ear piercing????

[NYCsparkle]

My dd is almost 6 months old and dh and i have agreed that when she asks for earrings she can get them pierced......but everyone around us keeps asking when shes going to get her ears pierced. a big part of me wants to get it done, but i would feel terrible if they got infected or what if she yanks them out...... dh is scared of infections and all of that....

for those who have daughters, when did you pierce her ears?

 

[redfaerythinker]

I think I was 12 when my mom let me get my ears pierced. But I was by far one of the last ones to get it done.

 

[Octavia]

I don''t have a daughter, but my parents did pretty much what you and your DH had planned -- when I asked for earrings, I got them as a birthday present (I think I was 5? somewhere around that age). They wanted to make really sure that I wanted them, so they gave me a choice between getting my ears pierced or getting a Barbie doll as a birthday gift. My personal opinion is that there''s no good reason to pierce an infant''s ears, and when I have kids, I''ll do basically what my parents did. Don''t let people push you into doing it too soon if it''s not what you want to do -- you''re her parents and you should go with your gut feelings on it. But if you decide to do it, just be super-vigilant about caring for the holes and she should be fine -- many of my friends got earrings when they were tiny and I never heard any horror stories from them.

 

[HappyAnniversary]

I see no reason to pierce a baby''s ears. I think it should be her choice when she is older, but neither do I look down on it either. But it should be your desire,not following other people expectations.

Having said that, I think department/mall stores are the worst place to do it, I do not trust their procedures, they have no sterilization facilities and the person doing may have been trained yesterday! I think the guns are never sterilized and I heard they are based on similar guns used to tag cattle. They punch through tissue rather than pierce through it. Athough the tattoo/piercing places look intimidating, they do have better training, autoclaves, etc. I have a friend who had it done at a Doctors office and placement was all wrong. Don''t take my word for the procedure, please research methods etc. so if you do decide to do it, you''ll choose the safest way.

 

[lyra]

I also would do it when she asked. My oldest daughter asked at 6, which led to my younger daughter then 3, wanting to copy her sister. So that''s when they had it done. I think it was suitable in our case and they had no problems, and the placement of course was perfect because their ears were grown enough. I think I got my own ears pierced at home when I was 13 or so. Ugh. It''s also not good to have them done with piercing guns, it''s better to go to a professional piercing artist for the very best results.

 

[oobiecoo]

My mom had mine done when I was about 2. It was pretty traumatizing because one of the guns was broken so they had to do one at at time instead of both at the same time like I guess they normally do. I wouldn''t let my mom near my ears for a year... she had to trick me into letting her turn the posts so that they healed properly. And that meant I had the piercing posts in for that whole year which ended up making my holes a little larger than normal. Thats the only good thing that came from the trauma! haha... I can fit pretty much any earrings in there like screwbacks, etc.

My advice is to do it now, when she won''t really remember much.... or to wait until she is much older.

 

[MustangGal]

I would wait also. I have a friend that never wears earrings because she has crooked holes. She squirmed as an infant, but had earrings in there so long the holes are permanent.

My mom had us wait until we were 10. I wasn''t allowed to have second holes, so I did that at 18 (and let them close up a year later).

 

[elrohwen]

I think I was 7 when my mom let me get them done? I think I wanted them a year or two before, but my parents told me I had to wait until 7; probably so they would know that I still really wanted it. I know it's common with some cultures to pierce a baby's ears, but I don't think I'd do it. I would just be afraid that they would get pulled out, be uncomfortable, etc.

ETA: I'm going to totally agree with some others who said to get it done at a real piercing place. I've had many holes punched in my ears and had many problems with all of the ones done at the mall. The ones done at a real piercing place were straighter, less painful, and healed much faster. Definitely the way to go!

 

[bee*]

I got mine done at 10-I agree with the others in that I would wait until she''s older and wants to get them done herself.

 

[qtiekiki]

I am definitely waiting until Meena (she is 16.5 months now) ask to get her ears pierced. I want her to be responsible for cleaning and taking care of the piercing. Relatives had asked when we will pierce M''s ears, and she even got a pair of tiny diamond studs for her 1st birthday from DH''s cousin. But it''s not going to change my mind on piercing her ears when she wants them.

 

[KimberlyH]

My mom''s rule was that we needed to be in double digits (10) to get our ears pierced. It was something both my sister and I really looked forward to and waiting made it really special for us. I pregnant with a girl and won''t pierce her ears at least until she asks, perhaps later than that depending on how young she is when she shows interest.

 

[packrat]

I begged mom to let me have my ears pierced when I was little and she finally let me when I was in 3rd grade. Not sure how old I was tho. She waited until I was old enough to take care of them myself. And, it came with warnings: If I didn''t take care of them properly, they were coming out. If I cried, whooped, hollered, screamed or made a peep, I would leave w/one ear done and that would be the end of it until I was 18. The only places back then to have it done were at hair places, so we went to mom''s beautician.

My cousin does tattoos and piercings, so when we do London''s, he''ll do it. He''ll be adding more holes to my ears eventually too. London''s been asking about it since she was 3. I told her she needs to be a little older. Maybe next year for her 7th birthday.

I don''t really get why people pierce babies ears..I see it done a lot, and yes it''s cute, but I don''t know why they do it. Just me tho.

 

[PinkTower]

Wait and let her decide.
My daughter is in high school, and none of them wear earrings these days. They are all athletic, and between cheerleaading, soccer, etc. I think the earrings are too much trouble for them, and could be unsafe.

 

[E B]

One of my best friends had hers pierced as a baby, and now, they look like second holes (halfway up the lobe) because her ears grew. She hates them.

If I have a daughter, I'll let her get hers done when she asks and is able to care for them. Probably around the age of ten.

(My mom made me wait until I was thirteen. I think that's a little long to have to wait, but she was adamant, and we went to a place that pierced with needles, not guns.)

 

[hihowareyou]

Mine were done when I was around 10 because I asked. I kind of regret it though as I often don't wear earrings so have little spots on my earlobes most of the time because the holes will be with me for life. Usually when I wear earrings it is because I can not really because I want to. I think I would be quite unhappy if my mother had decided on my behalf that I would have pierced ears when I was a baby, at least this way it was my choice to live with.

I have quite a few friends who don't have their ears pierced by choice. Perhaps it is a cultural thing but I can't imagine people putting pressure on a mother to have her 6 month old's ears pierced. I think you and your husband's reasoning about infection is sensible.

 

[swingirl]

When you piece a baby's ears you are assuming every girl and woman alive wants their ears pierced. That it's an absolute necessity and we should have been born that way. Shouldn't there be some choice in a permanent body modification? And not all piercings grow back when you take out the ring.

 

[soocool]

DD was 12 and got impatient and tried to change the earrings too soon. Couldn''t get them back in and after trying too hard one ear became infected. I let her get them repierced a year later and this time she kept her starters in for 6 months instead of 4 weeks before changing her earrings. She got a second piercing at age 14. Anymore and I told her she''d have to wait until she was 18. She wants to get a cartilage piercing, but I am against this.


I was 18 when I got mine pierced because my mom didn''t approve of pierced ears. She went berserk when I came home and saw what I had done.

 

[Pandora II]

My mother made all of us wait until 16 - I sneaked off and got mine done at 14 (or rather I did them myself at 14!)

Daisy will be waiting until secondary school at the earliest.

FWIW, I really hate the look of babies with earrings, and I worry about small kids tearing their earlobes during sports, or just pulling jumpers off etc. My dad refers a fair number every year for earlobe reconstruction because this has happened.

 

[dcgator]

I guess I will be the one voice of disention here. I got my ears pierced as a baby. I have a Latin American hertiage, and that is just what you do with baby girls. I didn''t have any infections, injuries, etc.

I haven''t ever regretted having them, and I in fact got another set of holes above them and then a cartilidge piercing as a teen. While I don''t wear the cartiledge piercing any more and very rarely wear the 2nd set, I always wear earrings in my first holes.

 

[radiantquest]

My mother had mine done when I was little. I think it was before I was 2. Honestly I was glad. It was fun picking out earrings and when all my friends wanted theirs and they said that it hurt mine were already done and I didn''t even remember it.

It is completely up to you. Don''t let anyone pursuade you either way. If you do it and you werent ready and something bad happens then you will feel terrible about it. If you wait and then dd is upset that she has to go through the pain...

I may be really wrong here, but I thought I heard that babies do not feel pain like we do. You think being born is pleasant, nope. They fall all the time and I have heard countless times about little ones breaking bones and getting stitches and as adults we complain way more.

 

[waxing lyrical]

I plan to take my 5 year old to get hers pierced here soon. She''s been asking about it these last several months. So as a belated birthday present I''m going to take her to get them pierced. My youngest is 3 and she''s asked about it. Though I think she''s more interested because big sis is.

Despite infant ear piercing being the norm in my culture, it never felt right to us. We felt it was best to wait until they showed an interest. Plus, I don''t like the look of earrings on babies.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I personally wouldn''t like my daughter to have her ears pierced as a child. I especially wouldn''t do it because others keep asking about it. Honestly, do what you and your DH are comfortable with, or don''t do it at all. I got mine done when I was an adult and that was fine for me - I''ll give A the same choice I had.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 12/12/2009 8:59:54 PM
Author: radiantquest

My mother had mine done when I was little. I think it was before I was 2. Honestly I was glad. It was fun picking out earrings and when all my friends wanted theirs and they said that it hurt mine were already done and I didn''t even remember it.

It is completely up to you. Don''t let anyone pursuade you either way. If you do it and you werent ready and something bad happens then you will feel terrible about it. If you wait and then dd is upset that she has to go through the pain...

I may be really wrong here, but I thought I heard that babies do not feel pain like we do. You think being born is pleasant, nope. They fall all the time and I have heard countless times about little ones breaking bones and getting stitches and as adults we complain way more.

Trust me, they feel it just like we do. They don''t fall as far as we would, so tend to do themselves less hurt or damage, but when they are hurt they certainly let you know.

My DD had bad bruising from forceps on the back of her neck at birth - she was born screaming her head off and wouldn''t let anyone touch her neck for over a week without shrieking.

Anyone who has taken a young baby for vaccinations will tell you that they feel pain - and how!

The only difference is that they don''t remember it the way we as adults do.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 12/12/2009 3:06:37 PM
Author: swingirl
When you piece a baby''s ears you are assuming every girl and woman alive wants their ears pierced. That it''s an absolute necessity and we should have been born that way. Shouldn''t there be some choice in a permanent body modification? And not all piercings grow back when you take out the ring.

From personal experience and talking to piercers, *no* piercings grow back if you''ve kept the earrings in until they''ve healed. They might look a little closed up, but they''re still there and a piercer will always be able to put an earring in without a needle in the future.

I agree with swingirl that I would give my daughter a choice before doing something that permanent.

 

[Ara Ann]

I'd wait on this too, why rush it?

I was 9 or 10...but I am happy my mom waited, because I got to enjoy the experience, almost like a rite of passage, LOL...she made a big deal out of it, we went to lunch after and I remember being on cloud nine! It made me feel 'grown up' and had it been done when I was a baby, I wouldn't have had those memories. And I was old enough to care for them myself... I still got to choose my first pair of earrings, etc.

For babies ears, I'd also worry about infection and having the lobes get pulled, etc. and as was mentioned, the growth factor could be a problem in the future too. Her earrings/holes may not look the same as when she's older!

 

[Lauren8211]

I asked when I was 5, and that''s when I got them.

Its not like its a life requirement, so I would wait until she shows interest. There''s no good reason to do it younger, and a lot times it causes more issues.

 

[fieryred33143]

Its so funny you posted this because earrings is a huge discussion with us right now. It is very common in the hispanic community to pierce ears as a newborn (we received 7 pairs at our baby shower). I refuse. Sophia isn''t old enough to understand and the only reason for her to have it would be for what? Make her look more like a girl? Please. She is a girl. Period.

We get asked everyday when are we piercing her ears. I showed MIL her 5 month prof. pics and the first thing she said was "she would look so pretty with earrings." Whatever.

She will get them when she''s old enough to ask.

And also a PSA I pierced ears at a common store that does piercing. My training was reading 2 pages and practicing on a fake ear. Something to keep in mind.

 

[mrssalvo]

I have 2 girls, both with their ears pierced. My oldest was 4 almost 5 and the other was 2. The 5 year old did fine. She let me clean them and really has had no issues. The other had a botched ear piercing where one gun didn''t go so she had to have one re-pierced. then it was pierced low and I took it out, let it grow back and 6 months later had it pierced again. Although I admit I love earrings on little girls and they look cute it has been a pain at times. The girls have to be so careful when taking off shirts or dresses so the earrings don''t catch. If I had to do over I would wait until they were older.

 

[cnspotts]

My DD is 20 now and had them done at 2mos without any trouble or infections. We used smooth tiny little rings that could not snag on her clothes. She did not pull at them either. She says she''s glad that she does not remember having it done because she remembers over the years her friends that had infections and pain.

 

[purrfectpear]

Body modifications on infants? Just curious but would you be so blase if a culture thought it was cute to have small tattoos? Where do you draw the line? Ears? Nose? Eyebrows?

I just think it''s a decision best left to a young girl old enough to request it.