Piercing baby's ears

bigbear · July 2012

OK, I don't want to hear if you think it's child abuse. Also I'm not sure if it has been discussed before so at the risk of being torn into pieces again...

I just want to know if you've noticed your baby having discomfort (if you had your baby's ears pierced) during and/or after the process.... Do you have to rotate the earrings to prevent them from sticking, do you clean any specific way etc.... Just looking for an answer from moms who have experience with this as I'm considering getting my daughter's ears pierced. DH is freaked out about it though as he thinks it's horribly painful for babies... I had my ears pierced when I was 3 years old and didn't find it painful but I'm a bit hesitant... DD is also into pulling at her ears now so maybe not the perfect timing to do it if she's going to mess with it all the time....

TIA

namara5532 · July 2012

I don't personally have experience with it, but I recall my cousin had her ears pierced before she was a 1 year old. So it's certainly doable for you to get it done soon . If I were you, I'd double check first with the person you're going to have do it about their experience piercing babies' ears and how to best care for it.

bigbear · July 2012

namara5532:
I don't personally have experience with it, but I recall my cousin had her ears pierced before she was a 1 year old. So it's certainly doable for you to get it done soon . If I were you, I'd double check first with the person you're going to have do it about their experience piercing babies' ears and how to best care for it.

Thanks! Yeah, I think you can have it done at the docs office but will have to see how often they really do it..

kmm2150 · July 2012

I'm not going to say it's child abuse or anything, just my two cents on why I'll be waiting till she's older: DD had ear infections for 2 months solid, we now have tubes in her ears. Watching her be that miserable for that long, having to mess with drops, medicine, etc., I would never want to do anything that could potentially result in any kind of complication, like getting infected, if I didn't have to. Both for her comfort/happiness and because taking care of things like that is a huge PITA.

My other reason, that I have heard others give as well, is that ear piercing is an awesome bribery tool for little girls as they get older! "You have to be a big girl to have your ears pierced, and big girls______" fill in the blank with whatever behavior you do/don't want to see. If little Susie Q makes her bed every day for a month, or whatever, she gets her ears pierced. Once, they are older, there is no worry about them pulling them out, swallowing earrings, they can take care of the piercings and clean them themselves, as well.

As for your question, I assume you have to do everything you normally do with piercing ears - turn them, clean them, leave them in for a long time so it can heal, etc.

SmittyPants · July 2012

Just food for thought: Ears grow and change. There's a good chance that what is even on a baby will not end up even on a grown woman.

Huahine · July 2012

SmittyPants:
Just food for thought: Ears grow and change. There's a good chance that what is even on a baby will not end up even on a grown woman.

This. My younger sister and I had our ears pierced at the same time. Her lobes changed shape afterwards and ever since her holes have been too high.

lp0 · July 2012

I had mine pierced as a baby as did all the women in my family. If I have a dd next time I plan to have hers done. I asked my mom and she said it's better to do it in the first couple months because she's not grabbing at her ears yet. You have to rotate them multiple times a day and make sure you keep them clean.

KitKat83 · July 2012

kmm2150:
I'm not going to say it's child abuse or anything, just my two cents on why I'll be waiting till she's older: DD had ear infections for 2 months solid, we now have tubes in her ears. Watching her be that miserable for that long, having to mess with drops, medicine, etc., I would never want to do anything that could potentially result in any kind of complication, like getting infected, if I didn't have to. Both for her comfort/happiness and because taking care of things like that is a huge PITA.

My other reason, that I have heard others give as well, is that ear piercing is an awesome bribery tool for little girls as they get older! "You have to be a big girl to have your ears pierced, and big girls______" fill in the blank with whatever behavior you do/don't want to see. If little Susie Q makes her bed every day for a month, or whatever, she gets her ears pierced. Once, they are older, there is no worry about them pulling them out, swallowing earrings, they can take care of the piercings and clean them themselves, as well.

As for your question, I assume you have to do everything you normally do with piercing ears - turn them, clean them, leave them in for a long time so it can heal, etc.

Everything here^^

I got mine pierced when I was 5 and it was a great memory, kind of like passage into "big girlhood". I was old enough to clean them and care for them, with little help. I did get tons of infections though and was allergic to the metal which was very painful and itchy. This is why I would wait if I ever have a daughter.

That being said, most of my friends pierced their baby's ears by the time they were two months old and didn't have any issues at all.

lukalover · July 2012

My sister had hers done at the doctor when she was a baby. He took forever and did them crooked because he had never done it before. Someone on a different board (I think?) suggested a tattoo and piercing studio. That way you get a sterile environment and someone with experience.

wychets · July 2012

We had DD ears pierced at 10wks old. She didn't cry at all. For the 1st 8wks we cleaned them 2x a day and turned them (healing stage) after that I generally change her earrings once a month and I clean her earrings and the piercing (other than cleaning in the bathtub) I had mine pierced when I was 6wks old and have not had any issues.

bigbear · July 2012

Hmmm I feel like I may have missed the right timing of baby stage so to speak...When they are little enough and haven't discovered their ears that is. What worries me now is the fact that she touches her ears all the time so that is why I'm hesitant as I feel like it's a higher risk for infections....

I didn't think of the whole "big girl" thing so that is kind of interesting, too.... Thanks everyone!

baloneydisc · July 2012

lukalover:
My sister had hers done at the doctor when she was a baby. He took forever and did them crooked because he had never done it before. Someone on a different board (I think?) suggested a tattoo and piercing studio. That way you get a sterile environment and someone with experience.

If you're going to try a tattoo/piercing studio call around first, many will not let anyone under 16 inside even with a parent. My piercer won't see anyone under 15, even just for ear lobes.

kmm2150 · July 2012

bigbear:

Hmmm I feel like I may have missed the right timing of baby stage so to speak...When they are little enough and haven't discovered their ears that is. What worries me now is the fact that she touches her ears all the time so that is why I'm hesitant as I feel like it's a higher risk for infections....

I didn't think of the whole "big girl" thing so that is kind of interesting, too.... Thanks everyone!

Yeah, I think this could be an issue - hands ->snotty nose/mouth ->ears...might not be the best situation!

bigbear · July 2012

kmm2150:
bigbear:

Hmmm I feel like I may have missed the right timing of baby stage so to speak...When they are little enough and haven't discovered their ears that is. What worries me now is the fact that she touches her ears all the time so that is why I'm hesitant as I feel like it's a higher risk for infections....

I didn't think of the whole "big girl" thing so that is kind of interesting, too.... Thanks everyone!

Yeah, I think this could be an issue - hands ->snotty nose/mouth ->ears...might not be the best situation!

Yup, I think I'm going to wait... BTW, my DD has that same romper, super cute