Ear piercings

[justwondered1]

Curious as to people's views on having their baby/child's ears pierced?

No specific reason just wondered!

I'll wait till DD is old enough to decide if she wants them done

Personally believe it should wait until child is old enough to make a balanced decision and be done by Needle not gun

It needs to be when the child is able to take them in and out themselves.
I made the mistake of getting my DDs ears pierced last summer when she was 7. She was keen but I think it was more my idea than hers and she really freaked out when they were done and wouldn’t let me touch them to clean them. Luckily they healed well but 6 months after having them pierced she was still scared of taking tops and jumpers off in case they touched her ears and still terrified of taking the earrings out. Crunch time came when the school phoned up and said she had to take them out for swimming. I managed to get them out when she was asleep but there was no way she was letting me get them back in without pinning her down which I’m obviously not going to do because they are earrings not medicine. Holes are now closing and I won’t do it again until she is really really sure.

Having the exact debate with DH- 5month old DD and apparently it’s so strange we haven’t pierced them already.
His side: people will know she’s a girl (insert eye roll here)
My side: Personally I think earnings on a baby look wrong, in addition she’s starting to grab and pull things and I don’t like the idea of the pin in the back or if one falls out and I don’t notice before it’s straight in the mouth. I had mine done at 11 and I think it gave my dad something to bargain with for me behaving well, plus it teaches responsibility with the cleaning and care etc.

Well as I ended up in A&E over Xmas was DD(8) and an earring that had grown into her ear so I'm biased!

She had them done at her own request in October, looked after them and still has a big hole in the back of her ear to heal.

Did them against my instincts as she's been so good and sensible for her birthday. Would never do it again, her sisters are out of luck

My daughters ears = their choice, not mine.

I will take them only if they ask,
and when they are old enough to understand that decision and deal with the soreness, aftercare, changing or earrings etc.

Again when they are old enough to ask discuss it. By needle not gun.

A lot where I live do it while they're babies... thoughts?

Oh and we DID do it by needle!

our local piercing studio will only pierce over 10 years old with parent present. I think that is reasonable.

(over 16 does not need parent)

Nope. Lots of DDs friends have ears pierced (age 6) but she is not allowed. ExP doesn’t want her to have done until 16, which I’m fine with. If she really wanted from age 11 I’m happy for her to convince me and her Dad, but no younger than 11.

No reputable piercer would put a hole in anyone under 10.

I don't know why it would be ok for someone with with barely any training in an unsterile environment to put a needle in your child's ear using an unrecommended piece of kit.

For those who don't know- piercing with a gun basically blasts a sharp earring into the ear. It causes trauma and is a higher risk for healing poorly.
Piercing with a hollow needle allows for jewellery to be sited properly and with minimum trauma.

Training for gun piercing takes about one hour. A piercer does it every day for years. I know who I'd trust.

I had my ears pierced when I was 2.

Until I had my DD I always took the line of waiting until she wanted them doing which we did.

She asked when she was 8 so I said yes. But quickly realised I was wrong all along!

At 8 she wanted them but was terrified of taking them out or touching them and it was weeks of screaming crying drama trying to do anything with them. School was a nightmare as whilst they were mostly healed the taking them out all the time for PE was a trauma too! We persevered but it was a shite time.

I swore after that if I could have done it over again, I’d have got her ears pierced when she was 2 like mine. They would have been healed by School and I could have looked after them and swapped them for her.

Funny how I completely changed my mind with hindsight.

I begged and begged and my mum let me have mine done st 5, I then wouldn’t let her touch them and one closed over so had them redone at 8- even though I have nice earrings etc as an adult I actually wish I hadn’t bothered so I will try and steer my DD away but we will see when she’s older and how much she begs!

Reassuring to see other posters with similar experiences to me. I felt like the worst parent having DD screaming and crying when trying to get her earrings out. She was so scared bless her.

100% wait until they can make the decision for themselves. I think I had mine done at about 10 after lots and lots of insisting, with a gun. I was conscious of the fact that it would hurt for a while though and I'd need to do aftercare.

Over time I've had a few other piercings, all of my own choice, but actually I've taken a lot out, to the extent I only have a tongue bar left! (Belly button was forced choice as it got pinched by a too-small bar and inflamed and figured it was better to take it out and let it heal than risk it going into a full-blown infection).

I just don't think it's fair to pierce the ears of babies, both from the POV of not being able to make an active choice for themselves and pain, even if they don't remember it later.

I don’t think my daughters actually asked. My 19 year old has had her hair every colour of the rainbow but no piercings or tattoos. 16 year old had the middle bit of her nose pierced in the summer, but took it out after two days and let it heal over; then she had her ears pierced in the middle of December, and took them out after about five days.

No.

Not on babies, toddlers or children too young to fully understand the implications. Pain, hygiene, possible infections etc.

I had mine pierced as a baby and looking back at photo's, I think it looks cheap & tacky.

I wouldn't dream of piercing my DC's ears. Babies are so beautiful, why rip a hole through there ear and lay metal in it for it to slowly and painfully heal around the foreign object either side of their face?!

I got further piercings when I was 16 and that was my choice which I'll do the same for my DC. It's bizarre to want to hold a stud gun near a baby or child's face :S Leave them be!

The more threads I see on ear-piercing on MN, the less I care about when people get it done for their DC

I hate it. Why would anyone want to put holes in a brand new, perfect, beautiful human, who isn't old enough to consent? Plenty of time to do that when they're older and ask for it.

DD was 9, she begged for it doing. I would never have suggested it.

Babies look hideous with pierced ears.

Neither myself or DD (now 20) ever wear earrings these days.

I think sticking needles unncessarily into a baby is tantamount to child abuse.

There you go, I've bitten.

I was made to wait until I was 17 (which I still think was a random age!) and was desperate to get them done. Nowadays I hardly wear earrings.

I am another one who hates seeing babies with pierced ears - I had to leave Claire's Accessories the other day as I couldn't watch a tiny tot have her ears pierced. Seems so wrong!

With my own DD, getting them done around 10/11 to coincide with the transition to secondary school seems about right. Assuming she wants them of course.