When to pierce your child's ears?

[PrincessBabyCat]

If you have kids with pierced ears when did you pierce them? Did it cause any problems?

We want to pierce our baby's ears maybe at 4 months so she doesn't play with the earrings and cause an infection, and has had a couple rounds of vaccines.

Doctors have recommended waiting until at least a month, but it might be difficult if she can't hold her head up. We're currently playing with the pros and cons of when to do it. I had them done at 4 years old but I kept fidgeting with them and it caused some problems, my cousins that did it at 6 months were all fine.

I'm not particularly interested in a moral debate on this, more a practical weigh in. Thanks. :)

DD had hers done before we left postnatal and her tatoo was done the week before she started reception

Why ask when your not interested in people opinions?

DD badgered me from when she was around 9. I said no until 16 and kept saying no. Until she forgot about it until she was 15 and mentioned it again - when I agreed as she was mature enough to make the decision, and most importantly, be responsible for care.

Babies with earrings - just wrong.

Get a tattoo now too. Spare the pain in later life.

How about instead of turning away from dissenting voices and only speak to those who agree with you, you challenge your own thinking and make sure you can hold up your own beliefs. Culture and tradition can be changed you know.

At the end of the day, it is your choice. Many of us would not have it do e as we do t like earrings on small children. It is our choice. This is yours. I do t see it as a big moral dilemma, as in it is inherently wrong, just a matter of taste and choice.
In terms of the pain thing, I think that would be pretty fleeting. Personally I don't like the way it looks, but I also don't like babies in those head bands with bows on and various other things. However it is just my personal taste.
We might feel a bit snobby about, but shouldn't make it out to be a moral choice. It is just taste and choice.

If she's so young you can't trust her not to fiddle with them and cause issues, she's too young to have her ears pierced.

The fact that you fiddled with them and caused infection shows you were too young, not too old.

Why ask when your not interested in people opinions?

Because I didn't realize it would open such a big can of worms. Everyone I've talked to is pretty lax about it.

DD had hers at 8, entirely her choice. If I am honest, I don't love them, I would have preferred her to wait but for a multitude of reasons it was the right thing to let her do. She has been brilliant with them, hasn't fiddled, looked after them and chosen cute earrings for when she has been able to change them.

No-one has answered why it is a cultural thing though. What is the reason behind it?

Have you been on MN long PBC, because every time piercing babies ears comes up it opens a huge can of worms, spilling worms everywhere.

The reason behind it is that everyone does it. That's all 'culture' is.

a lot of people view ear piercing the same way as circumcision it is not something you can undo when you are older, ( the holes may close but they may leave scar tissue) it is permanent

some people think the cultural argument outweighs the person choosing when they are older enough but the above is why many many people think about 10/11 is really the earliest you can make the decision on your own

Op, I don't think any of this"advice" is helpful to you and you're unlikely to get anything more helpful than you've already had. I suggest you try another forum (perhaps babycentre) where people (and I'm afraid I am also one of these people) aren't so anti it.

Not until they ask for it and can look after the holes themselves. Preferably not before secondary school. In fact, preferably not at all.

A while ago I walked past a branch of Claire's. A child of about one was being forcibly held in the chair, screaming her head off while having her ears pierced. In any other situation, the member of staff and the parent would be accused of child cruelty.

When I said it was cultural, I simply meant like a fashion. Certain groups like to wear track suits or certain trainers, or to have their small girls in high heels or in earrings.
Other groups like to wear deck shoes and have their children in Boden.

I guess for some there are true cultural links, such as Romany groups.

For most people these days it is simply taste and choice. Why people would see it as inherently wrong, seems like an inability to recognise our own prejudices.

FGM is also a "cultural thing" in many cultures. Calling something cultural doesn't make it acceptable.

Saying getting it done at a young age means she won't remember the pain seems a ludicrous reason. I got mine done at 13 and IF memory serves me correct it stung a bit. I've not exactly been traumatised.

Surely there must be a risk of her ripping her ear accidentally pulling it.

Personally I detest pierced ears in babies. A good age is when she can make the decision and look after them.

I.....

nope

It is right that saying something is cultural doesn't make it right. It also doesn't make it wrong.

We have to distinguish between matters of choice and taste and those of morality. People often get muddled up about these.

I'm clearly the worst parent on mn. With my Niece who lived with me as a child I waited (partly because she isn't my DC) and held off until the summer holidays before senior school. However I regretted it so much, she made such a fuss, wouldn't leave them alone, caused a huge scene getting them done. Total mare.

Anyway with my own DDs I thought sod that, my sisters and I had them all done as babies (my grandmother did the piercing) so I did the same with my DDS. Got them both done when they were around 8-10months. They healed up perfectly as I did all the aftercare and have had no problems since. I think it was the right decision and I'd do it again.

It's an issue on mn people love to get irate about, I think it was compared FGM on one thread, but for the majority of people I know that had their ears pierced as babies, it hasn't caused any issues.

I think piercing on babies are wrong. No matter what cultural or other reasons people give. My view is it is wrong and nobody has ever said anything to make me think otherwise.

Just because something is 'cultural' doesn't mean people shouldn't question it, and it certainly doesn't make it the right thing to do.

Everyone I've talked to is pretty lax about it.

I think you mean "relaxed", OP.

And I think you did know you would open a can of worms because in your OP you say "I'm not particularly interested in a moral debate on this."

I really think you need to talk to your friends who agree with you as that is what you're looking for.

Oh, and the best way to ensure your child doesn't remember the pain is not to inflict it in the first place.

Heh I nearly got in a physical fight on this once.. apparently responding to 'get it out of the way while she's too little to remember' with how cruel it is to mutilate a baby in anyway didn't go down well

I can't believe any doctor would advise something like that as young as possible.. but then again, some of them like to cut bits off baby boys so whatever.

NOBODY needs holes in their body... least of all little kids and babies.. give your head a wobble OP or like stop being a sheeple.

What you're missing MamaPain, is that piercing ears isn't actually obligatory. It isn't a choice between piercing your babies' ears or having trouble with it as an older child. Your children may well have not wanted their ears pierced at all.