Child - earrings and school

[oblada]

I am interested to see if there is anyone who has dealt with or is dealing with a child who has their ears pierced and is starting school (here I am assuming most schools have the same policy re piercings/earrings).

Do you take the earrings off before school and put back after school? Do you only put them back during the week-end? Do you use those "invisible earrings" things which potentially is 'cheating' the school policy but I have heard some people found that to be a lifesaver....?

The earrings I put on my girls are proper child-safe earrings (the screw type- I expect thats what most people put in toddler/young children) so they are a bit of a faff to take off and put back on.

Not interested in judgment as to whether a child should or should not have their ears pierced, whether it is cruel, should be banned or any of this.

My girls have their ears pierced partly (maybe mainly) because it is quite important for my husband's family/in their culture. They had them done properly (not gun) at a young age so it is definitely fully healed by the time school starts.

Still, given their young age I expect it still would not take long for the hole to close up if left unattended...

Would be good to hear of real experiences on this...

They will likely need to be removed for PE days, best to check with the school if there's any other requirements. Usually studs are allowed for non-performance days.

Dd had hers pierced at her request when she was 8.

Earrings were not allowed at all in her primary school. They did PE twice a week & swimming once a week & there were often sporty things on other days so it wasn't practical.

In term the she put them in to sleep in & took them out in the morning.

DD's school just makes you sign a waiver form, and they pop surgical tape over them for PE to reduce the risk of them catching on anything.

They are allowed to wear one pair of small studs during school otherwise. DD's school is generally quite strict in terms of uniform

I've been teaching for nearly 20 years and have never seen a child with screw earrings!

I'd just use normal earrings and make sure they can take them out on their own for PE.

Screw earrings are a bad idea as if the earrings get caught it could rip your child's ear lobes. Normal earrings are fine. Just take them out on PE days.

cocoabum - I like the sound of that!! Maybe I should suggest it to the school! Though I somehow doubt theyd listen... can always try

But no flexibility here on the school policy, its no earrings, PE or otherwise. And anyway we dont seem to be told when PE is (have to have the bag ready every day...)

Screw earrings (where one end screws into the other one) are standard children earrings. Other types of more likely to be uncomfortable (poking at the end), fall off etc. Technically any earning can lead to an injury yes but so do a lot of other things in life. For young children only screw types are really appropriate IMO. But thats not the subject.

At the 4 primaries I have experienced, a single pair of stud earring are allowed as part of the uniform.

They have to be taken out or covered for PE, swimming and any other physical activity.

If your school says no earrings I would leave them out during the week and put them back in at the weekend. I doubt very much they would close up in 5 days - and it lessens the chance you will forget to remove them in the morning.

(If your school does change the rules and allow them, please, for the love of all that's holy, teach your DD to put them in/out herself, or how to cover them herself. It's a pain in the arse being constantly interrupted by kids asking for surgical tape/to remove earrings. If they are old enough to be pierced they are old enough to deal with them themselves )

I agree with eve.

Also some people are really weird about earings - my mum for example feels sick at the thought of having ears pierced she wouldn't even take me to have mine pierced. It would be unfair to expect a teacher to take a child's earings out.

I fully agree with ppl saying kids should handle the earrings themselves, I would never expect a teacher to have to deal with it.

As my daughter is September born and therefore 5 years old when she starts school it would be no issue teaching her to deal with her own earrings and get her suitable earrings or tape or whatever really...

I wish our school was to a bit more flexible with it, I am a bit scared of leaving the earrings out all week to be honest. At such a young age it seems to close very quickly. Whenever I have had to take them out for the night or something in the morning I could barely see the hole (though it was there and no issue with pain etc but still).... May try some invisible plastic studs...