Piercing 1 year old's ears?

[mjkacmom]

Why in the world would you pierce a baby boy's ears??

The only men i see with pierced ears are lower class types....I don't get your pushing your sons to wear earrings???

DH has a pierced ear - he has his MBA from NYU, and looks great in his $1000 suits, and his earing!

 

[Va-bear]

My boys have all their stuff too, I would never remove something from another person without their permission, not my call to make, especially since it hasn't been recommended by any major medical association since the 1970's!

I don't think ear piercing and circumcision are at all similar. You can let an ear close up if you decide you don't like it. You are not permanently removing important tissue by piercing a child's ears.

Oh, I agree w/ you - they are not too similar. But someone earlier had made a comparison - in the sense of it being a civil rights issue (not to change someones person w/out their permission...)

 

[Philadisney]

I didn't read through the other replies yet, but I can tell you my experience. I begged my parents to let me get my ears pierced when I was 8 and they agreed. Well about 6 years later, I decided I didn't like wearing earrings anymore (it always kind of hurt for me) and wanted to let them grow in. It has now been over 10 years since I last wore earrings, and I still have noticeable holes in my ears. They partially grew in, so I couldn't wear earrings without getting them re-pierced, but they look odd. I regret getting my ears pierced in the first place.
If it had been my parents that had gotten my ears pierced when I was too little to have an opinon about it myself, I'd be pretty mad at them!

 

[bluesaturn]

It's also the norm in most Latino neighborhoods. I don't see any Latino or Italian kids needing therapy in later years because they got their ears pierced too young.

I agree with a PP. There is no right or wrong answer on this one. It's just what Mom decides she wants to do.

Also the norm in some Asian cultures. I survived just fine having my ears pierced at 3 months. And I didn't go crazy as a teen and pierce all up and down my ears or gauge them, which I think looks ridiculous.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

Oh honestly. If you want your baby to have some pierced ears, it's not going to be the end of the world when they get older. My mother had mine pierced when I was 10 months old, and I'm glad she did. I would have never wanted to have them done, though I would want earrings (I don't do self inflicted pain, thankyouverymuch!). I don't have to remember the pain, AND I can wear earrings when I want, though I don't most of the time and have been fortunate enough that my piercings haven't closed up in the past year that I haven't worn any.

 

[BelleMcNally]

Why in the world would you pierce a baby boy's ears??

The only men i see with pierced ears are lower class types....I don't get your pushing your sons to wear earrings???

Oh, Muffy, they're letting them join the country clubs now, darling. Tragic, isn't it?

Can someone refill my Julep?

 

[Hedy]

I had my first holes done at the MD's (at te age of 16), my second and third holes at Claire's, and my cartilage piercings done at a parlor. I would never ever get a child's ears pierced at the MD's-it was painful, the starter studs were this nasty thick things I could never wear again, and my holes are bigger because of it.
Do whatever works for you and your family regarding piecing your son or daughter's ears, timing wise.

 

[barkley]

i'm amazed at people saying that their pediatrician's did the peircings. i'm guessing that happens in states where there's no licensing requriements in place?

 

[Tiggernut_jadie]

I hate seeing babies and toddlers who clearly were not able to vocalize their wishes with pierced ears. I think it is horribly tacky. At that point it has nothing to do with the child's well being or what they want. Why would a parent inflict pain on their child for no good reason?

Let your daughter decide for herself when she is old enough to communicate.

I agree - maybe it's differnt in the USA but here in the UK it tends to be chavs (see HERE for definition) who have their babies ears pierced.

 

[almburr]

some have them done in hospitals. All my girls had thiers done before they were a month old.

 

[KirstenB]

i'm amazed at people saying that their pediatrician's did the peircings. i'm guessing that happens in states where there's no licensing requriements in place?

I'm not sure what you mean. I had dd's done at her pediatrician's because I thought it was the safest most sanitary place I could think of. Licensing requirements? The doctor has a ton of education and experience with needles. I'm trying to understand how licensing requirements comes into play.

 

[LauraAnn630]

MaryAnnDVC - I absolutely cannot sleep with earrings in (altho I know many people can). I have 8 holes and I find sleeping with earrings very uncomfortable, even when I had just two (which I got at age 10). So personally I just couldn't do that to a baby. I was miserable during the time I had to keep them in until the holes healed.

I totally agree! I only have one piercing but I still take my earrings out every night.

 

[fairykin]

Before we checked out of the hospital the nurse asked us if we wanted our daughters ears pierced. We said yes, and the Doctor pierced them. She was one week old.

This was 25 years ago.

 

[seven dwarfs]

I had my first daughters pierced when she was four-ish and asked for it. To this day she remembers how bad it hurt! I asked my kids DR what they thought about piercing ears and what age they recommended. She said she felt like the younger the better and she sees less issues with allergic reactions and infections when they are smaller. So I had my second daughters done when she was 8 months and my last daughters done when she was 6 months. The younger ones never touched them or complained. My four year old was worse. I had both ears done at the same time and my babies sucked on a lolly pop. They never even cried! I understand all sides of the issue and really believe it is a personal choice.

 

[MegaDisney]

I wouldn't do it for the simple fact that, like others have mentioned, it's uncomfortable to sleep with earrings in. I never do it. My daughter, like a lot of people I assume, sleeps on her side a lot. So do I- and I never sleep with earrings in because it's annoying. So why would I do that to her? If she wants it done when she's older, fine. But I personally think it is a mean, unnecessary thing to do that benefits the parents more than the kid. And that is selfish, to me.

 

[Pigeon]

I understand all sides of the issue and really believe it is a personal choice.

Me too, it's a personal choice of the person whose ears are involved.

 

[karriemouse]

My vote is a resounding no. You may think it's cute but does your daughter want it done? We make many parenting decisions for the good of our kids but this is not one of them - it's something you're doing for your benefit not your child's.

My real problem with it is the safety aspect - I know how many times I've caught my earrings on something and I'm not a baby playing and fiddling and wondering what this thing is stuck on my ear which is uncomfortable and which I just want to pull off. No amount of 'cute' is worth a ripped earlobe IMHO.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

We just pierced my 2 y/o's ear. I say ear because she won't sit to have the other one done. We should have done this when she was an infant but we just didn't get around to it.
Good luck.

 

[KAMLEM]

We just pierced my 2 y/o's ear. I say ear because she won't sit to have the other one done. We should have done this when she was an infant but we just didn't get around to it.
Good luck.

Why didn't they do both ears at the same time? That's how I thought they always did it for kids.

 

[KiKi Mouse]

DH took DD to a jewelry store (not Claires) Not many places do piercing on little ones.