To think it's cruel to pierce a baby's ears

[Abihattie]

Just been to a baby massage class and there was a 4mo old there with pierced ears with loop earings in. It must have been painful for the child when it was done. Shouldn't children be old enough to decide for themselves if they want this done or AIBU?

YANBU

Thanks junglist1. I'm not really offended & I can understand it must be tedious when common topics crop up

I don't get why people who have seen these discussions before don't just steer clear. It's obvious that the OP didn't know this topic had been done before a few times.

OP YANBU,

It's minging and it's prob the only parenting decision (putting aside routines v ap/ff v bf/ school v home ed etc.etc.) that would make me think a (lot) less of someone if i saw their baby had pierced ears....I would think they were pretty rough and stupid.

I will get flamed for that comment but I don't care...there is no justification for it imo, the "cultural" argument just doesn't win it for me.

If I see a baby with earings, the parent/s are usually not much older than their child.

Thank God tattoos are illegal for under 18's or I'm sure there would be plenty of babies with 'Property of:' or some such nonsense scrawled all over them!

minxofmancunia - the trouble with your arguement is that if you live in a society , as I do, where almost everyone's small children have their ears pierced, you are going to be pretty lonely with an attitude like that. I have friends from all sorts of backgrounds here, including different nationalities and of differing educational levels, and yup, all their small daughters have pierced ears. I guess I just have to see beyond it - after all, these are otherwise nice, friendly, funny, clever etc women.

Surely a 4 year old still plays in situations where her earrings could be torn out? Or are we talking sleepers? I don't like it myself but then I am hugely squeamish.

thank god GetDownYouWillFall, you're sensible.
im new to actually posting on mumsnet, and have been lurking for a while.
and who really cares if you post something that there's already been a thread on?
i feel like starting a thread on just this.
but i would get flamed.
or accused of being a troll.
or accused of just trying to start an argument.
there's a thin line between argument and debate, and debate is what mumsnet is for.
some people need to stop taking thread etiquette so seriously!
on a more relative note
[ooh, thats another thing, who CARES if you go off on tangents to a different subject within a thread...is there a mumsnet police?]

baby earrings are tacky as hell and a safety hazard. ew ew ew.
i saw this lovely baby girl in Claire's who was happily gurgling away until the gun pierced her and then she was still screaming when i passed the family again a half hour later. not nice.

Britfish - I think a lot of people jump in and say "oh no not this one again" etc to prove that they are seasoned old timers who have been around a while. It's very patronising and people should be able to post whatever they want without being put down like this. If you've already read or contributed to such a thread then ignore it if you don't want to contribute again.

claraquack, exactly

well,i shall indulge the op,as when i first posted i t was with aibu,re parent and child spaces! so,i feel your pain....earrings on babies is just cruel and chavy,how anyone can inflict unneccesary pain on their precious child is beyond me..i feel sick taking them for their innoculations.
imo it's spot the brain cell parenting

DD1 was in hospital recently, and there was another little girl in there with hoops in. My mum described her as that 'horrible little child'. It just made me think less of my mum to be honest. But also sorry for the poor child if people were going to judge her (rather than her parents) for it.

On a complete tangent - junglist1 never heard the term murgy before. What does it mean and where is it from?

Mrs Mattie and Junglist am I number 3 of the 3? I've never been part of a clique before

Horrible..

cruel and unneccessary imo