to let my DD get her ears pierced...

[PuppyMonkey]

... if she's 11 years old...?

I had mine done at 11, but as a cautionary tale the gun didn't work properly and they had to pushed through by hand, which hurt A LOT. My friend, who had recently had hers done, nearly fainted just watching! Took me another 8 years to pluck up the courage to get second holes done [wuss emoticon]

Er...just wanted to add, DTD1 had hers done at Claires. Nowhere else around here does them besides the tatoo places. For one thing, the lady was definately not a teenager, and for another, they do the piercings after carefully marking the place on the ear which will be pierced - and getting you to double check they are symmetrical. They don't use a gun, they use a stapler looking thing which basically pierces your ears with the actual earrings (which are proper gold ones included in the price), so no needle is necessary. They not only tell you what is involved and how to take care of the ears before they will even start, but you get a leaflet to take home too, and a bottle of earcare lotion. Much better than the dodgey £6 version i had several years ago.

Yes, my took me when I was 8. I remember there were all these teenagers outside waiting to watch me cry, and I didn't. My mom said that they went in after me, and one of them cried. She felt very proud of her brave girl, showing the big kids how it's done.

Sorry, too drunk to read it all, but fwiw, my mum FORBADE me to have mine pierced before the age of 16, and I got them done anyway at 14, partially to annoy her. Also got my belly button done at 16, and three tattoos before I was 20. All had something (but not everything I hastily add) to do with getting on her nerves because I know she hated it.

I feel stupid for that now though .

Ok, just read some of the posts and wish I hadn't said anthing at all.

Damn that chardonnay

Had mine done at 15 and it didn't hurt at all, just felt like pressure. I had to upper ear pierced at 16 I think too, didn't hurt either. The top one hurt afterwards though and I coudln't sleep on that side for over a month. Let it close up and then got it done again but I let that one close up too.

Oh and I agree that babies shouldn't have their ears pierced, it's noone's right to scar someone for life.

Mine were done at 7 and I finally cornered got my mum to have hers done when she was 38...she was scared bless her!

I personally don't like to see very young girls, and definitely not babies with pierced ears, but 11 is fine IMO.

Can't believe it's legal to do it to babies or even toddlers, surely should be a campaign of banning it by law. Children should at least have their own choice, ideally at a much older age - even if some people think it looks sweet, many people agree that it looks chavvy so v unfair to child to saddle them with that image from early stage. More importantly it can be dangerous/cause problems with the ear.

I thought strictly speaking, that it was illegal before 16. Has that changed?

i thought my dd would chicken out but she didnt she was 8.

there was a campaign but it didn't do much good.

oh there is a new one

I think 4 is definitely too young. Yes they can say they want them, they can understand it might hurt - but degrees of pain etc? No. Fortunately it has not even occurred to my 4yo to mention it. I think this is because I don't have mine pierced because she is always wondering around the house in my high heels and trying to scam make-up.

Both my dd's had theirs done when they were 8. My mum got mine done when i was 4 as i begged and begged. So i decided to let my girls have theirs done when they asked. And both of them love it.

My dd1 has just had hers pierced again so she can wear 2 lots of earrings and that was for her 12th birthday.

and dd3 who is 2 can have hers done when she is old enough to ask too.

if they change their minds the earrings can be taken out and the hole healed over.

as other poster said not like having a tattoo which are for life

I had mine done on my 10th birthday (well over the summer after) so YANBU

my dd is 3, and some of her friends have them I hate it, how when they start school are they going to look after them? they have to remove earrings for P:E ect

beyond me, not my cuppa tea!

I remember at 19 getting mine done again(so 2 holes on each ear) and went home all scared because I hadn't told my mum haha not as bad a sister tattoo which she got without telling haha

kids eh

well i think each to thier own. if you decide to let your kids have their ears pierced then so be it. and if you decide you dont them to have it done then thats fair enough too. at the end of the day its the parent that makes the decision anyway so both arguments stand. i do personally think its wrong for people to think your a bad parent just because you have your childs ear pierced at any age. if someone had shouted to me in a supermarket 'how could you do that to your child' i would hav had a lot more too say!! your beliefs and opinions are yours so you dont have to push them onto other people.

My dd, who is 5 1/2, often asks to get her ears pierced. My feeling is that they are old enough to have pierced ears when they are old enough to care for them themselves. I know she will wear me down but hopefully not before she is seven.

I'd go to a professional piercer as well, licensed premises and professional + better quality products used.

BTW I have promised my dd she can have them done the day she finishes primary school, so 11 sounds fine by me

I think 11 is fine. I had mone done when I was 6. [shock} Won't let mine get theres done at 6, but 11 is a good age.

Oh and DSD have second holes put in when she was 11. This was after her mum got her 1st ones done when she was 6 months.

well,i dont agree sunshinesmile.i dont think parents should be allowed to have babies/toddlers ears pierced and i react the same way to seeing a small baby with peirced ears as i would to seeing a small baby being smacked as i see both as abuse.

I am spanish and all the girls have their earspierce more or less when they are born. I had mine then luckily for me. My 2 DDs had them pierced at 3 month old. My eldest wants to have them done again this summer as she lost the earings 2 years ago and didn't want anyone to touch her ears, but now she is decided that she wants them pierced again so she will when she goes to Spain for the summer. In Spain is done in the Pharmacies by qualified staff.

I took ages to get up the guts to ask my mum, can't remember what age, sometime between 14 and 16 iirc, and then she just said yes I'd been anguished for months deciding to ask her..... oh well...

I would never get a baby or toddler's ears pierced as it is their body and they need to make that decision for themselves, therefore they need to be of an age to make that informed decision. I'd always anticipated it being in their early teens minimium. Not sure what DD will be like, she's 3.1 and very opinionated already [worried]

Am very very glad have got two ds's! I always swore that if I had a dd ear percing would only be allowed at 14. Seems the acceptable age for too many things is getting younger and younger.....Definitely neer, never on a baby or toddler. Have always wondered if the parents of babies with pierced ears think their baby isn't pretty enough without these added extras?!?