Ear Piercing Age?

[snarlingcoyote]

Okay, so this is one of the few things that parents decide that varies wildly and (hopefully) is a matter of personal choice, not a decision that has heavy moral significance.

When did you get your ears pierced? When would you let your daughter (or son) get ear piercing? What do you think of the cultural differences in when kids get ears pierced?

I got mine done at 16, let them grow over and re-pierced them myself after I graduated college. My DSIL had the DNiece's ears pierced when she was an infant, which was normal in her culture. Most people I know let their kids do it when their children are old enough to take care of the piercing themselves.

One more question: Did anyone pierce anything back in the day with a needle that had been sterilized over a lighter? I remember it used to be the main way girls got their second piercing and how all the boys claimed to have pierced their ears.

 

[Acklander]

I don't remember how old I was. Probably around 7th grade. I don't consider pierced ears to be a big deal, or an age thing. I would let my child pierce their ears if they wanted, but I won't make the decision for them.

 

[Mama Who]

I was almost 8 and had been begging for a while. I won't let my daughter do it until she's old enough to care for her ears properly and won't do it until she asks. My son is sort of moot- he's nearly 14 and while he can have it if he wants it, he shows no interest.

 

[Aisling]

I was 13 when I finally asked so I had it done for my birthday. My mom wasn't too keen on it, since she doesn't have hers pierced, it's not something her family does, and lucky for me I didn't care until I was 13 and she said ok.


I don't have daughters, but both my sisters had their daughters done when they were babies. If I had a daughter, I'd be so tempted to have it done as a baby, too, because it's so cute. But honestly, I'd probably have ended up waiting until she was old enough to ask.

I take out my earrings when I go to sleep, because they bother me when my head's on the pillow. I often wonder if it bothers the baby girls, because my sisters didn't take out the studs when they slept.

 

[ocd4disney]

I think I was around 11 when I had my ears pierced. I had continuous issues with them though. My ears would always get infected no matter what kind of ear rings I wore. The piercings have never fully closed and I can still wear earrings if i chose to but it only causes trouble.

My daughter is 13 now and asked a few times when she was younger to get her ears pierced and I jsut told her no. For one, I didnt want to deal with her ears....with the cleanings and making sure they didnt get infected. Also, I know the trouble I went through as a child and didnt want either of us to have to deal with that.

My niece is 10 and recently had her ears pierced......it has been nothing but trouble. Makes me glad I have not allowed my daughter to get hers done. Although....now that she is 13 and old enough to care for them if she asks I might say yes

ETA--I dont consider it to be a big deal...I just didnt want to deal with it while my daughter was younger

 

[iheartdisney]

Mine was my reward for Kindergarten graduation. I offered the same to my DD, but she chickened out and we got mani/pedis instead. Now she thinks she wants to get her ears pierced for her birthday.
About the needle, my mom did. She told me all about how her best friend put a cube of ice on the back of her earlobe and stabbed the needle through till it stuck in the ice. EEK!

 

[woodkins]

I had dd's ears pierced when she was an infant because I thought it was cute and because I did it so early she just grew up always having them pierced.

She just got her 2nd hole pierced this summer for her 9th birthday.

 

[lilsk8nmac]

My parents told me back in the day I wasn't allowed til I was 10. But bc my brother was getting married and I was good at taking care of things like that, they let me at age 8.

I think it's up to the maturity of the individual child.

 

[EmmaBrault]

I was 3 with my first holes, 12 for my second and third.

 

[JaneBanks]

I had to be around 4 or 5.


My friend pierced my second holes for me. Ice cube and a needle!

 

[Coconut36]

I got mine done at 7. I had been asking and asking so it was a special outing with my Dad to get it done. I had second holes done at about 12ish. My parents allowed it but did require me to use my own money to get it done. So I saved up for it. The second ones are probably totally closed at this point..haven't used them in probably 15 years or so.

For either gender it would be when they expressed interest and were mature enough to take care of them (and any earrings) properly. Based on my own experience I would say 7+ before I would consider it.

 

[laurie31]

My DDs were both 2.

There were those in the family who thought it was terrible of us to "let" them make this decision, but this person did not let his DD get her ears pierced until she was 18. We did not have any problem with pierced ears. DH wanted to do them when they were babies, and I said no, as I was worried about them maybe choking on them (I know they make ones for babies that have backs that screw on, but they could still come loose), and also I didn't want to be the one taking care of them. We agreed that when they asked, they could have them. I didn't expect it to be at 2, though - lol.

I got mine done when I was 13, I thought it was horribly painful and I had nickle allergy that I didn't realize then and mine were always trouble. I let them grow up. I had them redone when I was 18 and this time I knew to wear only nickle-free and they are fine.

DD#1 *begged* for earrings for several months. We put her off, saying she could have them for her birthday. I thought she'd forget about it. Well, she turned two, we had the party, ate cake, opened gifts, etc. and after dinner that night she looked at us and said, "Where are my earrings?!"

Well, we had promised, so off we went and she got her ears pierced. She took care of them herself. Yes, I helped of course, just like I helped her brush her teeth at that age. We made it part of our morning and nighttime bathroom routine, so it wasn't a big deal. When she was 9, she begged for a second piercing, so we let her do that too.

DD#2 wanted hers done at 2 because she knew that's when her older sister did it. She however, has a lower pain tolerance, and we only did one. We had to go back the next day for the second one. We had a long talk about did she just want to take the one out and try later or get the second one. It was her choice, I'd have been fine with taking the one out. She was very proud of them after she did it. She hasn't asked for a second piercing, though.

They are both glad now that they did it when they were little.

ETA - I just saw the other thread. Holy COW, if it were done behind my back without my permission, livid wouldn't even BEGIN to cover it. I made sure the place was clean and the supplies were sterile, plus it's a painful procedure, my girls sat in my lap and held my hand. I wouldn't want them to go through something like that alone!

 

[WowLookAtThat]

I was probably 1 or 2.

 

[Aisling]

My son is sort of moot- he's nearly 14 and while he can have it if he wants it, he shows no interest.

I'm double-standard when it comes to my boys. They were never interested in getting their ear(s) pierced, but if they wanted to, I would'nt have allowed it until they were in high school. I never liked the idea of a young boy having a piercing, but I'm old-fashioned that way.

 

[YodaGirl]

Mine were pierced at 7; DD's were pierced at 2 or 3. I pierced DH's ear when he was around 23 or so. He gauged it up slightly, but then let it grow up. ETA: DD did ask for them, and I did tell her that it would hurt. My second holes were done at 20, and I was probably 21 or 22 for my third ones. My cartilage has been done on two occasions (around 23-24), but they never heal and get horribly infected.

As someone who used to pierce ears for almost 7 years, I just have to say...

- Infants ear lobes are still growing. It is not uncommon (read: happens quite frequently) for a preteen to come in to get second holes, to have uneven first holes due to being pierced as an infant. It's advisable to wait until they are a bit older (I didn't exactly take my own advice when DD's were pierced), but just know that the chance is there (and is greater the younger they are).

- If you see someone piercing an infant's ears, please do not stop to berate the person. First, it's not your kid, therefore not your choice. Second, the person doing the piercing is just doing their job. (Just had to throw that point in there)

- The hardest ears to pierce were those of kids aged 6-10. Know your child. Some parents wanted us to hold them down. One parent went so far as to laying her 8 year old on the floor, straddled her, pinned her head, and told us to go ahead and pierce them. Um...no. Most places will not pierce if you have to restrain the child. Holding the head of a toddler is generally an exception.

- Try to go when there are two people so that your child's ears can be pierced at the same time. Chances are, if done separately, that the first ear will get pierced, and the child will refuse to let the second one be pierced.

 

[Aisling]

Do you use the "staple gun" thing or a needle?

 

[YodaGirl]

We used the gun, but since we weren't a body piercing place, we had to refer to it as an "instrument" per Kentucky law.

 

[Diznygrl]

I was in second grade, so I guess I was about 7 or 8? Most girls have to beg their parents to get their ears pierced, but I was the opposite...my mom was the one begging ME to have them pierced, LOL. I don't know why she was so adamant that I have it done, but I resisted for a long time because I was too chicken. I'll never forget on a trip to Disneyland, she purposefully bought two pairs of Minnie Mouse earrings (my absolute favorite character at the time) to tantalize me with, telling me that if I got my ears pierced, I could wear them.

Well one day out of the blue, I just decided that I finally wanted them pierced. The minute I told my mom, she dropped everything and had me in the car so fast and headed to the mall before I could change my mind, LOL. This was in the late '80s so it was done with piercing guns, both ears at the same time. It was unpleasant but after it was all done, I was thrilled.

 

[HelenePA]

My dd11 has never shown interest in getting them done but my dd9 has had them since she was 7... I would have got them done sooner if she wanted them.. this is not a big deal to me... if my dd11 ever wants them we'll go get them done... Funny story I bet my dd she would cry when she had them done, I think we bet $5 or something.. she didn't cry! She looked like she was going to pass out after the first one was done but no crying! Money works wonders with her! I just told her if she went to bed easy with out a fight these last two days before thanksgiving break I'd pay her $20 when we go to Christmas Village next weekend... she keeps everyone up talking... its was worth the money.

 

[castmember19]

Mother had mine pierced as an infant. I'm glad she did because I have a really low pain tolerance. I mostly ignored them from mid-elementary school to mid-high school or didn't change them out much- it's a wonder they didn't close. Now I have all kinds of earrings so I'm glad Mother had them done.