Getting our ears pierced at Disney

ThreeSmileys

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 15, 2021
My 5yo is very interested in getting her ears pierced, is there a place at DW or DS where we can get this done?
 
I haven't done this myself, but I hear tattoo parlors are great places to get them done as well. I know, it sounds sketch, but most tattoo places do take sanitation very seriously and their piercers usually have a ton of training and know exactly what to do. I've heard of some even offering specific packages for children. Check around your area and see what you can find. If anything, avoid doing it at a mall kiosk or a place like Claire's. Those piecing guns are not supposed to be very easy to clean, and thus aren't as clean as they should be, plus the employees who operate the guns don't usually get a lot of training on it. The piercing guns also shoot the dull earring post through the ear, versus a sharp needle.

But going back to Disney, if you are spending time at Universal they have a tattoo shop in Citywalk, but no idea if they do piercing there as well.
 


I haven't done this myself, but I hear tattoo parlors are great places to get them done as well. I know, it sounds sketch, but most tattoo places do take sanitation very seriously and their piercers usually have a ton of training and know exactly what to do. I've heard of some even offering specific packages for children. Check around your area and see what you can find. If anything, avoid doing it at a mall kiosk or a place like Claire's. Those piecing guns are not supposed to be very easy to clean, and thus aren't as clean as they should be, plus the employees who operate the guns don't usually get a lot of training on it. The piercing guns also shoot the dull earring post through the ear, versus a sharp needle.

But going back to Disney, if you are spending time at Universal they have a tattoo shop in Citywalk, but no idea if they do piercing there as well.
Great advice, I wish I took my girls to one for their first piercings. Live and learn.
 
If your pediatrician doesn't do it, definitely consider a tattoo parlor. The needles they use hurt way less than the guns and they line the piercings up so much better.

The guns also don't always push the earring all the way through. I vividly remember the gun catching while having my ear pierced and my mom having to push the earring the rest of the way through my ear.
 
If your pediatrician doesn't do it, definitely consider a tattoo parlor. The needles they use hurt way less than the guns and they line the piercings up so much better.

The guns also don't always push the earring all the way through. I vividly remember the gun catching while having my ear pierced and my mom having to push the earring the rest of the way through my ear.

I remember someone describing it this way "Which would you rather, the random employee who got a few hours training on the gun, or the tattoo parlor who is licensed/regulated by the state?"
 
I remember someone describing it this way "Which would you rather, the random employee who got a few hours training on the gun, or the tattoo parlor who is licensed/regulated by the state?"
Our state prohibits people under the age of 16 from going to a tattoo parlor. My DD's pedestrian didn't do them either. We went to Clair's and it was fine.

I recall that there was recommendations about avoiding swimming for a week or two after the piercing. My DD was a competitive swimmer and we had to plan it when she wasn't practicing. OP, I would get it done at home and at least 2 weeks before your trip.
 
Such a cute idea! Glad I came across this post and the tips from other mamas. Maybe you could do it on her last day and find a local claires?
 
Newly pierced ears require care to keep the piercing open and prevent infection.
They need to be cleaned, swabbed with alcohol or other skin antiseptic and turned several times a day for at least the first 2 weeks or until they are healed (may be longer than 2 weeks). It’s also recommended to keep the initial earrings in for 6 weeks and my daughters and I were told to avoid swimming until healed.

American Academy of Dermatology - Care for Pierced Ears
 
Get them done professionally by a piercer. Do not go to a mall store. I’m sure there are piercers in Orlando if that is what you really want to do but despite how common they are a piercing is still a wound that requires care and a theme park is not the cleanest place. I would not want theme park grimy hands accidentally touching a fresh piercing. Best to do it at home when you can give it the attention it deserves.
 
I thought this would be fun to do with DD, but I did not figure out how to make it happen. I also remember how painful my ear piercing was and was worried how DD would handle it. I'm glad we did not mess with it over vacation, since it was painful for her and I had to constantly reminder her to do the cleaning. She did great with reminders, but if we had been on vacation, I might have gotten distracted and not reminded her.

We did it at home, at the mall, at one of the jewelry kiosks, not Claire's. However, I know the man who works there part-time and he works full-time at a regular jewelry store. He is actually a client, so I had confidence he had been doing this for a long time and would do a good job - and he did!

One thing we did do at Disney and would like to repeat is to pick a pearl at the Japan pavilion at Epcot. We had fun and got cool souvenirs!
 
Get them done professionally by a piercer. Do not go to a mall store. I’m sure there are piercers in Orlando if that is what you really want to do but despite how common they are a piercing is still a wound that requires care and a theme park is not the cleanest place. I would not want theme park grimy hands accidentally touching a fresh piercing. Best to do it at home when you can give it the attention it deserves.
Piercings should be done with a thin needle that is properly sterilized, not a gun that cannot. I wish I knew this when my girls were little, now with multiple piercings the Claire’s ones look terrible (a few got infected even with proper cleaning and had to close up and start again). A quick google will bring up how much better professional piercings are.
 
A few things from someone who used to work as a piercer in a tattoo shop.

Firstly, I fully believe that is the better option. A reputable shop will gladly review their sterilization methods with you. I know that it is a strange idea, taking a child to a tattoo/piercing shop, but I know that I always worked hard to put children at ease when they came in for ear piercings because it is such an unusual environment.

Second, as has been stated, the needle used is much sharper and should be a single use item, resulting in a little less trauma to the area and no cross-contamination by potentially used on multiple people. I know some places do use disposable guns which are better for cleanliness than a reusable one but they are still basically just pushing the stud through the ear lobe instead of a sharp needle.

Third, I would get them done at least a few weeks before traveling. While I do believe Disney to do a generally good job of cleaning you are still talking about hotel pillows, the pool, but also, besides things that could introduce germs and bacteria, if your little one goes on even small roller coasters or other rides that jostle them they could bump their ears against headrests which would be very uncomfortable during healing.
 
I would look into a tattoo/piercing parlor. Call around to make an appointment as not all will take kids. I've personally seen some horror stories from Claires where they messed up and made them uneven. One even had to have surgery to fix it so they could get it repierced correctly. Personally, I'd rather get it done at a tattoo shop where the person is an adult that is in their field of profession versus a random teenager/college kid that is just there because they HAVE to get a job and Claires was the first one that called back.

I would not do this while you're at Disney. That many people in one place plus heat, sweat, etc from the parks is just asking for an infection. I wouldn't want to do it on the last day either incase she's sore being on an airplane (if you're flying) means she may be even more uncomfortable.

Have you thought about maybe getting her a nice tiara or even a nicer pair of earrings there and then having her get them pierced after the trip?
 
FWIW, if you live in a place where minors are not allowed in tattoo studios, and your pediatrician's office does not do them, try asking around at pediatricians whose offices are in Hispanic or Indian neighborhoods. They are more likely to do ear piercings, because it is often traditional in those cultures to pierce ears in childhood.
 

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