Piercing baby's ears??

[kevschickee]

To the OP did you ask your pediatrician if they do it in the office? My pedis office did both of my girls ears. Yes you pay more but it is done by a Dr.

 

[duffy]

Its pierced ears for god sake they close up. I have 2 piercings in each ear and 1 set closed up.

I haven't worn earrings in my pierced ears for at least 10 years. They haven't closed up.

 

[daisyduck123]

I cant personally imagine inflicting that pain on purpose of my baby for vanity reasons.

That's exactly what it is.
ITA!

 

[laceemouse]

I was in Claires a week ago and there was a couple ladies in there getting one of their approx 6 month old's ears pierced and I am telling you I can still hear the screams and crys of that poor little girl...not only while getting it done but also as I saw her through out the mall later on. It was a horrible sound that I cant forget, Me and another lady in the store just looked at each other and said "its just not worth it" for what really...the moms pleasure because the girl really could care less at 6 months. I have an alomost 5 year old girl that doesnt even ask to get her ears pierced yet and until she does she wont get them....if she does ask I will certainly take her whenever shes ready after explaining to her that it WILL in fact hurt a little. Not to mention the care afterwards. I know I had problems when I was a kid with infections and that HURT and I was 10 or so when I got it done the first time...I cant personally imagine inflicting that pain on purpose of my baby for vanity reasons. Just my opinion and I def understand other people think differently than me but I HATE seeing my kids in pain and would never want to cause it.

I agree 100%
Also, I hate sleeping with earrings on, and you HAVE to when you first pierce them, and babies sleep all the time. Why would you want to make them uncomfortable?
We let our girls decide when they are old enough to make the decision and take care of their ears. Oldest had hers done at 16, second one is now 16 and is thinking about it, 11 year old is not interested.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

LOL, wait a few years until he hears about it! My son about died!

.

I don't think he'll make a big deal about it. I worked OB for years as an RN, actually watched DS's circumcision. He knows about it in general, just never asked about his specifically.

I agree 100%
Also, I hate sleeping with earrings on, and you HAVE to when you first pierce them, and babies sleep all the time. Why would you want to make them uncomfortable?
.

Just because you are uncomfortable doesn't mean everyone is. I sleep in earrings every night. My DD has slept in earrings from the time she was 8 months old. She never complains about being uncomfortable and it never kept her awake as a baby.

 

[TheRatPack]

My dd's do not have their ears pierced. One is 14 and one is 7....both have holes that have grown up and neither have asked to have their ears pierced again. With my oldest, we had them done when she was little...maybe 3? Then she had to have surgery and they taped them up but they got infected so we just took them out. My youngest had hers done ?????, when we adopted her she was 4, she had the scars from having them done but they were already grown up. They were pierced really really low....not very attractive at all. She's also hispanic, I find that interesting that so many of you mention that being a cultural thing for them....we've never heard of that?

I also have 3 ds's and we had our birth son circumsized when he was a newborn.....but our 2 youngest sons are adopted (also hispanic) and they were not altered. At the age of 2 and 3 when we adopted them....it was just too much to think about having it done to them then. We've taught them how to keep it sanitary, clean....etc and haven't had the first problem.

I had my ears pierced at 15, second holes at 18 and neither of them hurt longer than a few minutes. I knew how to take care of them, asked to have them done and figured my girls will one day do the same if they want earrings. If not....who cares, less jewelry to buy LOL And one day if my youngest 2 sons ask to be circumsized, we'll approach that with them as well.

 

[robinb]

I used to think that people who had their baby's ears pierced were "trashy" and I did not when my DD was a baby. I waited until she was 6 and expressed a desire to have her ears pierced. Now that she has her ears pierced (for 4 years now) my feelings on babies has changed. Now I think: What the heck ... go for it! It's probably easier to care for a baby's ears than a 6-year old's ears. And, you eventually have the same outcome . Just be aware the people like my former self might think you're trashy.

 

[mom_2_K'Lynn]

It really is a personal decision. We did my dd's when she was 3 weeks as this was the earliest they would do it. She did the aftermath scream for 30 seconds and never fussed again. She always slept on her stomach (yes I know that was wrong) so she always slept on her ears and never fussed. It was so easy to keep them clean, never any problems. I do have to say though that I also have had my ears pierced since I was little and no matter how long I leave my earrings out, they will never close. I once wore no earrings for 4 years and still not closed whereas my 2nd holes close within 1 week if I don't have earrings in them. Either way, its your choice and not really anyone else's opinion as to your decision!! Good Luck either way!!!!

 

[Mrs. Charming]

I don't really have an opinion either way, I'm just waiting until DD asks for it, and we'll make a Mommy and Me day out of it. We'll go to lunch, get mani/pedis, and get her ears pierced. I might even get another set of holes too!

Many people asked me when I'll do DD's ears since she was a few weeks old, I just said no, I'm waiting, and changed the subject.

I did however see a teeny baby get her ears pierced at the mall and my heart and DH's heart broke for her... she cried and cried and cried. Poor Mom and Grandma looked horrified like "Oh crap, what did we just do?"

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I don't think he'll make a big deal about it. I worked OB for years as an RN, actually watched DS's circumcision. He knows about it in general, just never asked about his specifically.

LOL, I've never met a guy who didn't mentally cross his legs when people talk about circumcision.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I used to think that people who had their baby's ears pierced were "trashy" and I did not when my DD was a baby. I waited until she was 6 and expressed a desire to have her ears pierced. Now that she has her ears pierced (for 4 years now) my feelings on babies has changed. Now I think: What the heck ... go for it! It's probably easier to care for a baby's ears than a 6-year old's ears. And, you eventually have the same outcome . Just be aware the people like my former self might think you're trashy.

lOL, I don't think "trash", but I do think vain. I tend to wonder whose needs are being fulfilled. As I said, I don't think it is worth a mommy war over. Or therapy worthy.

It is merely a difference of opinion. I think that everyone is always making judgments, and deciding where they stand on things. It isn't a bad thing, but rather a life thing.

 

[mjkacmom]

I used to think that people who had their baby's ears pierced were "trashy" and I did not when my DD was a baby. I waited until she was 6 and expressed a desire to have her ears pierced. Now that she has her ears pierced (for 4 years now) my feelings on babies has changed. Now I think: What the heck ... go for it! It's probably easier to care for a baby's ears than a 6-year old's ears. And, you eventually have the same outcome . Just be aware the people like my former self might think you're trashy.

I made the mistake of waiting until they asked. My oldest asked when she was 7, got them done, but when she was 8, she told me her ear was itchy, and it turned out her ear was infected, and the skin actually grew over the earing! Went to the pediatrican, who sent us to the ER. It would've been so much easier to have had it done when she was a baby, and I saw her ear on a daily basis! And it's not considered trashy here to pierce babies ears (a lot of Sopranos footage was filmed in my area ).

 

[LisaNJ25]

OP.. I had my girls done at 4 months and 11 months.. would of had the second ones done earlier but she needed surgery and I didnt want to pierce them and have to take them out right away.

It is the norm for my area to have their ears pierced..


As for some of the other comments I guess I have two trashy daughters and 2 poor hygiene uncircumcised sons.

 

[laceemouse]

Funny how it is different in different areas. We have lived all over the US in white, upper middle class burbs and NO ONE pierces their babies ears. I mean no one at all. I only see it here on Hispanic babies, and even then rarely.
I can't imagine a baby not screaming when they do that to them. Wow.

 

[laceemouse]

I made the mistake of waiting until they asked. My oldest asked when she was 7, got them done, but when she was 8, she told me her ear was itchy, and it turned out her ear was infected, and the skin actually grew over the earing! Went to the pediatrican, who sent us to the ER. It would've been so much easier to have had it done when she was a baby, and I saw her ear on a daily basis! And it's not considered trashy here to pierce babies ears (a lot of Sopranos footage was filmed in my area ).

Why do it at all? You say you wish you would have done it to her as a baby, but if you would have waited until she was a teen it would have been even better because then SHE would have taken care of it herself and it never would have gotten that bad. You talk like it is something that HAS to be done anyway.

 

[robinb]

I made the mistake of waiting until they asked. My oldest asked when she was 7, got them done, but when she was 8, she told me her ear was itchy, and it turned out her ear was infected, and the skin actually grew over the earing! Went to the pediatrican, who sent us to the ER. It would've been so much easier to have had it done when she was a baby, and I saw her ear on a daily basis! And it's not considered trashy here to pierce babies ears (a lot of Sopranos footage was filmed in my area ).

Poor thing! My DD has to remove her ear rings for sports and we don't always get them back in right away. The skin has partially grown over the back of her ear more than once. I slip the earrings back in at night when she's asleep to avoid the howls of pain (real or imagined). Thank goodness they never became infected!

 

[nd9979]

We had our daughter's ears pierced when she was 6 months old. Her pediatrician's office did it.

She cried for all of 2 min. and stopped right away when we gave her a bottle. No problems keeping them clean and since she had them done so young, no issues of her trying to play with them or take them out when she was older.

She's 4 now and I guarantee it would be a much bigger ordeal for her now.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

At 11 it was not ordeal. It was a right of passage in a way. She was given control over her body, and it was demonstrated in a physical manner.

 

[mjkacmom]

Funny how it is different in different areas. We have lived all over the US in white, upper middle class burbs and NO ONE pierces their babies ears. I mean no one at all. I only see it here on Hispanic babies, and even then rarely.
I can't imagine a baby not screaming when they do that to them. Wow.

I live in an (embarrassing, actually) mostly caucasian town, average income almost $80,000 a year, and I would estimate that about 1/4 of the babies have pierced ears. And of course the babies are going to cry - heck, they're babies - they spend hours a day crying.

 

[mjkacmom]

Why do it at all? You say you wish you would have done it to her as a baby, but if you would have waited until she was a teen it would have been even better because then SHE would have taken care of it herself and it never would have gotten that bad. You talk like it is something that HAS to be done anyway.

Well, she's a teen now, and just as likely to neglect taking care of her ears. Since I don't know of anyone HERE who doesn't have pierced ears, I'm 99.9% she would have wanted to have it done at some point (actually, she wanted them when she was 7, oblviously), so I would've been better off having them done as a baby, when I was 100% responsible for taking care of her ears, and by the time she was 7, there wouldn't be infection issues.