When do you think it is best to pierce my Daughter's Ears

[Pop-Rocks]

[shansard]

I personally don't like when parents pierce an infant's ears. I realize you can do (almost) whatever you want with your child, but personally I would wait until she is 12 or so. I remember how special it was to get my ears pierced, I got them done on my 12th birthday and it was such a special day, I got to pick out the earrings, had a little kit with cleaning solution, etc. Most of my friends were the same way, it was a rite of passage.

PS. She is adorable, with or without the earrings.

[Yosemite Joy]

My daughter is 5, and I haven't pierced her ears... She wants it pretty badly, and I may do them for her 6th birthday. It is a bit of responsibility, and the urge to mess with them is hard to resist. They could get infected, etc.

I can sympathize with a couple of friends who had "bald" babies, and grew tired of the "Oh, what a cute boy" comments, so got their daughters ears pierced. However, I think putting the baby in pink or girl dresses is enough, and if the general population still insists that the baby is a boy, so be it. Worse things could be, not like they are calling the child ugly.

[Dodgergirl]

I had my daughters done when she was about 6 months old. Never regretted it. She always wanted to have 2nd piercings, but I made her wait until, I think it was her 13th birthday. She went & got them then, and has added over the years.

David wanted his ears pierced when he was about 9. I went with him & he decided to do one ear. They put the companion stud in my ear. He has since grown out of that phase & let it close up. I always thought it was cute.

[TOT]

i dunno...

i wanted my ears pierced from a really young age but wasn't allowed to until my parents finally said OK at age 15. my sister never got hers done.

i tried to let mine close up but they won't and still get infected a lot.

i guess it depends on the person.

[Mysteefied]

I had my oldest done at 6 months my second oldest at 2 years and my youngest at 6 months.

The only one who had problems was the one done at 2years. She played with them non stop and lost one all the time, eventually they closed up and at 9 she had them done again for her birthday, she doesn't wear earings at all now, just not interested. The other two who were done young, we never had a problem with, and to this day, they enjoy picking out fun earings to wear.
Just my 2 cents

[frmmts2sea]

hold Ice on it till it stings & then get numb, then get a needle & shove it through

[Californee Girl]

I always saw this as a sort of right of passage for girls. I got mine pierced when I was good and ready (my eleventh bday), and I always figured my daughter would do the same. I strongly believe that it should be a persons own decision to pierce themselves.

Also, just a thought, but everytime Ive ever had my ears pierced professionally theyve become infected. Every time Ive done it myself theyve been great. I think a lot of professional piercing places (like at the mall) are well...dirty. So be on the look out for sanitary conditions if you do take her to have them done now.

[~Radiance~]

My dad & I took my oldest daughter to get her ears piercd at the age of 5.
When my middle child turned 5 (3 years later), my dad & I once again went to "Piercing Pagoda" and had her ears done.
I took my bald little baby girl (8mo's) and had hers done so that way people would quite calling her a "BOY!". With cute hair pieces in her hair and all in pink... she was still looked at as a boy. It just really ticked me off.

Now, all 3 girls can't wear earrings unless they are "Real". The earring thing (for us) has become just a plain ol' pain in the butt!

I agree with Shansard about getting them done for a special birthday. I remember getting mine done for my 6th birthday. It was a wonderful day! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/blush.gif

Then, again... if you want to get them done while she is still a baby I think before 6mo's is good. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/yes.gif

I'm gonna go vote now http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/happy.gif

[Kjersti]

I got mine done at 5, got infected, had to let them close, again done at six, and again at 8 (can you tell I had problems?)...I think that best time is when she is ready, and knows that it is going to hurt a little, and can care for them herself...I agree with most of the others in here, it is a really special right of passage when done a little older...you can make a day of it, take her out to do something fun, get them pierced, and go get some icecream...all of the picking out of earrings and stuff is really special to an older little girl...I still loose earrings, and can only wear surgical steel or sterling silver....My daughter is 4 and has been asking to get her ears done a lot lately...but I think that I'll wait until she's 6...it seems a good age for it!
I think that going to somewhere that doesn't use the piercing guns is really important....1/10 times the gun misfires...meaning it goes in a little stops for a fraction of a seconde, moves a fraction of an inch, and continues through...that's what causes so many infections in professionally done ears, or the little hard spots in the ears....hollow needles are best to use!

An interesting aside: My dad was there for my last ear-piercing, then got my nose done with me at 13, and my tongue at 18...all for birthdays, it makes them kinda' special to me...My mom totally supported the piercings since they can always close again (atleast mine can, we learned at a young age), they really made my birthdays monumental

[Dakota Blue]

I'm thinking hard about this one. It troubles me to think that we have come to the point where we think we must put holes in our ears to be pleasing or normal--and to then transfer this belief to our children. With the proliferation of tattoos adorning all these intentionally revealed butt cracks, will the next thing be tattooing little ones because it hurts "less" when they're younger? Perhaps she she is an adult, she will wish she didn't have a hole in her ear. Perhaps earrings will be out of fashion then--who knows?

How about reinforcing her self esteem and letting her know she is absolutely beautiful and perfect just the way she is?

[Californee Girl]

http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/applause.gif

[Mysteefied]

For those of you who don't know...this is my mothers post and YES, this is how she peirced my ears...I think I was about 9yrs old. HI MOM! http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/laugh.gif

Originally posted by frmmts2sea:
hold Ice on it till it stings & then get numb, then get a needle & shove it through

[John @ 3300ft.]

I would wait, and let her decide...
Maybe when she's older only boys will have pierced ears...
http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/bonk.gif

[CatdaBrat]

My Italian grandmother and an aunt took me to get mine pierced at the family doctor's. I guess I must have been about 7. Always had problems with the right ear but the left one never had any. The right one was always getting infected and painful, even if I used the "good" earrings. Another thing about it is that I could get an earring in from the front, then the post would get "stuck" and not go through the back unless I pushed really hard and that hurt. I guess the skin in the back of the ear was always growing closed. I finally gave up and do not wear any earrings now. My hair is long and nobody would see them anyway.

[oakhurstleaf]

My thinking on this is in line with Californeegirl and Dakota Blue's thinking. My 9 yr old daughter hasn't had her ears pierced, nor have my sons. She expressed some interest before and asked about the procedure. I told her about it and how I had my ears pierced when I was 11 because *I* really wanted to do it...I told her that I didn't want to pierce her ears because I like having pierced ears. I felt it was her decision. She agreed. She told me she might want to get her ears pierced someday, but not right now. We left it at that. I have only one hole in each ear. No other piercings and no tattoos.

So, I'm personally not in favor of piercing an infants or toddler's ears. I also wouldn't pierce an older child's ears just because I like wearing earrings. But I do wear them, and if she wants them and understands the care involved...okay. However, I wouldn't take my child to get his eyebrow, tongue or belly button pierced...even if they wanted it. And really maybe it's hypocritical to differentiate between piercings. When they are old enough to choose such a thing for themselves and pay for it themselves or willing to put themselves thru it...then that's their choice and hopefully, a mature and well-informed choice they can live with. Same with tattooing. There are some permanent (non-medical) body alterations that I don't think should be decided by a minor...or his parent. That's just how I feel...as a parent.

Alice

[Kahlua Kid]

I couldn't get mine done til I was 12 - mother's orders... so I waited and waited and when I turned 12 on my birthday we were first in line to get them done! Made it special - you guys are right - a rite of pasaage.

They always got infected and were such a pain closing up... then I'd punch an earring through the closed backside and they'd get infected again... By the time I was 14 I prevailed and that cycle stopped.

But I'd be a lazy mom - wouldn't want to have to add putting earrings in and taking them out as part of dressing my young daughter. Would want her to be old enough to make the decision and also to take care of the earrings, picking them out with what to wear, taking care of her ears with alcohol, etc. herself!

At 16 went (without my mother's permission - she wanted me to he 18 and an adult to make this decision) and got my 2nd holes punched. Silly me - hardly ever wore 2nd earrings and now I never do!

[BGW]

http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/rofl5.gif

My Mom's law was not before my 13th birthday. So, of course, When I was 11 I had my best friend do them with the ice and needle method while on a sleep over at her house. They became massively infected and I had to admit my Mom was right and pull the earrings. I was completely surprised to get a gift certificate to have my ears repierced on my 13th birthday.

I still have those holes. I think I won the final battle though; the mom of another best friend took a job managing "Claire's Boutique" (any mall any where)...and she hired her daughter, my friend, to work part time.

Teenager girls, a piercing gun, and free labor....oh my!!! We had piercing that would not come into fashion for another 15 to 20 yrs. We both pretty much let them close up by the time we graduated from high school though; having made our statement of rebellious individuality. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/xxrotflmao.gif