How old for ears pierced?

[lyssie29]

My dd is coming up to 7 and keeps asking for her ears pierced saying all her friends have them done but I told her she needs to wait until shes older because its a bit annoying having to cover them for school etc and I've scared she yank them out. She's very active and accident prone. Am I being over protective? I didn't get mine done until I was 11. I remember friends ears getting badly infected.

My DD had hers done aged 7. She looked after them really well although took them out a few months ago (age 8 now) If she wants them re-pierced I'd be happy with that. She wore sleeper style studs, never caught them on anything despite being v active.

I'm the minority who would say the younger the better. As soon as they are old enough. Getting them done as a baby means you don't touch them and never know anything else. I had mine done as soon as I was old enough and if I have a daughter hers will be done as soon as she is old enough.
In your case obviously I'd say yes.
But I'm fully aware most people on here hate my opinion in piercing the ears of a baby.

I said 10, mainly because that's the age I was, but it seemed to work OK, she was old enough to take responsibility.

My DD got hers done aged 7 and it was too young. She wasn’t able to take them in and out herself. A couple of times one of them came out at school and she couldn’t get them back in. They got infected. She let them close up and got them pierced again when she was 11, at a piercing studio with a needle and with proper piercing jewellery.

My younger daughter also got hers done by the professional piercer when she was 8. She hasn’t had any problems, but she isn’t able to put them in/out by herself.

Our primary school doesn't allow earrings, but do allow studs in senior school. So all the girls make a beeline for the piercing shop last day of Y6 so ears have time to heal over the summer in time for school in the Autumn. There are a few girls who have ears pierced earlier but can't wear them except outside school.

High school age. I hate pierced ears on young children and I think piercing babies ears should be banned.

Old enough to care for the piercing themselves and to get them done via a needle.

As soon as they’re old enough to have them pierced with a needle, and not at Claire’s Accessories. Gun piercings are brutal and unhygienic and I’d never subject my daughter to that.

12-13 at the earliest. I think proper earrings and jewellery don't belong on young children personally.
Saying that, I had mine pierced as a baby in the 80's, no psychological scars!

For my Dd, it was a present after enduring the year 6 SATs!

Youngest DD had them done at 10. Eldest DD has only just wanted them doing at 15 so had them done at the weekend.

I would say as long as you feel they are responsible and mature enough to understand the aftercare.

I say 12. But if my child kept going on about it at around 10 then perhaps. I have probs with my ear piercing. I don,t regret it as it was my decision but i wouldn,t want to put that onto my child. (Weepy ears every time i wear them, healing up atfter a few days so have to re-pierce.)

It seems to be a right of passage at the end of year 6, so that they have the summer holidays to heal without taking them out.

Check with the primary school if they plan to do it sooner. Some schools expect the child to be able to tape their own studs up for PE if they cannot remove them.

I had mine done at 9, so that was always my guide! My two had theirs done when they were 8, at the beginning of the summer holidays.

I got mine at 8 and they were always infected. I would wait a couple of years until she can really clean and care for them herself.

I would suggest having them done by a proper piercing professional who uses needles. And I think as long as your child is old enough to look after the piercing (with a bit of help if needed) then they're old enough to have it done. If your school doesn't allow any earrings at all, waiting until the summer holiday is a good idea.

I just know I am in the minority here but anyway...
I'm really not keen on the look of a young girl's face framed by metal. She's got a whole life ahead for a grown-up look but a very short time as a girl.
So I would tell her she could have them pierced at 16 with a view to re-negotiations at 14.

I had mine done at 18 and regret it to this day.

Definitely check with school policy. For us it was much easier when DD2 got hers done in year 6 than when DD1 got it done in the summer before year 7. Because when she started secondary they absolutely insisted you had to take them out for PE. Although it had been six weeks hers were not really quite healed and then it caused loads of pain and stress trying to take them in and out all the time. At primary however they were happy for DD2 to tape over them so we left them in for longer until they were properly healed.

DGM had hers done at 60, which strikes me as 'old enough'