Earrings on a toddler

[DisneyNutMary]

Where I'm from its common to pierce a girls ears as a baby, usually right around the time she is christened.
My mom used to do it, and she did all the neighborhood girls as babies and the teenage girls 2nd and 3rd holes too.
My niece was done by her pediatrician, he had some type of gun and it was really quick, she didn't even cry.

 

[scrapquitler]

OK, so I was on the bus today and couldn't help noticing this kid opposite from me, couldn't have been more than 6 months to 12 months old... she (or he?) had earrings.

I find that a bit, well, unusual.

What do you guys think?

Really, you think it's unusual? From what I see in my area, at least half the little girls have pierced ears within a few weeks/moths of being born.

 

[wenrob]

I don't think it's weird or bad. My mom is Mexican and mine were done as an infant. I don't remember the pain and I enjoy having my ears pierced. I got more ear piercings when I was older. I do agree it's really common for Hispanic/Latino people.

The anti-circ people get really riled up about it though, among other people who think infant ear piercing is "torture" or "mutilation."

The only topic that was as heated as circumcision back in my parenting board days was ear piercing. Whoo boy did it get nasty! LOL

I waited for my oldest to ask and after her last soccer game at about age 8 we went and had my sister do them. They took forever to heal and weren't fully healed when soccer season started again. It was torture having to take them out and put them back in after every game. As diligent as we were about taking care of them they were always sore and crusty. It took about a year for them to fully heal. I think it was having to remove them so often before her ears were ready. At 13 she had a second set done and never had an issue. She was done with soccer and could just let them heal.

My youngest I had my sister do at about three months. No squirming, no crying just bam, bam, done. She barely reacted and I never had an issue with hers, no infections, nothing. She never messed with them, they were just there.

Based on those two experiences, if I could back in time I'd have done the oldest when she was a baby. It was much easier to take care of and maintain.

 

[meliss8599]

I agree with many PPs that it's very often cultural. I am of Polish and Italian descent and both sides do it as infants. Because I don't have strong feelings either way about it, I let my own daughter decide when to do it for herself. I believe she was in 2nd or 3rd grade when she finally got them pierced. Babies look adorable with or without.

 

[Daisy62]

Not Hispanic or Italian but I had my 3rd daughters ears pierced at 7 months. After letting my first daughter get them at 13 and not taking care of them I figured I could do better job so I did. They looked adorable and I'm glad I got them for her. She is 16 now and never had an issue with them.

 

[jahber]

I didn't pierce my daughter's as a baby, but that's mostly because I'm lazy and I know how much work earrings are at first. My daughter (now 11) has brought it up and when asked, I'm honest with her that mine hurt when I got them at about 9 years old. Granted, I'm a very fair redhead, and we are known for sensitive skin and feeling pain differently, but MAN I can still remember that pain. It was bad. Plus, I have a nickel allergy. So, my daughter has always decided against it. I wonder why . But I want her to really be ready, because it's a big commitment. It probably won't hurt her anywhere near as much, as she's half-Indian and no where near as sensitive as I am, but still.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I used to pierce ears. While I understand that it's a cultural thing, I 100% think that it's better to wait. It was absolutely awful piercing babies' ears because:

• It was impossible to mark the spot properly because they wiggled so much (which resulted in the person who'd done the dots having to tell the second piercer where they should pierce in relation to the dot, rather than on the dot itself);
• It took ages to do, with us continually almost getting there and then having to pull back at the last second because the baby moved (which was especially hard to coordinate with 2 piercers);
• It hurts the babies more because their ears are smaller and less fleshy;
• Unlike older kids the babies couldn't understand why we were causing them pain;
• The earrings often ended up being positioned too high once their ears grew;
• The parents usually didn't take proper care of the piercing afterwards and the babies often touched them with grubby fingers which usually meant they got infected and we would end up re-piercing a few years down the track (which was harder with scar tissue);
• The earrings are very small and sharp and really aren't suitable for babies - if one was swallowed it could cause terrible damage; and
• It was incredibly draining having to put a child through such torture when it was just because their parents thought their precious baby didn't look pretty enough without bits of metal through their ears.

While in my family we had to wait for 13 and I was totally fine with that, I think around 10 is the best age to pierce. Obviously it can vary with the child, but the 10 year olds were usually the ones who came back for more spray because they'd used it all up (and actually done it themselves). We often ended up having to re-pierce younger kids because someone would take the earrings out and then forget to put them back in and older teens were often 'too cool' to take proper care of their piercing.

Sorry for the long rant - it's just something that I am really passionate about!

Great post!

We did DD's when she was 5 1/2, not tandem (one at a time) and she was great about it - sat still, didn't flinch, and tried her hardest not to cry! Poor kid...crocodile tears welling up and everything, but she pushed through and didn't let them out

BUT, the girl totally missed on her left ear and the earring went lower and diagonal instead of straight through. I of course didn't know this until well after when we were finally able to take the earrings out. by then, even though DD and I were very good about following directions and taking care of them, a huge abscess had formed that I had to squeeze out (most disgusting, nauseating task EVER as a parent!) and from then on it was problem after problem with the left side. We eventually let them close up because 1. the left side in the back was so close to the bottom of her ear that she would never be able to wear hoops or dangling earrings - one wrong move/catch and they'd probably rip right through her ear!, and 2. she started dance/gymnastics/cheer and couldn't wear earrings at all during the season at practice (which was pretty much every day) and it was a pain to keep putting them in, taking them out, etc. She plays other sports now where she can't wear earrings either, so I totally understand about that part of it!

I told her that if it's important to her in the future, she is more than welcome to get them redone. She is now almost 12 and has no desire. Maybe in a few years she will want to, but until then, I'm just happy to not have to deal with the constand problems the holes caused.

I do have a question if you don't mind - if DD decides to re-pierce them, will it be very difficut since she has already had them done once? How does that work? Thanks!

 

[mnrose]

Each family makes their own choice. Personally, I insisted that my daughter wait until she was old enough to understand what she was doing, AND could take care of it properly on her own. She had it done at 13.

Also, on the advice of our doctor, I had it done at a professional place (tattoo and piercing parlor), where the people doing it are REQUIRED to be trained. They use needles, not guns. Guns are NOT 100% sanitary, and the people doing it are not trained. Give them the gun, and they are off. No thank you. The piercing parlor people are trained, and licensed. They absolutely will NOT pierce ears of children younger than 8. For all minors, they require a consultation at least 24 hours in advance and they explain the entire thing to them (what happens, after care, and possible risks). If they come back at least 24 hours later and still want it, then they will do it. But, none of this, show up and get it done stuff like at the mall places.

My pediatrician said she'd never treated an infection from a professional place, but had seen PLENTY of them from the mall places. Yes, it cost me more, but the peace of mind was worth it.

The young lady who did my daughters did it perfectly. No pain. No issues.

 

[brockash]

OK, so I was on the bus today and couldn't help noticing this kid opposite from me, couldn't have been more than 6 months to 12 months old... she (or he?) had earrings.

I find that a bit, well, unusual.

What do you guys think?

I see it all the time. Honestly I think it does look pretty cute, however I can't get over the whole mutilating my child's body for looks thing without them getting a say. My ears are pierced and I let my older daughter get hers when she was 7 after she had asked for years. I have a 1 year old dd now and while I won't do it to her I'm fine letting her get it done if she really wants to and it's her choice, but I will say I think her baby pics would be cuter with them lol.

 

[Vicki926]

I see it all the time.
My mom made we wait until I was 10, but I had my daughters done when she was a year old. I think they're adorable.
I got my 2nd hole done when I was 30.
She got her 2nd holes around 11 or 12.

Neither one of us found it painful- a pinch-and done.

 

[elphaba91]

Great post!

We did DD's when she was 5 1/2, not tandem (one at a time) and she was great about it - sat still, didn't flinch, and tried her hardest not to cry! Poor kid...crocodile tears welling up and everything, but she pushed through and didn't let them out

BUT, the girl totally missed on her left ear and the earring went lower and diagonal instead of straight through. I of course didn't know this until well after when we were finally able to take the earrings out. by then, even though DD and I were very good about following directions and taking care of them, a huge abscess had formed that I had to squeeze out (most disgusting, nauseating task EVER as a parent!) and from then on it was problem after problem with the left side. We eventually let them close up because 1. the left side in the back was so close to the bottom of her ear that she would never be able to wear hoops or dangling earrings - one wrong move/catch and they'd probably rip right through her ear!, and 2. she started dance/gymnastics/cheer and couldn't wear earrings at all during the season at practice (which was pretty much every day) and it was a pain to keep putting them in, taking them out, etc. She plays other sports now where she can't wear earrings either, so I totally understand about that part of it!

I told her that if it's important to her in the future, she is more than welcome to get them redone. She is now almost 12 and has no desire. Maybe in a few years she will want to, but until then, I'm just happy to not have to deal with the constand problems the holes caused.

I do have a question if you don't mind - if DD decides to re-pierce them, will it be very difficut since she has already had them done once? How does that work? Thanks!

It will depend on how bad the scar tissue is in the ears. If you re-pierce through scar tissue then you are more likely to have problems with infections. I would guess that the left ear will have a lot of scar tissue, but hopefully the right will be okay as she was young and it has been a few years. If you give her earlobes a little squeeze and feel a hard lump then it would be best to pierce around it. A good piercer will usually be able to find a spot that still looks good but doesn't hit the scar tissue - e.g. with your daughter you could hopefully go above the old spot and possibly slightly to one side.

Each family makes their own choice. Personally, I insisted that my daughter wait until she was old enough to understand what she was doing, AND could take care of it properly on her own. She had it done at 13.

Also, on the advice of our doctor, I had it done at a professional place (tattoo and piercing parlor), where the people doing it are REQUIRED to be trained. They use needles, not guns. Guns are NOT 100% sanitary, and the people doing it are not trained. Give them the gun, and they are off. No thank you. The piercing parlor people are trained, and licensed. They absolutely will NOT pierce ears of children younger than 8. For all minors, they require a consultation at least 24 hours in advance and they explain the entire thing to them (what happens, after care, and possible risks). If they come back at least 24 hours later and still want it, then they will do it. But, none of this, show up and get it done stuff like at the mall places.

My pediatrician said she'd never treated an infection from a professional place, but had seen PLENTY of them from the mall places. Yes, it cost me more, but the peace of mind was worth it.

The young lady who did my daughters did it perfectly. No pain. No issues.

These sorts of comments about 'non-professional' piercers annoy me a bit. I am in Australia so under totally different regulations, but we were fully trained and licensed and the premises was accredited with regular spot checks done. We had strict rules about having a separate room for piercing, the way it was cleaned, the way our materials were stored, etc. These are the same rules that apply to tattoo parlours here. My workplace received a 100% score and 5 star rating every year I was there. We even pierced the head of our local council's health department's daughter (which we awkwardly found out just before the piercing when she looked up at our certificate of accreditation and proclaimed 'that's daddy's name!'). Admittedly though, I have seen a couple of YouTube videos of girls having their ears pierced at mall places in the US that definitely wouldn't have passed our accreditation and with piercers whose technique left a lot to be desired, so it could absolutely be different over there!

We also used a new type of gun that is totally sanitary - the piercing is done with an earring pre-loaded in a sterilised cartridge. The cartridge just clicks into the top of the gun and when you squeeze the gun the cartridge pushes the front of the earring onto the back. The gun never touches the ear or the earring (theoretically you could pierce with just the cartridge, the gun just makes your hand steadier) and the piercer doesn't touch the earring through the whole process, unlike the old guns where you had to remove the earring from the packaging and load them into the gun then put the back on by hand. These guns also don't make the awful loud bang that the old ones do! Even with the needles the piercer still has to remove the earring from the packaging, put the back on, etc. These new guns mean the item doing the penetration and the earring (here, they are the same thing) have absolutely minimal exposure to outside elements - mere seconds of being in the air. Plus, they are still cleaned before and after each piercing. They are as close to 100% sanitary as you're going to get with piercing.

 

[smokeyblue]

Great post!

We did DD's when she was 5 1/2, not tandem (one at a time) and she was great about it - sat still, didn't flinch, and tried her hardest not to cry! Poor kid...crocodile tears welling up and everything, but she pushed through and didn't let them out

BUT, the girl totally missed on her left ear and the earring went lower and diagonal instead of straight through. I of course didn't know this until well after when we were finally able to take the earrings out. by then, even though DD and I were very good about following directions and taking care of them, a huge abscess had formed that I had to squeeze out (most disgusting, nauseating task EVER as a parent!) and from then on it was problem after problem with the left side. We eventually let them close up because 1. the left side in the back was so close to the bottom of her ear that she would never be able to wear hoops or dangling earrings - one wrong move/catch and they'd probably rip right through her ear!, and 2. she started dance/gymnastics/cheer and couldn't wear earrings at all during the season at practice (which was pretty much every day) and it was a pain to keep putting them in, taking them out, etc. She plays other sports now where she can't wear earrings either, so I totally understand about that part of it!

I told her that if it's important to her in the future, she is more than welcome to get them redone. She is now almost 12 and has no desire. Maybe in a few years she will want to, but until then, I'm just happy to not have to deal with the constand problems the holes caused.

I do have a question if you don't mind - if DD decides to re-pierce them, will it be very difficut since she has already had them done once? How does that work? Thanks!

I had mine done at 5 and my mom let them close because it was just torture. I didn't want her touching my ears. I had them redone at 10 at my request and it was no problem at all. I even got a second piercing a few months later.

 

[Chelley00]

I remember getting mine done. It was awful because the lady pinned me down, did one ear at a time (and they are crooked) and just wasn't nice.

So I had DDs done when she was 6 months old. Partly because I didn't want her to remember it. Partly because she was super bald and everyone thought she was a boy

 

[Turn the Page]

These sorts of comments about 'non-professional' piercers annoy me a bit. I am in Australia so under totally different regulations, but we were fully trained and licensed and the premises was accredited with regular spot checks done. We had strict rules about having a separate room for piercing, the way it was cleaned, the way our materials were stored, etc. These are the same rules that apply to tattoo parlours here. My workplace received a 100% score and 5 star rating every year I was there. We even pierced the head of our local council's health department's daughter (which we awkwardly found out just before the piercing when she looked up at our certificate of accreditation and proclaimed 'that's daddy's name!'). Admittedly though, I have seen a couple of YouTube videos of girls having their ears pierced at mall places in the US that definitely wouldn't have passed our accreditation and with piercers whose technique left a lot to be desired, so it could absolutely be different over there!

We also used a new type of gun that is totally sanitary - the piercing is done with an earring pre-loaded in a sterilised cartridge. The cartridge just clicks into the top of the gun and when you squeeze the gun the cartridge pushes the front of the earring onto the back. The gun never touches the ear or the earring (theoretically you could pierce with just the cartridge, the gun just makes your hand steadier) and the piercer doesn't touch the earring through the whole process, unlike the old guns where you had to remove the earring from the packaging and load them into the gun then put the back on by hand. These guns also don't make the awful loud bang that the old ones do! Even with the needles the piercer still has to remove the earring from the packaging, put the back on, etc. These new guns mean the item doing the penetration and the earring (here, they are the same thing) have absolutely minimal exposure to outside elements - mere seconds of being in the air. Plus, they are still cleaned before and after each piercing. They are as close to 100% sanitary as you're going to get with piercing.

Yes, it is VERY different here. I'm sure there are some regulation the mall places have to abide by but they aren't very stringent. Most of those places just have a chair out front you sit in and from what I hear the people doing it are lucky to get an hours worth of training before they are piercing people.

When DD9 got hers pierced I took her to a professional piercer. The woman who did it was an RN and gave us so many aftercare instructions. We had to wash her ears with mild soap daily and soak them in salt water for 10 minutes every night for 2 months. It was a pain in the tush but we never had a problem with them. Well, not much anyway. I think we have figured out that she has sensitive ears and may even be allergic to gold. She does fine with stainless steel and silver but gold seems to bother them. But that isn't a problem with the piercing itself.

The woman who did it wore gloves, showed me the sealed package with the sterile needle in it, etc. WAY more sanitary than one of the mall places with a gun.

 

[elphaba91]

Yes, it is VERY different here. I'm sure there are some regulation the mall places have to abide by but they aren't very stringent. Most of those places just have a chair out front you sit in and from what I hear the people doing it are lucky to get an hours worth of training before they are piercing people.

When DD9 got hers pierced I took her to a professional piercer. The woman who did it was an RN and gave us so many aftercare instructions. We had to wash her ears with mild soap daily and soak them in salt water for 10 minutes every night for 2 months. It was a pain in the tush but we never had a problem with them. Well, not much anyway. I think we have figured out that she has sensitive ears and may even be allergic to gold. She does fine with stainless steel and silver but gold seems to bother them. But that isn't a problem with the piercing itself.

The woman who did it wore gloves, showed me the sealed package with the sterile needle in it, etc. WAY more sanitary than one of the mall places with a gun.

The mall places you've experienced are VERY different to out here (or at least to the place I had my ears pierced and the place where I worked). A chair out the front of the store definitely wouldn't fly with me! We absolutely wear gloves and have the earring and cartridge in their sealed package until seconds before the piercing. This is the system we used. Plus, the earrings are all medical grade stainless steel with or without a gold plating or titanium which some people with extreme sensitivities find better.

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm not particularly fond of this practice. I didn't get my ears pierced until I was 20, and even now I only wear earrings a few times a year. I think cosmetic body modification should be a decision for the child to make.

 

[momz]

I am neither for nor against piercing babies ears. But a big caution!

18 years of ER experience. I have seen countless little girls come in when their mother discovers the skin has grown over the back of the earring. Unfortunately too many parents think they can get the piercing and then forget about it. But the healing skin can completely encase the jewelry.

It's not an emergency once it's discovered, but many times the parent would panic over it and come to the ER anyway.

 

[wilkeliza]

I bad mine done when I was young. They missed my ear the first time causing a nick. I ended up letting those holes close up. I was probably 7 or 8 and it was done at Wal-Mart. Then around 10/11 I begged to get them done again. Went to a Claire's at the mall and they did an okay job but I was not responsible enough with cleaning them. I was just so busy with other stuff that I would forget and I hated my mom nagging me. Ahe finally made me take them out.

I've thought about doing it again but I'm not really a jewlery girl so it would only be for one or two days a year tops.

 

[disney world dreamer]

its not unusual at all.
many parents have their baby's ears pierced.
my bff has had hers pierces since about 6 months old and is now 30.
personally i would not do it. i'd wait until the child can take care of their ears themselves.
however i have no problem with others doing it if they so choose.

 

[disney world dreamer]

I am neither for nor against piercing babies ears. But a big caution!

18 years of ER experience. I have seen countless little girls come in when their mother discovers the skin has grown over the back of the earring. Unfortunately too many parents think they can get the piercing and then forget about it. But the healing skin can completely encase the jewelry.

It's not an emergency once it's discovered, but many times the parent would panic over it and come to the ER anyway.

this happened to me but i was 14.
i had them pierced at the mall.
they said i could switch out the earrings after 4 weeks.
i did and then that very night when i went to sleep the skin closed around the back of the earring.
i thought i just lost the back of the earring at first.
then i realized it was legit inside my ear so i freaked out.
we made an appt at the dr.
they removed it and i vowed not to get my ears pierced again until age 21.
i was 3 weeks shy of 21 when i had them pierced again.
i went to a tattoo parlor that time and i was told never remove the initial earring prior to 10 weeks because thats how long it truly takes to heal.