Ear piercings

[justwondered1]

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

No specific reason just wondered!

Funny old world. If I was to get my dogs ears pierced I would be viewed as cruel and probably taken to court by the RSPCA. However nobody would bat an eye if I did the same to a baby.

DD asked for a nostril piercing for Christmas. She is 17 so we said yep, ok, her dad says to those who ask what he got her, "a hole in the face"

(for some of us they are EXACTLY like tattoos - a (sometimes) permanent disfigurement, done deliberately.)

I had mine done as a baby in Spain, where we were living.

For me personally, I've always been pleased that I don't remember the pain, and that my piercing holes never caused me problems (that I remember, anyway) and don't close up even if I don't wear earrings for years. Unlike the faff I had with the piercing I got done as an adult. But that could be a different story if I'd decided I disliked ear piercings. My Spanish mum also felt guilty and upset at the time, seeing me have a painful shock when I'd been enjoying looking at the sparkly things in the jewellery shop. I'm very used to seeing little Spanish babies with them in and personally like how it looks, but logically I can see it seems madness and don't think I would have my baby daughter's done, even if living in Spain.

gigi556 I missed your post. Interesting to see you say that. The difference between the piercings I had as a baby (no trouble at all) and the one I had done as an adult (massive faff despite taking all the precautions and doing all the cleaning) is striking.

I call GF

One of the reasons I have been making my daughter wait, is I have friends who had their ears pierced as babies. I'm sure when it was done the hole was in a good location, but as the person has grown older, their ears have also grown in size and the holes are no longer in a good place.

I let myself get pressured to get dd1s done when she was 9 weeks old. I have regretted it since she got hurt while it was done and not just by the piercing themselves. She likes them herself but I still feel guilty about her having it done while so young as they don't look like they are in the middle of her lobes and they look lobsided.
My 2 younger dds haven't had their ears pierced but their dad and I decided that we would rather wait until they ask. Dd2 is 4 and has started to ask and we have told her to wait until the 6 weeks holidays. We keep explaining it will be a needle through her ear and she isn't so keen on that at the minute so we are hoping it will put her off, but lots of girls in her class have them pierced so she sees them and wants them just cause her friends do.

Nope. I have never actually seen it in real life either, only in photos. Do people really do it? It looks terrible in photos.

It should be a decision made by the child and only when they're old enough to understand what they're taking on.

DS asked for his done not long after he turned 9, I took him to a reputable piercer (where I've had the majority of mine done) and let him talk to the piercer and see what was involved. Coincidentally there were two girls similar age getting theirs done and one screamed the place down (very dramatic!) but it didn't seem to put him off, so we made an appt to go back in two weeks to let him have time to think about it and make sure it was what he wanted.

When we went back the piercer talked to him and made sure he wanted it done and understood the aftercare etc before he then agreed to do the piercings.

I absolutely hate seeing babies with pierced ears.

Personal opinion here but piercing a childs (read baby) ear is a form of child abuse and the piercer should lose any licence or health certificate they hold and reported for it.

i know a lot of piercers and each of them speak to each other, one parent goes in and they are refused = each shop within one mile will refuse them.

i do understand culture etc may have a play in it but personally my opinion is if they dont understand or ask for it then NO.

I had them pierced at birth. It was the thing done to every baby girl in my country. I hadn't yet opened my eyes and I was pierced

No, god no.

Saw a very traumatised 3 year old boy with having his done in Claire's.... I think as well as the pain even he understood that he will be judged.

No for all the reasons above, and it looks trashy.You might as well tattoo 'chav' across their forehead

It seems to be a rite of passage here that the girls get their ears pierced the summer between leaving primary and starting high school, so age 11. That seems about right to me.

My grandmother took me at 18 months, without my parents permission, and had them done! I am appalled when I think about it! Also because I was a baby I wriggled and they took me to a shocking place the earring went in at a funny angle and never healed properly. Eventually had to have antibiotics and let them close over. Meant that when I wanted them done again I had to be so careful as there was a lot of scar tissue.

When they can understand what the process is (a hole in their ear which will
hurt) and remove them themselves. About 8

This is a personal opinion (and not meant to sound snobby) but I think it looks cheap and trashy in babies.

Children should decide for themselves if they want it done. Would you like tattoo a baby?

Personally I think 11 years old is the right age.

It's not my decision. The only person who gets to decide is the person who would be having the piercings. And they'd need to be old enough to make an informed decision themselves.