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What do you think about piercing baby's ears?

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Re: What do you think about piercing baby's ears?

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    My ears were pierced when I was two weeks old. All the girls in my family have gotten theirs pierced around this time. It seems strange to me to not pierce a baby girl's ears especially seeing as the older they get the more they will remember the pain. My cousin's daughter had her ears pierced at around 4 weeks and slept through the whole thing, on the other hand, my MIL chose to pierce my 4 year old daughter's ears recently and she screamed bloody murder. IMO the earlier the better, if they choose to not keep them then they can remove them and that is that.

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    imagealeejandraa:

    My ears were pierced when I was two weeks old. All the girls in my family have gotten theirs pierced around this time. It seems strange to me to not pierce a baby girl's ears especially seeing as the older they get the more they will remember the pain. My cousin's daughter had her ears pierced at around 4 weeks and slept through the whole thing, on the other hand, my MIL chose to pierce my 4 year old daughter's ears recently and she screamed bloody murder. IMO the earlier the better, if they choose to not keep them then they can remove them and that is that.

    *Correction, My MIL had her daughter's ears pierced at age 4

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    Funny story about mine piercings; my grandmother on my moms side wanted me to get my ears pierced when I was a baby but my mom didnt really like the idea, so my grandmother pierced my ears when she was babysitting me one time. Surprise! My mom wasnt really upset as it wasnt a big issue just she didnt want an extra thing to take care of w/me as a baby. (I was the first grandchild hence why my grandmother wanted it done) I've always wanted to pierce my DD ears as soon as I could because I think its cute and they dont mess w/them while thier babies, so my DD ears where pierced last month when she turned 9 mos. And she's adorable, both sides of the fam think so too. And all the women on my husbands side pierced their daughters ears when babies too. It's a matter of personal choice is all. 

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    My father was staunchly against body modifications of any sort (he's also anti-makeup and any sort of "unnecessary adornments").  As a child I, however, was desperate to have my ears pierced, so my mom took me in at age 4.  I still remember the horror of how painful it was, how I waited there for what was probably 10 or 15 minutes (but felt like hours) after the first ear because I was terrified of them doing the second ear but even more horrified by the prospect of having only one pierced ear.  Those piercings ended up getting infected, but I went back to get them re-pierced at age 9.  That time, the holes lasted and I love wearing earrings.

    I think baby girls look adorable with pierced ears (and look like girls!).  I also know plenty of people who decided later in life that they no longer wanted to wear earrings for various reasons and stopped; those folks' piercings either closed up naturally or are basically unnoticeable.

     For these reasons, if our baby is a girl, I plan on having her ears pierced when she is a baby to minimize the trauma of the experience (and maximize my ability to control taking care of the wounds).  I will definitely wait until 3 months to make sure she has had at least two rounds of vaccines and will consult with the pediatrician to determine whether we should wait for even further vaccinations.

    If later in life, this hypothetical daughter of mine decides to eschew jewelry/body modifications, more power to her.  I'll be the last one to force earrings upon her if she doesn't want to wear them.  However, most women I know have pierced ears and enjoy wearing earrings, and I would like to afford my child that same opportunity with minimal trauma. 

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    Definitely would not pierce a little girl's ears. It is her body to alter, not mine! a four year old might have a hard time dealing with the pain of ear piercing, but a 8 or 9 year old would not. At that point their old enough to understand that it hurts, that it's permanent, and that it needs to be kept clean.
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    imagefilxoxo:

    I don't see anything wrong with it. It's not like you are performing cosmetic surgery. Piercings aren't permanent. If she doesn't like it when she's older, then you can take them out.

     I think it looks cute and feminine. I had mine done when I was a little baby. I was SUPER bald and it helped make me look more like a little girl.

    This exactly! My mama took me to have my ears pierced at 3 weeks! I have to admit, I was adorable :) And if she doesn't like it later, have her take em out, they grow up fast

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    imagejudahsmommy1:
    Definitely would not pierce a little girl's ears. It is her body to alter, not mine! a four year old might have a hard time dealing with the pain of ear piercing, but a 8 or 9 year old would not. At that point their old enough to understand that it hurts, that it's permanent, and that it needs to be kept clean.
    Yep, I agree with this. I had my ears pierced at 12 or 13, and I don't remember any 'trauma'. I just don't like the idea of the risks for a baby, either -- 35% of people who get their ears pierced have some sort of complication (usually infection or allergic reaction). Why put a tiny baby through that for no reason?

    The idea of prioritizing my baby look more feminine is a little gag-worthy to me as a feminist, too.  

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    imagecloud9climber:

    What if she doesn't want pierced ears?  Let her decide when she's old enough to know what it means and how to take care of the piercing.  I always think little babies with earrings looked bizarre. 

    I got mine pierced on my 10th Birthday and it was a special treat! 

    Well said. I completely agree.



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    imageallisonmarie22:
    I think modifying your child's body for cosmetic purposes before they are old enough to make the decision for themselves is wrong. I would never pierce my baby's ears. When they are old enough to ask me for them then I am happy to get them done.

    This is exactly how I feel. 

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    Totally a personal thing but I would never pierce my child's ears.  I look at it as a personality decision that I will allow them to make for themselves. 
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    I'm in disagreement on this one. Why put the little one through unneccessary pain when not needed? I say let them decide when they are actually old enough to decide.
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    At first i wanted to get my daughters ears pierced when she turned about 4 months and then my husband asked my why its not my choice to really decide N I thought about it n he was right its not, so we decided that if she starts showing interest n getting them pierced well let her then.

    BTW: My mother tried to get me to pierce my lil ones ears SOOOOO MANY TIMES!!! b/c she feels like they will look cute on her and ppl would stop mistaking her for a boy. As long as we k shes a girl and we love her thats all that matters, my daughter is a VERY BEAUTIFUL GIRL Big Smile

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    I didn't have my ears pierced until I was thirteen years old, and I had to wait that long because my mother was teaching me responsibility. She felt that having your ears pierced was a responsibility and a privlege. I agree with her completely. I don't find it cruel to pierce your childs ears when they are still a baby, but it's something that I personally wouldn't do.

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    I don't agree with it, but not because I think it is cruel. I just think it looks weird. Earrings seem too mature of an accessory for babies.
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    nms... i dont want to inflinct pain that i dont need to on the baby. getting my ears pierced was a big deal when i was 10, it was fun and i felt special. i would rather wait for my daughter to ask to have them pierced so that its her choice and she can remember it.

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    My daughter will be allowed to get her ears pierced when she is old enough to handle the responsibility of taking care of it herself. 

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    My daughter will be allowed to get her ears pierced when she is old enough to handle the responsibility of taking care of it herself.
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    I really want to do it before she us one but I fear people thinking I might be a bad mom, there is such mixed opinions. Also, I don't support cicumsusion... So that would make ne a hipocrit if I pierced her ears
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    I think once the baby is older say above the age of 5, it's fine. My mother pierced my ears when I was a few days old, and my father said I never screamed and cried so hard. So yes,in my opinion it is cruel for someone to pierce a newborn/infant's ears. What if she doesn't want them later in life? I don't wear earrings at all and have permanent holes in my ears. To people who say its "cute" babies dont need jewelry to be adorable.
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    I say that it's not for me to decide, it's my daughter's. Who am I to go making a permanent modification to her body solely for the purpose of "its cute". I'm no one to go making that decision for her.
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    I'm "pro-choice" on this. If you are not comfortable doing it, definitely don't do it. If you wanna do it, go for it. We pierced our twins' ears at 5 months old. Just some advice you can take or leave if you do decide to pierce ears: I would suggest asking your pediatrician when you should do it. Our pediatrician just told us to wait till after the 3 month vaccinations (your vaccination schedule may be different). Some pediatricians even do ear piercings. Our doc said not to go to Claire's. Of the piercing places we have available in our area, she said the best results (meaning least amount of infections/complications/etc.) Piercing Pagoda was the best. I would suggest surgical steel. And (as long as there is no history of gold allergy in your family) go with the highest karat gold you can find in infant safe earrings - preferably 24K - after you remove the original ear piercings.

    If we have another girl we will pierce ears again. And if we have a boy we've decided to do circumcision (my husband was circumcised at 19 and is still traumatized by it). But that's just us and our family.

    Here's to a happy and healthy baby with or without pierced ears!

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    I don't have a problem with people piercing their child's ears at young ages. I think as long as the parents are ok with it, then it's fine.
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    I am completely against piercing a baby's ears.  To me it is not cute, it is a way of growing up earlier.  I guess this really gets to me. 

    My sister's MIL was told several times that my sister did not want her baby to have pierced ears.  She took her anyway which caused a huge fight.  My sister was so mad!  She ended up letting the holes close and told her MIL if she did it again she would not be allowed to have the baby alone EVER! 

    My maternal grandmother did the samething to me when I was six. My parents were divorced and I was spending the summer with my dad.  I went to my maternal grandparents for the weekend.  My maternal grandmother had already taken my cousin to get her ears pierced, so she decided I could have mine done too. My ears got very infected and I had to go to a doctor's.  My paternal grandmother was a nurse so my dad had me stay with her for two weeks while my ears healed.  My ears had to be lanced daily and cleaned three or four times a day.  It was very painful.  My dad finally let me get my ears pierced when I was 10 or 11 and everything went fine that time. 

    I don't think that "cute" or looking more like a girl are good reasons to take a risk like that.  I know that I had no real damage, but it could have been a lot worse.

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    I got mine done as my birthday present at 7 years old.  I was really thrilled at the time and felt very grown up.  :P 

    Please though, do yourself a favor and do NOT use a gun at a jewelry shop or anywhere else.  It is not even possible to sufficiently sanitize the guns, use the needle.  It may look scarier, but the needles are actually hollow and take a very small piece of the flesh out, which allows the piercing to heal better and faster.  The guns cause far more trauma to the actual piercing site and because they cannot be properly cleaned (if you don't believe me look it up or talk to any piercer out there and they'll tell you the same) you are far more likely to get an infection.  My first two sets of ear piercings were done with a gun and both, to include the one my parents cared for (and they are medical professionals, so it was cared for well) ended up with serious infections.  After that, I went to an actual piercer and didn't have a single problem.  

    I know the gun seems less scary and easier, but it really is not worth it.  My parents actually took care of a girl who had cartelidge pierced by a gun and had to have the top of her ear removed because the infection caused by the gun was so bad.  Piercers actually have to be certified and their needles sterile, do a little research and find a shop with a clean health dept record, they're required to display the certificates, and inquire as to their piercer's experience and certifications.  Most states require they take Red Cross classes at the very least to retain their certifications, unlike people at a jewelry store who just have to know how to point and shoot.     

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    I agree with klkreig and DawnJM25.

     I don't have kids yet (having my first in July), but personally I hate to see babies with pierced ears. Regardless of "what if she doesn't like it", "why cause her unnecessary pain", etc, I think it just looks plain cheap and awful (sorry! Tongue Tied). And although I don't know this for sure, and I'm sure people who are considering piercing their LO's ears will know much better than I do, I can't imagine that those perfectly lined up, perfectly symmetrical earrings will still be symmetrical as her ears grow.

      I especially don't want to pierce anything until my daughter (or son, who knows!) is mature enough to take care of it. I had my ears pierced when I was six after begging my mother, and it lasted about three weeks. You have to think about not just regular care but care if something goes wrong. I had them re-pierced when I was eleven, and my earlobe 'swallowed' the earring because it was too small. Luckily I was able to take care of it and I still have them pierced today, but I can't imagine putting a six-year-old through that.

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    It's a personal choice.  I always worried about choking hazards but my real reason for holding off with my daughter is all about the future.  Someday she is going to WANT her ears pierced.  I will want her to keep her room clean for a month.  Nice to have the reward in my pocket.  Also it will be a good opportunity to teach her responsibility because she will have to take care of her ears after it happens.  I am not one to miss out on the chance a life lesson.
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    my daughter is 8 months and as soon as my hubby gets home we are going to take her to get her ears pierced. she loves to play with my ear rings, yes i realizes that most babies do that but still. i dont see a problem with having a babies ears pierced. if once she is older she decides it not something she likes then she can take them out. 
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    An older child understands the reason that ear-piercing involves pain. An infant does not. I don't support unnecessary torture of infants, so I'm not having my infant's ears pierced.

     

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    I didn't even think about this until I saw your post.  I didn't get mine pierced until I was 15 because my dad was very against it.  Not sure how I feel about it for our little girl...I assume we will pierce them at some point, but not sure I want to do it when she is super little. Maybe a special treat when she is 5 or 6.
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    I got my daughters pierced at 12 weeks and it was fine the 2 months shots were worse. She cried not even a minute and hasnt noticed them since, Its a personal decision but if you want to eventually get them done its easier to do it before they can pull on there ears.
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    Oh and its deff not torture, come on people I respect your decison to not get your childs ears pierced but dont say i tortured my daughter because I got her ears pierced, thats crazy I am a very good mother and would NEVER do anything to harm her. I come from a German family and in my family its normal to get your daughters ears pierced very early.  
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    imagestar678:

    I have to be honest, I think it looks tacky for a little baby to wear earrings unless it's clearly a cultural thing.

     

     

    Yup. 

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    imageallisonmarie22:
    I think modifying your child's body for cosmetic purposes before they are old enough to make the decision for themselves is wrong. I would never pierce my baby's ears. When they are old enough to ask me for them then I am happy to get them done.

     

    Same.

    It's kind of disgusting I think. I have piercings and tattoos and they were all my choice. My mother got my ears done for me when I asked at  4 or so. I'll never forget that day, it was great :)

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    I don't think its cruel, but I do think its trashy.

     

    Besides, it could be a great lesson in responsibility (cleaning them) when she's older.

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    Speaking as someone who's ears were pierced at six weeks. I would NOT pierce my daughter's ears until she asked.

    My mother had me in headbands and gold studs, and sure, I was a cute baby, I was real freakin cute, and no one ever thought I was a boy.

     

    BUT I HATE EARRINGS NOW.

    I have always hated earrings, and would take my earrings out whenever I could, even at a very young age. They're gross. They. Are. Gross.

    As a person who works in surveillance, I see SO MANY PEOPLE trying on earrings at the store. EW. Next time you think about trying on a pair of earrings at Macy's just think how many people have put them in their ears before you. Believe me when I say you are NOT the first person to get the idea.

     

    My mom now has 6 year old twins (big age gap) and she waited to pierce their ears because I often told her I hated that she pierced mine. Sure enough, one twin BEGGED to pierce her ears, and the other flatly refused to go anywhere near the piercing gun.

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    I had my ears pierced when I was 5 and I enjoyed the whole thing, my grandma took me to a jewelery shop. It was fun!

    If I have a girl I believe I will wait untill she is 3 at least.  

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    I was born in Central America and it is part of the culture there to pierce a baby girls ears before she leaves the hospital! Mine were done at 2 days old and I plan on doing the same for my baby so there is no memory of the experience being painful! I was able to choose later (age 7) whether I wanted to keep them or let them close and at that point I decided to keep them. I have never regretted it or my parent's choice to follow in the traditions of our culture! I don't see a problem with it! It's all a matter of personal taste.
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    imageDahliaF:

    Speaking as someone who's ears were pierced at six weeks. I would NOT pierce my daughter's ears until she asked.

    My mother had me in headbands and gold studs, and sure, I was a cute baby, I was real freakin cute, and no one ever thought I was a boy.

     

    BUT I HATE EARRINGS NOW.

    I have always hated earrings, and would take my earrings out whenever I could, even at a very young age. They're gross. They. Are. Gross.

    As a person who works in surveillance, I see SO MANY PEOPLE trying on earrings at the store. EW. Next time you think about trying on a pair of earrings at Macy's just think how many people have put them in their ears before you. Believe me when I say you are NOT the first person to get the idea.

     

    My mom now has 6 year old twins (big age gap) and she waited to pierce their ears because I often told her I hated that she pierced mine. Sure enough, one twin BEGGED to pierce her ears, and the other flatly refused to go anywhere near the piercing gun.

    They are earrings, not poisonous spiders.  Huh? Get a grip.

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    I think it should be the childs choice when the child is old enough to make that kind of decision for themselves. My nanna use to buy me stick on earrings and I use to play with clip-ons. I didn't get my ears pierced until @ 12 or 13.
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    im having a boy but if i was having a girl my answer would be no.

    id want my child to decide when she wanted her ears done.

    i remember i got mine done in first grade and i was so happy, it was a huge deal for me.

    getting them done as a baby just seems like it takes the hype out of it.

     

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