What age for ear piercing?

[ElizabethJennings]

My daughter is 8. Where's the best place to have it done?

To me it's a right of passage type thing, celebration of the beginning of periods or the like. So, somewhere between 10 and 13 or 14 I suppose. I'm not sure.

Is absolutely best to go to a proper piercer than some "ear gun" merchant.

I had mine done at about 13 and at that age I was able to look after them myself and be sensible about them. So I have told dds that they can have them done at 13. I think dd1 is counting down the days (she is only 9!)

I took dd to a highly recommended tattooist and piercer. He refused to use a needle and used a gun - scoffed at me and said I'd been reading too much on the Internet.
Dd got an infection very quickly. No idea if it was cos of the gun.

Dd1 got hers done for her 7th birthday. We went to Claire's accessories which I know tends to be frowned upon on MN but she loved it and they have been fine.

I remember my sister and I being desperate to get our ears pierced for years before being allowed to when I was 14 and she 13. She has told her DDs 13 and at 10 and 8 they are already asking constantly. My DD was also desperate to get hers done during Y6 and when she left primary school and summer holidays gave an opportunity I just thought why am I holding out and making this tortuous? - it's only earrings. So let her get them done at 11. Can't really understand why my sister is replicating a rule that we really railed against and that is ultimately fairly pointless.

good point mystery. Might give in to dd and let her have them done between y6 and secondary!

My girls both had them done at about 11..just before secondary. DD2 has since let hers close up!
Defo go to a tattoo/piercing place if you can...they actually know about piercings unlike Clares!
DD1 now has a tragus piercing as well (fair enough she is 22!) and that got a horrible infection which entailed us going to out fo hours on a saturday night when she was home from Uni!

My DD had her ears pierced at 7 years old. They were done at the local chemist and there were no problems. It was at the beginning of the summer holidays, so the holes had plenty of time to heal before the school term started.