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 don't have children but I was 12 - I'd been pestering for years though.

I got my second set done at about 17 and my third plus a cartilage piecing at 18. I also had my belly button, nose and four more cartilage piercings done as a student.

I'm 35 now and still have nine piercings including my nose.

I waited until they asked me, so for DD14 that has happened and she doesn’t want her ears pierced at this point and DD12 has just asked and is getting them done on the last day of school in July - their bodies their choice

Out of curiosity what country offers this as part of post maternity care?🤔 Is this offered to boys?

Mine were pierced once they were old enough to nag me about it.
It should be their own choosing i think

I had mine done at 7 which is on the young side IMO and they got infected a lot and my parents didn’t really do much about it

OP, I remember hearing a programme in the radio with a surgeon from Newcastle hospital who said that if parents saw the damage that pierced earrings cased, either because they grew in and had to be surgically removed, or because they caught on play equipment and resulted in torn ears, they would never let their little kids have pierced ears. He felt very strongly that no child under eight should have their ears pierced in any circumstances, and preferably older. I would let your daughter make her own choice - her body etc. I didn’t want my daughters having their ears pierced, but they were relentless as only teenagers can be, so my sister took pity and paid for it for them as a birthday present when they were 14 and 15. At their state primary school, incidentally, all jewellery, including pierced earrings were strictly forbidden. (My own father was very strict - I didn’t have my ears pierced until after I had left home.)

I said dd could have her ears pierced when she reached the menarch as part of the rite of passage to becoming a woman.

She reached it at 10 yrs, 5 months. Far earlier than I had expected and I had to keep my word.

Dd is 18 and hasn't got ears pierced, she's never wanted them done 🤷‍♀️

She was an extremely sensitive baby and it would have been completely wrong and traumatic to pierce her ears. It makes me feel a bit sick to even think about it.

My ears were pierced in the local chemist during the 80's when I was a baby. One is lower than the other.

DD started asking when she was 5 if she could have hers done and continued to keep asking until she was 6, so she had hers done when she was 6.

As she had kept it up for a year, despite my best efforts to put her off, it was done for her birthday.

Last year of primary, so age 11

My 3 girls all had them done as babies. 2 at 11 months and the other at 6 months. Older two now have more piercings, multiple in each ear (they were 11 & 14 getting seconds done) and eldest belly button piercing. Youngest wants seconds done but I’ve said summer holidays before high school.

One of my DCs has had multiple ear piercings from the age of 18, just after sitting A Levels. The school has a complete ban of wearing any kind of piercings so it would have been awkward before then. The other DC is older and not interested.

I was 15 when I had mine done. My DD is six and I wouldn't dream of having hers done. Thankfully she's a total tomboy and has zero interest.
I think the earliest I would allow is maybe 13 and only if she really really wanted it.

TBH I think they look horrible on young children.

My DD had her ears pierced at the end of year 6. Plenty of time to heal before starting secondary school and old enough to take care of cleaning the wound themselves. Primary school didn't allow earrings at all and at Secondary you were allowed one small pair of earrings but they had to be taken out for PE.

I was 6/7. I begged for it for MONTHS and one day I came home from school inconsolable (I was getting bullied) so my parents took me to cheer me up lol.

@Moveoverdarlin yes, 2 piercings in each ear.

I think cultures who do it use it as a signal that “this is a girl baby” like the uk traditionally did it with clothes (colours, dresses v dungarees etc). Because at the end of the day you cant’t tell a baby boy or girl apart otherwise. I would just leave it until the pester power from your DD is clear enough that it their own decision. Leave tradition behind. Progress is good.

Boys also have their ears pierced. I got both of my sons ears pierced when he was a baby. My daughters were also pierced when they were babies and I would do the same again.
I think it looks cute for both girls and boys.

Usually Spanish based counties and no they don’t do the same for boys. It’s a very much girly thing.

I don’t get people saying they can have them done as babies and if they don’t like it they can take them out cos the holes will heal. No they don’t. I had mine done at 4. I haven’t worn earrings for years but I still have an open hole. Can easily put another earring in if I wanted to

Like many of her year, DD had hers done the summer between primary and secondary schools.

She was delighted that I let her have hers done before the end of term, because she'd badly sprained her ankle and was off all sports, so taking them out for PE lessons and clubs ceased to be an issue and they'd had a few more weeks healing before she needed to do that in September.

Was it her choice to get her second holes done or yours?. Is she the only one where you live that has her seconds pierced or is it a trend amongst others her age. Where did you get them pierced and did you find it easy to find somewhere to do it at her age?.
I've seen it a few times on girls a little bit older and think it looks nice and I'm tempted to try and get Dd 4yo pierced a second time. If I get her done not sure whether to try and do the same with my toddler (18 mths) but might leave that another year or so before getting her ears pierced again.

13/14 - I was a similar age myself

I had to wait until the summer holiday before turning 16.

There was no particular reason for that rule... My mum never got her ears pierced, and neither my older sister nor I had much interest in piercings, until my sister suddenly announced, at about age 15 that she wanted her ears pierced.
My parents said that she could get them done for her 16th. So that became the family rule!

My DD is 7 and hasn't yet expressed any interest in piercings. But I do plan to make her wait until the summer before starting secondary school as her "reward" for finishing primary. But only if she expresses an interest in it. I don't plan to raise the point until she does.