Ear Piercing Clicky poll...

jess1984 · January 2011

[Poll]

LadyXaverian · January 2011

Other: Depending on my kid, when she's old enough to express that she'd like to get them pierced AND I thinks she's responsible enough to care for them.

I had mine done when I was about 8 years old, but they got infected and we ended up letting them grow over. I got them done again when I was about 12 or 13..

dee1369 · January 2011

SarahL77:
Other: Depending on my kid, when she's old enough to express that she'd like to get them pierced AND I thinks she's responsible enough to care for them.

I had mine done when I was about 8 years old, but they got infected and we ended up letting them grow over. I got them done again when I was about 12 or 13..

This.

My first hole was done when I was 4ish. They never caused me any trouble but I was also a very unusual child. My niece was the same age when her's were done and I think they've closed over and she couldn't stop playing with them anyway.

I got my second hole at 14, third at 18 - these actually caused me more problems than my original one.

simo7079 · January 2011

I have to be honest... baby girls w/ their ears pierced is a pet peeve of mine. They can't tell you if they want them or not, it's the mother making the decision. What if she grows up and doesn't like any types of piercings? She'll have holes in her ears forever that maybe she'll really hate. Just my opinion. When she can express she wants them, then I think it's ok to get it done.

thebigmare · January 2011

I got mine done at 6 or 7 and they did not get infected. I don't remember playing with them.

SunDrop11 · January 2011

simo7079:
I have to be honest... baby girls w/ their ears pierced is a pet peeve of mine. They can't tell you if they want them or not, it's the mother making the decision. What if she grows up and doesn't like any types of piercings? She'll have holes in her ears forever that maybe she'll really hate. Just my opinion. When she can express she wants them, then I think it's ok to get it done.

I agree. I got mine done for my 8th birthday. I had been begging my mom for awhile, and she finally told me I could get them done then but that it was my responsibility to keep them clean so that they didn't get infected.

In fact, I think she may have told me that my ears would fall off if they did get infected. Stick out tongue

ETA: Does anyone remember the episode of Full House where Stephanie gets Kimmy Gibbler to pierce her ears? Ouch!

LadyXaverian · January 2011

simo7079:
I have to be honest... baby girls w/ their ears pierced is a pet peeve of mine. They can't tell you if they want them or not, it's the mother making the decision. What if she grows up and doesn't like any types of piercings? She'll have holes in her ears forever that maybe she'll really hate. Just my opinion. When she can express she wants them, then I think it's ok to get it done.

I'm glad you said this. I resisted in my first response.

I just said to my husband, "Who pierces a newborn baby's ears??" His answer? "The same people you see on Toddlers&Tiaras?"

Piercing a baby's body for decorative purposes? I don't get it. I guess it's not harmful, but I don't get it. If you want to 'accessorize' your baby, stick a headband on her.

thatsmary · January 2011

I voted never. I had my ears pierced when I was 10 and it was my choice. It hurt so bad when I had it done that I regretted my decision immediately. My holes still get infected from time to time now 22 years later and I haven't worn earrings at all in over a decade! I always said that it was my biggest regret... until I went to college and did some pretty stupid stuff. On the other hand, I know some people love their piercings so I don't really care... unless it's my kid.

on_the_move · January 2011

We plan on doing it as a privilege in the preteen years. Then she will be old enough to take care of them and it can be used as a reward. It already feels like DS is growing up too fast and I don't want to rush anything!

pomrom · January 2011

I got dd's done when she was about 8 months old... but only because it took me that long to convince dh to let me get it done. I would have had it done at the doctors office about 6 weeks.

She is 4.5 years old now and she loves them. She is very girly though... doesn't want her hair cut and it is just about to her butt.

I would say that the only issues we had with them when she was small is that she would lose them often until i found the rubber back stoppers. I had bought a few pairs that were expensive and that got old quick!

I don't have any maintenance problems with them. She likes them changed about once a month. They didn't ever get infected and they have not been a problem to me or her.

Stapier01 · January 2011

SarahL77:
simo7079:
I have to be honest... baby girls w/ their ears pierced is a pet peeve of mine. They can't tell you if they want them or not, it's the mother making the decision. What if she grows up and doesn't like any types of piercings? She'll have holes in her ears forever that maybe she'll really hate. Just my opinion. When she can express she wants them, then I think it's ok to get it done.

I'm glad you said this. I resisted in my first response.

I just said to my husband, "Who pierces a newborn baby's ears??" His answer? "The same people you see on Toddlers&Tiaras?"

Piercing a baby's body for decorative purposes? I don't get it. I guess it's not harmful, but I don't get it. If you want to 'accessorize' your baby, stick a headband on her.

This.

Babies with pierced ears kind of creep me out. I just don't get it. A baby is already cute, do you really need to poke extra holes in it? Sorry, but I think it's strange. I agree that it's not for the baby, it's for the mom. If mom wants an accessory, get a new handbag, don't bedazzle your baby.

jteneback · January 2011

SarahL77:

Other: Depending on my kid, when she's old enough to express that she'd like to get them pierced AND I thinks she's responsible enough to care for them.

This. I had mine done at 13 after a lot of begging. I'm thinking maybe age 10 or so, we'll see.

Zano · January 2011

my parents pierced mine when i was 6 weeks old. you can barely see the tiny earrings i had in in any pictures. every year for my birthday my grandfather bought me a pair of earrings.i dont know what we will do if we have a girl because we dont know what we are having and i havent given it any thought.

EmberTopaz · January 2011

I got mine done at 3 months, and will be doing the same for my daughter.

Anyu2 · January 2011

Stapier01:
SarahL77:
simo7079:
I have to be honest... baby girls w/ their ears pierced is a pet peeve of mine. They can't tell you if they want them or not, it's the mother making the decision. What if she grows up and doesn't like any types of piercings? She'll have holes in her ears forever that maybe she'll really hate. Just my opinion. When she can express she wants them, then I think it's ok to get it done.
I'm glad you said this. I resisted in my first response.
I just said to my husband, "Who pierces a newborn baby's ears??" His answer? "The same people you see on Toddlers&Tiaras?"
Piercing a baby's body for decorative purposes? I don't get it. I guess it's not harmful, but I don't get it. If you want to 'accessorize' your baby, stick a headband on her.
This.
Babies with pierced ears kind of creep me out. I just don't get it. A baby is already cute, do you really need to poke extra holes in it? Sorry, but I think it's strange. I agree that it's not for the baby, it's for the mom. If mom wants an accessory, get a new handbag, don't bedazzle your baby.

I'm so glad to hear other feel this way too. My daughter won't be getting hers done until there is a teen in her age (13 at the earliest). I got mine done at 16 and that's after years of bugging my mom to drop it from 18. I'm glad she made me wait.

*sallymad* · January 2011

I didn't get them pierced until 5th grade. I had no interest before that. DD1 & 2 won't get them done until they are 9 or 10 (or older) we'll probably use it as a reward for good grades or something.

Aprilynn0206 · January 2011

I always said I wanted to have my DD's ears pierced as a baby since I did. Well she's 20mo and we still haven't. So now we will wait until she is ready...

mishu917 · January 2011

We're getting hers done when she's around 3 months. Nothing to do with being pretty or anything like that, it's just in our culture we get it done as babies, so I plan on doing the same thing. I just wish people would stop judging just because it's not their preference and start thinking outside of the box. We are not "tots and tiaras" type of people, we are both very educated (PhD level) and don't really care about being pretty at age 0. It's just a cultural thing, although we're not going to have her nose pierced.

Kiranie · January 2011

Once she turns 8 she can decide if she wants them or not.

MelbaToast37 · January 2011

jteneback:
SarahL77:

Other: Depending on my kid, when she's old enough to express that she'd like to get them pierced AND I thinks she's responsible enough to care for them.
This. I had mine done at 13 after a lot of begging. I'm thinking maybe age 10 or so, we'll see.

All of this. I remember having to earn the privilege at age 13, and it was a big deal, really special. Annabelle will earn hers when she's interested and able to responsibly care for them.

Born2Fly · January 2011

I find that people usually go with whatever happened to them. For instance, if they didnt get their ears pierced until they were 10 then they say they wont let their daughter get them pierced until 10. If they got them pierced at 6 months then they plan to pierce at 6 months. Others say they wont pierce because they had a bad experience. It's all relative to personal experience. I mean you can read it here on the board.

I plan pierce my daughters ears at about 6-9 months when she wont mess with them and I can take care of them and make sure they don't get infected. I also got my ears pierced before 1.

DefiantRose · January 2011

Oddly enough, with us, DH is the one that wants to get LO's ears pierced early. I didn't have mine done until I was about 10, and it was my decision, I liked it that way. Mom would ask me every time we passed the jewelry booth at the store, and I would always say no (I was and still am skittish of needles). Around my 10th birthday I decided to go ahead and get it done.

I never really got infected, but there were 2 incidents where my holes started to heal over the earrings and the earrings would get stuck. I don't want to chance that with a baby.

LifesPeachy · January 2011

People who pierce their babies ears are just plain weird. Why does a newborn need pierced ears?? Or a baby, or even a toddler.. They don't *need* to have this done. Seems like an unnecessary thing to clean and worry about. BTW, I've seen plenty of ear piercing injuries as a school nurse. Totally not needed.

I'm looking forward to the day my DD decides to get her ears pierced. She's talked about it and even tried to do it once last year but got scared. It will be a big day and I plan to make a big girl's day when she actually goes through with it. I'm looking forward to that experience with her. I will have robbed her of that if I forced it on her when she was a baby or toddler. My stance has also always been when she's old enough to clean and care for them on her own, then it's OK to get them.

Born2Fly · January 2011

mishu917:

We're getting hers done when she's around 3 months. Nothing to do with being pretty or anything like that, it's just in our culture we get it done as babies, so I plan on doing the same thing. I just wish people would stop judging just because it's not their preference and start thinking outside of the box. We are not "tots and tiaras" type of people, we are both very educated (PhD level) and don't really care about being pretty at age 0. It's just a cultural thing, although we're not going to have her nose pierced.

Well said. I for one do not think a pair of earrings makes a baby cute. So people should not assume that someone pierced their daughters ears to make them "look better".

LifesPeachy · January 2011

pomrom:
I got dd's done when she was about 8 months old... but only because it took me that long to convince dh to let me get it done. I would have had it done at the doctors office about 6 weeks.

Surprise Your pediatrician pierces ears??! That is seriously messed up!

starlily313 · January 2011

Born2Fly:
mishu917:

We're getting hers done when she's around 3 months. Nothing to do with being pretty or anything like that, it's just in our culture we get it done as babies, so I plan on doing the same thing. I just wish people would stop judging just because it's not their preference and start thinking outside of the box. We are not "tots and tiaras" type of people, we are both very educated (PhD level) and don't really care about being pretty at age 0. It's just a cultural thing, although we're not going to have her nose pierced.

Well said. I for one do not think a pair of earrings makes a baby cute. So people should not assume that someone pierced their daughters ears to make them "look better".

Agreed. For some people, there is a cultural connotation to pierced ears. Almost every female in my family had her ears pierced as a baby. No big deal in my opinion.

lyzp07 · January 2011

I'm getting my daughter's ears pierced. If my parents would have waited and let me decide I probably would've never gotten them pierced now that I am terrified of needles, but I can't do a day without wearing earrings. If I would've gotten them done age 6-up I would've played with them, infected them, and then blah blah.

Also, all my friends I know who waited were either a. terrified and still have never gotten them pierced although they want to or b. got piercing/ tattoo crazy.

It's just different for every region and person, you have to think about your family and culture, and not what you think people are going to "judge" you on.

breezy79 · January 2011

simo7079:
I have to be honest... baby girls w/ their ears pierced is a pet peeve of mine. They can't tell you if they want them or not, it's the mother making the decision. What if she grows up and doesn't like any types of piercings? She'll have holes in her ears forever that maybe she'll really hate. Just my opinion. When she can express she wants them, then I think it's ok to get it done.

TOTALLY AGREE !!!!

There's nothing worse than being at the salon and seeing some poor baby or child screaming because of something their moms think is cute.

caramelcupcake · January 2011

I got mine done when I was a baby and I got a second hole when I was 13. I let my friend do them in my bathroom....hehe...what crazy things we do when your a teenager

Ali212 · January 2011

SarahL77:
simo7079:
I have to be honest... baby girls w/ their ears pierced is a pet peeve of mine. They can't tell you if they want them or not, it's the mother making the decision. What if she grows up and doesn't like any types of piercings? She'll have holes in her ears forever that maybe she'll really hate. Just my opinion. When she can express she wants them, then I think it's ok to get it done.
I'm glad you said this. I resisted in my first response.
I just said to my husband, "Who pierces a newborn baby's ears??" His answer? "The same people you see on Toddlers&Tiaras?"
Piercing a baby's body for decorative purposes? I don't get it. I guess it's not harmful, but I don't get it. If you want to 'accessorize' your baby, stick a headband on her.

This . Sorry -- I'm not a fan of it on little ones either. I think it's tacky. And, my husband is from a culture where they pierce girls ears in the delivery room (South America) and he and his family think it's tacky as well so I don't fully buy the 'it's my culture / background argument'. I had mine done when I was a teen.....that's the earliest I would consider it with my daughter as well.

siwexler · January 2011

Umm, no it is not messed up at all. Most peds do pierce ears. My pediatrician pierced my ears over 30 years ago. Nothing strange at all. I find it actually to be safer.

mpiemont · January 2011

My mother took me to get mine pierced as a baby (not sure exact age) and I have never had a problem/infection and I love that she did that. I still have those holes and wear my grandmother's little diamond studs in there all the time. It's almost sentimental to me. My mother is soooo far from a "toddlers and tiaras" type mom too. It's your (and your husband's) decision.

Kaybaby02 · January 2011

My ex's mother took my little girl without asking me at 4 months and got hers done. She pulled them out and I had to get them done again when she was older. I think she was 6 when we got them done.

SCtoDC · January 2011

My MIL keeps telling about these tiny little baby earrings she has for our LO (if it is a girl), but I'm a completely against the idea of piercing a baby or child's ears. DH and I have already had the conversation about this, so if we have a girl he'll know what to say to his parents about the earrings. He is going to tell them that they can turn them into a small necklace or baby bracelet, but that we won't be piercing her ears until she is 12 or 13 years old.

I'm not a fan of infant jewelry at all, but I'd rather have a necklace or bracelet that she can wear once to satisfy the ILs than to pierce her ears!

bella85 · January 2011

I did not get my ears pierced until I was 22. It was never done when I was a baby and I went 4 times between middle and high school to get it done, but ended up chickening out. I think waiting was better for me b/c I was old enough to really take care of my ears once it was done. I'm sure if I had had it done in middle or high school I would not have taken proper care in the healing stage. I'd wait and let your LO decide.

SNL0605 · January 2011

I hope I dont get flammed for this....but I will be honest

I think it looks TRASHY when I see a baby with pierced ears. Total TT!!!

That being said...the earliest i would pierce my daughters ears would be 11 or 12....she'd have to show me that she can take care of them herself.

Also, FWIW my mom pierced my ears at 3...I begged her!

sarahdee678 · January 2011

I think it's a little unfair that the pro-piercing people are being judged so much. Personally, I'm not for or against piercing as a baby. I haven't really thought about it much, but I think it's a personal decision.

However, for the anti-piercing as babies people, I think it's a silly excuse to say "wait until she can decide." As parents, we have to make decisons every day that affect the lives of our children. Ear piercing is a relatively unimportant one. Having a hole in your ear is completely unnoticeable if you're not wearing earrings, so I doubt it will cause your daughter undue pain or humiliation when she is older. Imagine if we left everything up to when our kids can decide for themselves. Let's not name our baby right away - let's wait until she's old enough to choose for herself, else she have to live with a name she hates all her life. I bet then, she wouldn't be so upset about the holes in her ear. Or, what if we chose not to feed our babies until they could tell us what they wanted to eat. Hmmm....
For those who have boys...are you getting him circumcised? I bet that hurts more than ear piercing...

I understand that ear piercing is not a necessity, but I think it's a personal decision that's relatively harmless to a baby and doesn't deserve such judgement on the part of people who don't agree.

lilee_v · January 2011

As tradition I had my ears pierced sometime before I was a year old and I've always liked it, plus since the age of 18 they have never closed so I only have to wear earrings when I want to, and leave them out without worrying about them closing. I don't know if I'll be keeping that tradition if one day, God-willing I have a girl, but I have always liked my pierced ears and have no memory of any pain when they were pierced. I don't see anything wrong with it, but then again it was tradition and cultural so I guess it seems normal to me and isn't weird or creepy.

andrea922 · January 2011

LifesPeachy:
pomrom:
I got dd's done when she was about 8 months old... but only because it took me that long to convince dh to let me get it done. I would have had it done at the doctors office about 6 weeks.

Your pediatrician pierces ears??! That is seriously messed up!

Look, I have no interest in piercing a baby or young girls ears. It isn't my thing, and would wait until she was old enough to ask for it and be responsible enough to take care of them.

But, you seriously find it messed up a pedi would pierce ears? It is a hell of a lot safer than a cart or store in the mall, and some people do pierce early as part of their culture. I think jumping on a bandwagon of it being 'trashy' seem to forget this.

soontobemrsdavis · January 2011

I really do not get the trashy judgement for pierced ears. Now if a baby has big gold hoops or dangling chandeliers maybe I would understand, but little studs, trashy, really??

I honestly do not know what I would do, I had mine pierced at a young age(maybe under 4).

I just think people need to give this judging thing a break. Just because pierced baby ears isn't for you, doesn't make you better or less trashy than those you may be judging.

MandusMaximus · January 2011

I never wanted my lobes pierced and still don't have it done at 26. I have hoops in my cartilage but never wanted my lobes.

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