If your DC had their ears pierced under the age of 2...

[doodlydooo]

How was it?

DC is 18 months and for about 9 months now she loves earrings etc. I feel like she is too young to have her ears pierced and won't understand and might tug on them. I wasn't planning on getting her ears pierced until she was about 5 really. But my mum said my sister and I had our ears pierced around the age of 2. SIL also had her ears pierced as a baby.

Actually no, I didn't know about your husband's village. That's something I've learned today.

Still doesn't change the fact that generally it's girls and women that have their ears pierced. This is certainly the case in more popular Eastern, Asian and African cultures.

Just because something is ‘popular’, or ‘cultural’, should people continue doing it without questioning it?
Personally, I didn’t want to cause my babies any pain. Sometimes it was necessary (vaccinations etc), but when the only benefit is that your child will have bits of metal in their ears… is that not worth questioning?

It varies across cultures, so some of the views on here are quite extreme. In those, the babies ears are pierced when they are less than 6 months. At that point there is no real danger of tugging the ears, so it is very safe, if done by an expert. If done at a later age, that's when children are more fidgety and that can cause more damage.
I don't understand how people equate it to abuse.

Because it’s causing them pain and modifying their body for no benefit. Genuinely don’t know what’s difficult to understand about that.

Makes babies/toddlers look so chavvy and poor and awful. May as well have a big banner flowing behind you saying 'I'm a crap mum'. It's just so tasteless. Reminds me of the families on that big fat gypsy prog.

I'm no fan of piercings on small DC, but wow imagine actually writing this pile of classism and racism.

I think if anything, your comment undoubtedly shows that you're the problem. I hope that, if you are a mother, you don't share these judgemental, unkind and bigoted views with your children.

Claire’s accessories sell lovely clip on earrings. My teen has a needle phobia and can’t go through with a piercing but wears these all the time. If you have to, go down that route until she’s older.

So you’re doing this because your child ‘likes earrings’. It doesn’t sound like it’s for any cultural reason.

I would ask the OP if their child was a boy and ‘liked earrings’ whether they would also choose to pierce his ears so young?

If the answer is no (obviously won’t get an answer as the OP is unlikely to come back), then you’re not doing it for the child ‘liking earrings’, you’re doing it for your own reasons.

My child liked the look of some shiny scissors, my hot coffee, red wine - should I have given them in your world OP?

Don't do it. There is nothing worse than seeing little children with piercings. My daughter was 8 when I let her have hers done. I was about the same age. That's young enough.

I had mine done at 18 months.

It's tradition in my Dad's culture. My nan went mad when I was taken to see her when I was a baby and they hadn't been done.

I wouldn't personally have my child's ears pierced that young (I only have boys anyway) but I can assure you I have no memory, trauma or hatred towards anyone from having it done. It's a complete none event in my life and I went on to have multiple other piercings.

People on MN are very dramatic about it - although I think you might struggle to get someone to do it in the UK nowadays.

My eldest daughter ASKED to have her ears pierced when she was 5 so we had them done for her 6th birthday, my younger daughter hasn’t asked yet so she hasn’t had them done, she is 9, if/when she asks for them to be done then i will book it for her but otherwise its her body, her choice imo, my mum took me to have my ears pierced when i was 3, i have no recollection of having them done, not upset that i had them done so young but i don’t wear earrings at all, don’t even own a pair lol so was waste really lol xx

I think ear piercing should be 16+ same as other piercings are. A small child is far more likely to tug at an earring or pull it out. It's serves no purpose and I say that as someone who has them pierced in primary school. They were annoying to look after and would catch in my hair.

Why is expressing that different to any of the other opinions expressed then?

Daft idea

Far too young. 13 seems a good age to me so they can decide.

I often wonder why anyone uses 'cultural' as a reasonable explanation for doing something like this, as if there are not many horrific 'cultural' practices going on around the world.

Think about the action, not the reason.

Please don't do this to your baby. FGS

A provocative question! But no, it should be illegal.
The cultural argument is irrelevant- many cultural practices around the world and in history were deeply harmful, especially to women. “It’s cultural” isn’t a free pass to cause harm.

Here is a list of some harmful cultural practices that modify women’s bodies. Ear piercing is less harmful but should only be done with informed consent. Done on babies it belongs on the list.
Footbinding
FGM
Breast ironing
Tight corsets
High heels
Toxic chemicals in cosmetics
Scarring
Neck rings
Puncturing babies ear lobes with a metal rod

And THIS is why we point out “it’s cultural”. Weeds out the racists.

I don’t agree with that poster at all. I still think ‘it’s cultural’ is a shit excuse, and cultural practices should be challenged if they are causing harm and no benefit.

Ok.

Edit: I replied in haste as I was irritated. But let me elaborate. You are entitled to your opinion about it inflicting harm, etc. I have no argument against that. However, if you “don’t agree” that someone saying cultural practices are “chavvy” or remind them of that “big fat gypsy” show is probably tinged with racism, that’s on you.