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Original poster

Just saw a 4 month old baby get her ears pierced - why????

216 replies

TambaTheDragonSlayer · 18/01/2006 15:48

Why on earth would you get your babies ears pierced???

Woman walks into Claires Acessories with her 16 week old baby and asks how old they have to be to get her ears done. Answer 4 months but must have had her jabs. Ok mom replies, lets do it.

Poor screaming baby has pain inflicted on her uneccesarily so mum can show off her oh so fashoinable baby.

Why????

I was so [shocked]

I could never cause my baby undue pain and discomfort. What makes people do this??

OP posts:
melissasmummy · 19/01/2006 12:13

I was in Claire's a few years ago & there was a lady in there with a baby (younger than 6 months) getting her ears pierced. Afterwards, the lady said to the baby "let's go & show your mummy what we've done" The assistant asked if mummy knew & the lady said "no, it's a surprise" I would have been livid!

IMO, it just doesn't look nice & I can't help thinking of the safety aspect either!

lanismum · 19/01/2006 12:21

i knew id get the old mutilation line, of course i dont think its right for parents to mutilate/abuse their kids, but, for me ear piercing is not mutilation, lots of people are saying they will let their children choose, so is it only mutilation when its a baby having it done, not a 10 year old? not trying to start a huge row, i dont have the time or energy, just wondering?

MissChief · 19/01/2006 12:24

God, it's just tacky IMO...

Angeliz · 19/01/2006 12:25

It's always mutilation, just sad when they are forced against their will. (and i don't think babies would opt for pain do you?)

daisy1999 · 19/01/2006 12:27

here here pink magic. It looks very common and I don't care who I offend! The mothers are the same kind who smoke in front of their children and wear mini skirts with bare legs in winter Bye bye

lanismum · 19/01/2006 12:33

hahahah believe me i do NOT wear mini skirts with my legs!

lanismum · 19/01/2006 12:33

dont smoke either so wrong on that one too!

daisy1999 · 19/01/2006 12:34

lm please don't ruin my stereotypes.

lanismum · 19/01/2006 12:37

sorry, the thought of my chubby legs in a mini skirt blue with cold just forced me to type

Kelly1978 · 19/01/2006 12:40

nope, don't smoke and have never worn a miniskirt in my life!

lanismum · 19/01/2006 12:42

ooohhh daisy1999 wont be happy!

Kelly1978 · 19/01/2006 12:44

daisy can bugger off

Albert · 19/01/2006 12:59

Last weekend I visited a friend who has a 3 week old DD. I was quite shocked to see that DD had her ears pierced but didn't say anything. DH however did ask and was told that the nurses did it whilst she was still in the hospital ie. about 24 hours old. I live in Brazil and this is common practice here and considered very wierd if you refuse it. Personally I don't like it but would never berate someone who had made the decision to have their baby's ear pierced. It seems to be very much favoured in Catholic countries (having just come from Italy where it was the same) but I don't know the reason why. Incedntly, I have my ears pierced but was 17 when I had it done!

BBWBabeLisa · 19/01/2006 13:47

Having just given birth to my DD one week ago I am still undecided about ear peircing. In my family it has always been the norm for baby girls to have their ears pierced when very young, I was 6 weeks old, and my cousin was about 10 weeks. Personally, I've always been glad I had mine done when I was too small to remember it. I do think its a little bit of an over-reaction to say it's abuse, and as for "common", well that just makes me laugh, if you're worried about appearing common IMHO you're more of a fashion victim than you think. For the record, while I may well decide to have DD's ear pierced, I neither wear mini-skirts nor smoke.

Normsnockers · 19/01/2006 14:01

Message withdrawn

beejay · 19/01/2006 14:12

I had it done when I was 12 and it didn't hurt that much. Really don't think it's a big deal

beejay · 19/01/2006 14:14

Also ( and maybe it's just me) I never got upset when my dd had her vaccinations. The pain is momentary and it's for a very good reason so it didn't upset me in the slightest. Am I weird for thinking like this?

gameboy · 19/01/2006 20:46

Deffo chavvy, and for those that can't see it's abuse, then they're more thick than I thought possible...(IMHO )

Mytwopenceworth · 19/01/2006 23:50

lanismum, in response to your question is it only mutilation when it is a baby getting it done not a 10 year old - it is mutilation when it is not the choice of the person to whom it is being done.

So if the 10 year old comes to you and says please mummy, can i have my ears done, i really want to, then it is not mutilation, it is her choice. if you drag your 10 yr old downtown, strap her to a chair and stick a needle thru her ear while she is screaming no mummy no please dont it hurts i dont want to - then it is mutilation.

which leads to the should you pierce the ears of a baby? did your baby ask you to? does your baby want her ears pierced?

You are doing something to somebody else which they have not asked you to do. you are doing it for your gratification not because it is to their benefit.

it is not a health and safety issue - as a parent you have to make many decisions on behalf of your child if they are not able to make such choices for themselves (age, understanding, safety etc). ear piercing, imo, doesn't fall into this category and can wait until they are old enough to make their own informed choice about what is done to/with their body.

vicimelly · 20/01/2006 04:17

"Deffo chavvy, and for those that can't see it's abuse, then they're more thick than I thought possible"
I had my ears pierced when I was 5 months old, I've always been happy that my mum did it for me, in my family all our girls have their ears pierced as babies..did my mum abuse me gameboy? or am I just thick for thinking that she didn't??
I find your post extremely offensive, I am neither 'thick' or a child abuser yet I had my daughter's ears pierced....I'm thinking you must be very uneducated to make such a sweeping, offensive generalisation.

colditz · 20/01/2006 08:22

My opinion is that it is a hideous thing to do to someone who cannot protest and be listened to. yes, in that situation, it is abuse.

Meanoldmummy · 20/01/2006 08:53

My son had dodgy blood sugar/other problems when he was born, and I had to watch him have hundreds of prick tests, blood tests, injections and puncturings of various kinds in his feet, arms, and even head. Even in such a tiny baby it got to the point where he shook and flinched if anyone came near him. It was pitiful to watch. It took months to get him to relax and accept affection like a normal baby. The idea of anyone putting holes in a small child for cosmetic reasons is just abhorrent. Body piercing, including ears, carries the risk of infections and allergic reactions as well as being painful. It's something an older child/adult should make a conscious choice about, in full knowledge of the implications, not something for a parent to impose on a tiny child to make her look pretty.

serenity · 20/01/2006 09:34

vicimelly - I really wouldn't bother tbh. If you look in the archived threads on this topic you will see that you can never succeed in defending yourself on this topic. Once it starts getting down to namecalling then leave them to implode on their own

I don't think I'm up to debating in such an intellectual manner as Gameboy anyway........

Kelly1978 · 20/01/2006 09:39

lol, serenity.

I think that must be the mumsnet stock answer to anything that the majority don't agree with - call them a chav! I have smacked my kids, and I've pierced my kids ears. And I let them have macdonalds occasionally. Maybe I am a chav, and I jsut don't know it.

sparklymieow · 20/01/2006 09:43

I didn't have my girls pierced as a baby, we said that when they asked and understood how its done, they could have them done, Dd1 asked in about june last year (she is 5) I put her off, she kept asking, so just before xmas she had them done. But I do not agree with tiny babies having their ears pierced, but that is my OWN personal opinion, I don't think that people are child abusers if they choose to have their babies ears pierced