Ear piercing 3 year old?

[Cupcak3y]

Hi just looking for advice really!

My very bright youngest turns 3 just after christmas. She loves jewelry has chile friendly bracelets etc has asked for jewellery off santa and for her birthday - she keeps mentioning earrings

So i explained to her lightly how she'd get to wear earrings. She is now asking for her ears to be pierced i kind of hoped itd put her off it the concept i didnt say anything gruesome but she still adamant she wants it! I said let's wait and see

I have 2 kids so know they can be so fixated on something then forget about it etc so will ride it out, but is it bad to get a 3 year old ears pierced? If she's asking? Again obviously I can say no but we're a bit on the fence with it. Just because she's asking a bit nd wants earrings

Yes it’s bad to punch holes in a 3 year old. HTH

She's only 3 years old.... can't it wait till she's older?

Just say no and buy some clip on ones.

I wouldn’t.
I made my daughter wait until she could look after them herself. She was 14.

Get her some clip ons. Aside from the barbaric nature of piercing a 3 year old, you have the risk of infection and the risk of her pulling them and damaging her ear lobes.

I would definitely wait.

Absolutely not. She's 3, for goodness sake!

I had mine pierced as a baby (it’s a cultural thing) but chose not to do my children even though they are older my daughter is 11 almost 12. I think it’s something they should do once older. She’s 3 and you are the parent I think you need to say no.

I've seen tiny children with their ears pierced and obviously it's been done because that's what the parents wanted because the child has been so young. I'm absolutely amazed to hear of a child as young as 3 actuallg asking for her ears to be pierced. I would have thought she would be too happily playing with toys and looking at books to be bothered about fashion when she is little more than a toddler
I certainly think you are making a rod for your own back if you pander to her in this. Will you give in to.every whim she has?

My rule was high school but I gave in at 9yo, they were old enough to understand and consent by then.

I had my ears pierced 4 times by the time I was 10yo, first time I was a baby, toddler, preschooler then left alone till 10yo. Each time they got infected and it was horrible. I finally had tgem done at 13yo and they were fine after that. I’d never pierce a small child’s ears.

Don't. Just don't.
They are a health hazard, keeping the wound clean until it heals. And then playground accidents later.
Buy her some cheap clip-ons for now.
If she is very bright, as opposed to (for example) over-exposed to social media, she'll understand if you explain to her the practical problems and the ethical issues.

Senior school age is quite old enough and actually I think 16 is better.

The other thing that no one ever seems to mention is that your ears grow! The two people I know who had them done before the age of ten have their first piercings a fair bit up their lobe and neither of them like it as they look too high and it restricts what they can wear in their ears. I totally get the cultural issue, but if you're not part of that culture then waiting would seem to make sense.

Just no. It’s you that wants her to have them otherwise you wouldn’t be having the conversations you have with her.

Get her clip ons.

I have seen so many wonky holes from younger kids growing and changing shape after having ears pierced at a young age.

I have seen toddlers, girls of about 2 to three with pierced ears and I appreciate it is cultural and quite common in Spain, for example. But it’s not a good look here IMHO.
And it will be you that will have to deal with it all, the pain, bleeing, wanting them taken out and then not being to get them back in again!
It’s really not worth the hassle intil they are quite a bit older.
It’s also very likely she won’t be able to wear them at school either.

Currently the child is 2. I don't think a 2 year old has capacity to know what they want in regards to body modification.

That said my daughter is 5 and a half and she has had hers pierced this summer. We watched YouTube videos of needle ear piercings. We talked about it and how it hurt a bit. I found a reputable piercer that teaches other piercers to do children's ear piercing. And my rule was only with a needle. She was well prepared, sat like a statue and has loved them ever since. We did the clip on earrings for a year or so but actually they were more uncomfortable than the piercings have been. I think the lady I went to would pierce from age 3 but would also let a child leave with just one done if they withdrew enthusiastic consent regardless of what the parent wanted. Also had to provide my and her ID to give consent for them doing.

You have the time while she grows a bit to educate her more on how it feels, what happens, and to make sure she doesn't forget about it or change her mind after a few weeks. Also time to find someone good enough to pierce her ears properly.

You’re the parent…. Just say no.

Just say no, my eldest wanted earrings since she was about 3 too but we said no and eventually let her for her 8th birthday (I originally said 10 but had already been saying no for 5 years!).
3 is too young, not just for having the actual piercing but for the aftercare too which can be quite painful

I had them done as a baby (normal in my homeland) but I waited till my daughter actually asked me to do it. She was 7 and it was no bother at all. I’m surprised a 3yo asked for this. I would wait a couple more years, personally. She might find it very painful.

Child mutilation is never okay.

Terrible idea

No reputable place would do them that young.

It's certainly a thing among some groups, my colleagues in Gib were horrified that my baby's ears hadn't been pierced in hospital when she was born!

It’s common in continental Europe.

As a parent you say no. She’s not old enough to deal with the pain, the healing process, anything that might go wrong. You say no until she’s old enough to take these things into account and able to care for them herself. DD started asking for them at 3. I took her to a reputable piercer that I use at the age of 10, they were done properly (with a needle) and she was able to do aftercare herself. Even so after years of badgering me, when she had them done she went white and managed to hold on until we got outside to burst out crying. Unfortunately it hasn’t put her off piercings as a teenager!

I think she's too young and you'd struggle to find a reputable piercer. My daughter was adamant she was ready at 6 and I found a good piercer who did 5+. It was really traumatic and she almost left with only one done. They look lovely and she's very happy she had them done now, but I would have made her wait a few years in hindsight.

@Cupcak3y what I'm struggling with is why, when she asked for earrings, you didn't say "I'll find some clip on earrings for the dressing-up box." You need to be a teenager to have pierced ears

No this isn't a good idea. I can accept babies having their ears pierced in cultures where it's the norm. A 2/3 year old who wriggles and fiddles and will likely resist cleaning, no way. Let her grow up and make an informed decision when she is responsible enough to clean the wounds. Not before the teenage years.