Hot Topic, Please keep responses friendly :)

ashk7 · July 2012

Hey May mommas it's been a while since I have posted. I hope all is well with your LO's ! So I had no idea this was such a hot topic but after researching and lurking at older boards on other sites I see it is! My DH and I were disscussing when we were going to get DD's ears pierced. So I of course googled the appropriate age and whoaaa some people are very against infant piercing! My sister and I had ours done as babies I don't remember it(obviously) and my mom said we never had any issues. I am going to peds today for dd 4 month shots and well visit and will ask his recomindation. So here is my question have any of you decided if and when you may get dd ears pierced and those with older LO's when did you get their ears pierced? Once again please keep responses friendly, we will make an educated decision as to what is right for our family, but I am just curious to what others will do or have done. Thanks ladies! Hope you are enjoying your day and please forgive typos I am on my phone. ??

najzomax · July 2012

My DH doesn't agree with infant ear piercing so we are waiting until she is old enough to ask. I got mine done when I was 6 and I'll be honest... I had problems with mine. If DH wasn't so against it I'd be getting DD's done around 3 or 4 months.

babyruth88 · July 2012

My mom waited with me until i made the decision for myself to get them pierced. I also had to take care of them etc. It was a responsibility. We will probably do the same with ava and let her make the decision for herself. I think to each their own im not against parents who pierce babies is a bad thing its their child and their decision. Its just not something we will do. I do think babies look so cute though with ears pierced. Then i think when would i be able to switch the earing out etc plus im allergic to so many metals i would be so worried that ava would be also.

gervaisj6 · July 2012

My sisters and I all got ours done at 10. My mom, said that way, y we could take care of it ourselves, and it wasn't something else she had to do for us. I never had trouble with mine. As an infant though, getting ears pierced to me, makes me nervous, will all the changes of clothes over the head, blankets, towels, I would pull one out...I would feel terrible..

DrRx · July 2012

My sister and I also had them done as babies. My mom said they did mine in the hospital! It's a big thing in our family to have ears pierced. We pass earrings down generations to wear as baby earrings. Sadly, our pediatrician doesn't do them. However, she said that it's no problem if we want to get them done now.

I don't really want to get her ears pierced in the mall, so I was thinking a Tattoo/Piercing parlor. The reason is because they get inspected, etc, and are probably more professional than a 16 year old kid at the mall. I am going to wait until Adalyn is between 6 and 9 months. Unfortunately, I don't really have many friends with children, so I can't really ask them.

becketts · July 2012

You should let us know what your pediatrician says!

We will wait until our girls are old enough to express their own interest in ear piercing and take care of cleaning/care themselves. I do think infants with little earrings are adorable, but that's not the route we'll go.

babyruth88 · July 2012

DrRx:

My sister and I also had them done as babies. My mom said they did mine in the hospital! It's a big thing in our family to have ears pierced. We pass earrings down generations to wear as baby earrings. Sadly, our pediatrician doesn't do them. However, she said that it's no problem if we want to get them done now.

I don't really want to get her ears pierced in the mall, so I was thinking a Tattoo/Piercing parlor. The reason is because they get inspected, etc, and are probably more professional than a 16 year old kid at the mall. I am going to wait until Adalyn is between 6 and 9 months. Unfortunately, I don't really have many friends with children, so I can't really ask them.

definatly this. they are much cleaner as well. they use a single needle that is sterilized and easy to keep clean. where as in the mall they use the guns that are very difficult to keep clean. if I got avas done now I would go to a parlor. instead we will when she decides she wants them . sorry I just feel very strong about this. I have a friend whos a piercer. they are alot cleaner plus I had a friend who got really infected from getting ears pierced in the mall.

amstephens · July 2012

My pedi wil pierce ears with the first set of shots at 2 months...so I plan on getting my DD done then. Makes me feel better getting it done in a doctors office rather then in the middle of the mall by some teenagers. I got my ears pierced when I was 6 weeks old and never had problems with the holes I also got a second hole at 18ish and only had problems with the holes they never healed right. Plus I figure she would be used to the earings and wouldnt mess with them

PotomacSt · July 2012

I'm going to wait til my daughter is older, but IMHO this isn't a parenting issue worth getting up in arms about. As long as you are willing to take care of the she'll be fine either way.

Jess & Drew · July 2012

I think it's up to you. I had mine done around 8 and had to keep them clean myself (obviously my mom followed up and made sure I did). I was thinking of having DDs done as a baby, but right now her ears aren't quite straight (the Dr said they would correct themselves) and I don't want her piercings to be crooked as her ears adjust. So I'm going to wait a little bit. And if your ped won't do them, I 2nd the tattoo/piercing parlor suggestion.

FyreFlyeRush · July 2012

It was a cultural thing for us. DD is half-Mexican, and her father wanted it done. I did it at 4mos. She screamed for about 20 minutes until I could nurse her, then it was done. Healed super fast. That 20 minutes was the hard for me. I felt horrible. But, honestly, with her spikey hair, this two little balls in her ears were adorable. Being in TX, the daycare knew how to handle babies with pierced ears. Recovery was painless for her. I've never regretted not letting her choose for herself.

Now, a few years down the line, she was at my parents' and one of her piercings got infected. My mom put Neosporin on it, and sealed the canal. I took her to get it re-done when she came home. The difference between 4mos and 7yrs was insane! Her hair got tangled in it. They got dirty. She tried to take it out. She DID take it out. She wouldn't let me clean them. 4mos was SO much easier.

At 14, she asked for 2nd piercings. We did it, and she took care of them without issue. My experience? Do it as an infant...or a teen...because doing it at 7 was a nightmare.

winter-shock · July 2012

Personally not a fan of infant earrings. I couldn't imagine taking my girls and doing it. I would rather wait until they are old enough to be a part of the experience. My Aunt took me when I was 5 and I still remember going and the big deal it was. I love that I have that memory.

SFESQMOM1 · July 2012

In my culture, baby girls get their ears pierced, well, when they're babies.

I want to get DD's ears pierced so I asked our Ped and she said to wait until about 6 months so her immune system builds up and she can fight infection better, worst case.

elviebird · July 2012

I plan to wait and let Sephy make that decision herself.

ashk7 · July 2012

Thanks ladies! I talked to our ped about it and he had no problem with it. Unfortunaty no one in the office does it but if we decide to have them done obviously we will take her to a very clean and experienced place, such as a tattoo parlor as some of you had mentioned due to its regulations on being clean and sterile. As I mentioned in PP that my sister and I had ours done as babies and that was due to our culture as some of you have also mentioned. And to be honest I am kind of glad my parents did that because I have no memory of it and have always loved wearing earrings, probably because its all I have ever known, lol. I can see both sides of the issue but agree that it is not something to be mean or nasty about (other boards) and that it is a personal decision to make. DH and I are on the same page, so thats good! Thanks for all the responses and curbing my curiosity!

MelissaMiso · July 2012

I'm letting my girl ask for her ears pierced when she is older. I had asked my parents at 6 and I remember getting them done at the mall (ack!) and having to sit down with my head between my knees after because I got totally nauseous. Ha ha ha! Not a horrific or traumatic memory, it was one of those moments where I remember my parents caring for me when I wasn't well. In high school and beyond, I did the rest of my ear piercing myself (sterilized hat pin. double ack!) After the third, my parents kept saying "well okay, but no more" with each subsequent hole. I now have eight in one ear, two in the other and I never have enough earrings to actually fill all ten holes. (I lose everything.) Perhaps my daughter will think piercings and tattoos are uncool bc her "old" mom has them and will never ask.

meeko1985 · July 2012

I feel like you shouldn't pierce them until the child is old enough to ask AND take care of their ears. If my LO was old enough to talk, I would totally respect their choice NOT to pierce them, so why would I pierce them now If I don't know what she'll want. Also, I got my ears pierced in 4th grade, and battled really bad infections in both ears. It turns out I am allergic to metal with nickel. I wouldn't want to deal with that with a baby or toddler.

ipod1624 · July 2012

I pierce my baby girls ears at 6 weeks. The pediatrician recommend for parents to wait for the babies to be 1 month to get them pierce. I decided to do them now so she doesn't remember the pain and since I'm on maternity leave I can take care of her ears myself. I'm Hispanic and it very important to get the baby ears pierce early.

Heather2256 · July 2012

DH & I decided that since I don't have my ears pierced (or any piercings for that matter) that DD can have them done once she's old enough to take care of it herself. That is if she wants it done.

tiffinch · July 2012

Flame me if you will...I got both of my DD ears pierced at 6 weeks of age. I also had my own done when I was very small. I do not remember it at all. I know for a fact their ear piercings were far less painful than the circumcision my son received in the hospital..

easjer05 · July 2012

This is a personal decision that has a number of factors weighed in - child's health, cultural significances, etc.

It's not something we will do. There is no cultural reason for Viv to have her ears pierced as an infant and our general feeling is that we prefer to let our kids decide on permanent body modifications. Saying that though - I really don't care at all what others decide is best for them. So it may sound snooty, but it's simply my opinion for my daughter specifically, not a generalization to how I feel about the topic.

For me, I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until I was 12. I hated it when I was younger because many of my friends had pierced ears and a I was jealous. My mom wanted me to be able to care for them myself and when I was finally allowed (she actually relented enough to let me do it a few weeks before my 12th birthday, so I could change the earrings for the first time on my birthday), she did a whole special day. I'd recently had my first period, so we did a bunch of 'woman' things and it was really special.

I'd like to do a special day like that with Vivienne. Perhaps when she turns 13. We'll see. If she's especially mature, maybe as early as 10. I remember how grown-up I felt after I got my ears pierced (and my first spa manicure, lol). It was a neat thing between my mom and I.

easjer05 · July 2012

Oh right, and a big big yes to going to a piercing/tattoo parlor. They are regulated by health services in most areas, and are much cleaner and have better safety practices and training. My first piercings were done unevenly, and all the piercings that followed are likewise off. When I got my second cartilage piercing, I did it at Claire's and it was a total nightmare. They misloaded the piercing gun, which subsequently got stuck on my ear. The employee left it dangling from my ear while she went to get the manager to help, and then they had to continue 'firing' the gun until it finally dislodged the earring. I ended up with an infection and a bump of cartilage and it was one of the most painful experiences of my life.

In contrast, my eyebrow piercing (done at a piercing parlor) was a breeze. It made me wish I'd done all my piercings that way.