ear piercing for babies-What do you think?

[Kallison]

I would be worried she would pull them out and swallow them. Or rip through her lobe when she got older. She might be a tomboy and not even like earrings. My DD is 9 and we have been in the chair three times and she has chickened out. My Mom gets annoyed and says "You should force her when she is there", I don't see the big deal, when she really wants it she will get it. The New Parent Trap movie where they pierce her ears freaked her out.

 

[Dizzy-Disney4]

We waited until DD asked. She was almost four when she asked the first time. We went, she picked out the starter studs, watched another young girl get hers done and she changed her mind. About 6 months later she decided she was ready and she got them done. I think its best to wait until they ask...make it her choice as they are her ears.

 

[Talking Hands]

Both of my daughters had their ears pierced before 6 months. First one at about 5 1/2 months (preemie) , the other at 2 weeks. It is very common practice in this highly hispanic area. Most kids have no problems with them and adjust quite well. The ones with problems are usually those who are pierced later.

 

[smiley]

We have a neighbor who pierced her daughter's ears when she was an infant. A few years later when the lobes grew out the holes weren't in the center any longer. She then had her daughter's ears re-pierced in the center. So now her daughter has two holes, one in the middle and one under that. Kinda looks a little weird. The mother says she wish she would have waited.

 

[Regina]

My little Italian grandmother was furious with my mother (her DD) who refused to get either mine or my sister's ears pierced when we were infants. (This is 50+ years ago.) From what I recall, the belief was that it would improve our eyesight.

We both got our ears pierced by our doctor when we were in our teens.

(And BTW, I didn't need eyeglasses until I was 17, and my sister didn't get them until she hit her 40's.)

 

[Nutsy]

Personally I am against babies getting their ears pierced, but that is just my honest opinion.

It is your decision & I know that some cultures it is the done thing to have the babies ears pierced at a very young age.

Personally I would prefer to wait.......I was 14 when I got miine done & would have like to have them done when I was about 12, but my Mum wanted to wait & make sure it was really what I wanted.

 

[MerryPoppins]

DD asked to have her ears pierced at the age of 2. She pointed to my ears and said "Ear balls. I want 'em." Her dad said if she wanted them, to let her have them. I warned her that it would hurt, but she was very brave.

It's never been a problem for her. I did buy Simply Whispers earrings for her in case she might have an allergic reaction to the metal. I highly recommend them to anyone who has trouble wearing earrings. They make the only earrings I can wear.

 

[Michelina]

My 80 year old Italian grandmother told me that she had her ears pierced when she was 4 hours old! They believed it let out evil spirits! She said they pierced them with a needle with thick thread and then put the earrings in later. Very strange these old customs when we think of them with todays perspective!

 

[Goofyish]

I think it's cruel - the only reason to do it is for the parents own vanity.

I once watched in a shop that did ear piercing when a baby was having it's ears done - the little might screamed through the whole process!

I would say it is borderline child abuse.

 

[snoopy]

My little Italian grandmother was furious with my mother (her DD) who refused to get either mine or my sister's ears pierced when we were infants. (This is 50+ years ago.) From what I recall, the belief was that it would improve our eyesight.

We both got our ears pierced by our doctor when we were in our teens.

(And BTW, I didn't need eyeglasses until I was 17, and my sister didn't get them until she hit her 40's.)

Hey Reg, my Italian mother pierced mine when I was an infant, as she did my sister, and both of us have perfect (20/20) eyesight!

Might be some validity to that old Italian wives tale......

 

[Pooh93]

Ultimately, it's your child, your choice. I see pros and cons either way. As far as waiting for her to make the choice, I don't know any kids that have been scarred for life, because their parents had their ears pierced when they were babies and they wanted to be the one to make that decision when they got older. Compared to most things kids might want to do to their bodies when they think they can make their own choices, this is pretty tame. imo.

I just had dd's done (age 7). I asked her if she wanted it done and she said sure, because she knew it was going to hurt, so she might as well get it over with. (Too logical a child) I have to practically beg her to change her earrings! She figures once a week in enough. Only thing I figure is I am saving money as she is not clamoring for new earrings all the time. Youngest dd is 5 and she wants them done NOW! I am going to make her wait until Christmas time, as I will be off on vacation for about 2 weeks and will be around to help clean them.

My only other .02 is that if you do have it done, leave them in longer than the recommended time of 6-8 weeks before you try to change them. I tried to change dd's at about 10 weeks and had a little trouble. When I have youngest dd's done, it may be 14 weeks before I even try to take them out and put them back in. Good luck!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think you should wait until she is old enough to decide if SHE wants her ears pierced.

 

[pajamommy]

DD age 6 just had hers done yesterday. A couple of weeks ago she came home from school and said she wanted to get her ears pierced. There is another little girl in her class who has her ears pierced. We talked about how it would hurt, how she can't take them out for several weeks, etc. and she wanted to do it still. So, we went in yesterday, and she was nervous when the guy was about to do it, and she cried a little after the first one, but she was so brave and braced herself for the second ear, which she said hurt more than the first one did, and her scream proved that! i just held her and told her it was over and redirected her towards something in the store that got her attention and she was fine. I asked her if she was happy that she went through it and got it done, and she said yes. I'm glad I waited until it was her decision. Good luck!!

 

[grinningghost]

IMHO, the only reason people get their babies ears pierced is to make them look "cute". It doesn't benefit the baby at all. While it's up to the individual, I think waiting is the best policy. My DD had hers pierced at age 4, and she never even wore earrings after the starter posts came out - they closed up. I took her again at age 9 and now she wears them occasionally. I think with girls, the IDEA of having their ears piereced is more appealing than the actual wearing of earrings.

 

[vickyBaby]

If you decide to pierce a babies ears PLEASE wait until they have had their rounds of Tetanus shots (I think it's 3 rounds and they would be about 6 months old at the time).

 

[vickyBaby]

http://www.freelancestar.com/News/FLS/2003/022003/02232003/851405

 

[6_Time_Momma]

what is the difference..it's one person dictating a change to anothers body...??

LOL!! So, I assume you all are against circumcision too, right??

I had two of my daughters done when they were less than a year....not a single problem. They can always take the out when they are older if they want.

 

[nativetxn]

I don't think I want to read 4 pages of replies, I'm just going to jump in here and say that I truly wish that my mother had my hears pierced when I was a baby.

I had to wait until I was 16, pay for it myself, and back then I was terrified of needles. That should tell you how badly I wanted my ears pierced because I did it anyway.

I can remember being jealous of my little school friends who had pierced ears. I would ask them if it hurt to get your ears pierced and they would always tell me, "I don't know if it hurt or not, my mother had my ears pierced when I was a baby, I don't remember."

I was so jealous. If I had been blessed with a daughter I would have had her ears pierced during her infancy, before she was old enough to be curious about the little earrings. Those teeny little earrings are so cute.

I suppose I'm a pretty bad body change dictator, I also had my son circumcised right after he was born. My brother wishes he had been so lucky, he had to have that surgery when he was in the Navy. Not so easy when you are 21 as when you are a few days old

 

[disneyjunkie]

Getting ears pierced early is very common in black families.

My mom had my sister and I ears done late, I think we were 4 and 5 at the time. All of the girls in our family have their ears done within the first 6 months, never a problem.

When I was a teen I wanted a second hole, but my mom said no. When I went to college I got it done and they got infected. I let them close up and had it redone about a year later. Again they got infected, I also developed keloids. I had the keloids removed and both holes closed up.

I've seen many teens and adults with keloids but I've never seen a baby or young child with them.

I don't have a daughter (yet) but if I did, I'd get her ears pierced right away. It really isn't a big deal.

 

[sha_lyn]

I planned to get DD's ears pierced when she was 6 months old. DH insisted that we wait until DD asked to get it done. Right around her 2nd B day she started asking. It got to the point that I would avoid going anywhere near the jewlery counter at any store. she would get hysterical, crying that she wanted earrings.

while I rarely wear them, I have mine pierced 2X. My mother always wears hers (2 pair). DD was use to seeing earings, and as far as I remember never heard me say I wanted to get hers pierced.

DH didn't believe that DD was begging to get it done, because it would only come up if she saw them in a store. Finally when DD was about 27 months, he was with us one day in walmart. DD went nuts, begging for earrings. DH finally gave in but asked that we do it when he was not around. She did great. They ladies at Wal mart did both ears at one time. DD teared up a little but as soon as she was handed the mirror she was all smiles.

Now she is almost 6 and wears them most of the time. We have to take them out for Karate competitions, and occasionally forget for a few days to put them back in. She's had a very mild infection 3 times. Each time it has been when she wore "cheap" earrings. Now she only wears her gold, sterling silver or stainless steal ones all of them I know are nickel free except the gold which might be.