year.

We took her to a piercing shop because I knew they'd use flat back bars so she could wear them for P.E. as earrings have to be removed for p.e.

Age 10. I said to mine they had to get it done with a needle and not somewhere dodgy with a gun, so the proper piercing and tattoo places all wanted children to be atleast 10 (or one I found was 8) and we had to show prove of age and that I was the parent etc.

I wouldn't step foot in a place that did babies. They can't consent.

Piercing any childs ears is common. Risk of being ripped out during sport, or just scrapping.

DD had hers done at 8, which I still felt was slightly young but she really wanted them doing. I know a lot of girls who've had them done around Yr6, but our local high school doesn't allow any earrings, not even studs, so I'm glad we did it earlier as I can imagine problems with getting them in/out of newly pierced ears.

DD was 9, GD1 was 7, GD2 was 5

Definitely not chavvy to get baby's ears pierced at all. I didn't get my children's done until 10/11 but the younger one was earlier as she wanted the same as her sister.
Many families I know do wait till 10 or teen.

I have two DDs, youngest had them pierced at 8, she had been desperate to have them done since she was 5 but I held out until 8! Youngest is 9 and just had them done, most of her friends have had it done this year too. I SIL remembers having hers done at 3 being quite a traumatic experience.

I had mine done at 6 months old. Had a second hole in one ear at 14

Nearly 8, had them done in the summer hols and she looked after them really well. Learnt to take them in and out by herself so never caused any issues with school and clubs.

We said summer after she turned 12, which would be this summer. She hasn't asked for ages and doesn't seem interested. Her friends mostly got theirs done around 7-9, she asked a couple of times then. I never got mine done.

I was 6, 2nd holes done at 12

Never, and my now-adult daughter has never wanted pierced ears, very much not her style.

I've never had piercings either, really don't understand why anyone does it,

Wait till they can give sensible informed consent.

I got mine done on my 16th birthday. Wasn’t allowed to get mine done before then- my mum was usually very laidback, this is the only thing she was strict about.

Our DD was 15.

I've let me daughter decide when she wants them done. So far it's a hard no! She's 6.

Neither my mum, aunty, dsis , 2 x cousins chose to get theirs done so i think it's good until they can decide as clearly many women chose not to. I had mine done at 11 as my mum wanted me to be undependent with it as putting earrings in gives her the ick🤣

I will allow my DD probably from 8 but will see how wild she is/likely to get them ripped out as i remember at school some girls had theirs ripped during rough housing.

Er none. Nor ds either - relevant as boys have pierced ears too. I pierced my own as a teenager but found it too limiting as far as being physically active including decades of contact sports and the dangers of getting my ear lobes ripped or embedding a stud end into my neck just didn't seem worth it.

Even moreso for nasal piercings, never mind the kind that joins up with another bit of your face - hardly going out to play a bit of rugby with a tool to shred my face when those sorts of risks come with playing the actual game. Maybe piercings are to keep women docile?