Claire's for Ear Piercing?

Seriously...tattoo/piercing parlors.
You'll find some of the most skilled and cleanly piercing artists there. You want someone that does it for a living, not an 18 yr old with a trigger finger.

If you're in Chicago, I've had a few tats done at Insight on Milwaukee/Augusta. You could eat off the floor in there, and that piercing area is private, so if she's nervous, she doesn't have to worry about other people watching her.

As a person who has done both Claire's and gone to a professional piercer, I would recommend a piercer with a needle. It is not as fast as a gun, like they use at Claire's, but I found the healing time to be faster and I have less scarring from the needles. And believe me, I have had a LOT of mine done at Claire's. I have my ears pierced 9 times in each side, I have experience in this. About half were with a gun, a few from Clair's and other places, the rest were needles.

EDIT:
OH! Another thing, I know they give you after care solution at Claire's and it does the job, I suppose, but honestly I had a better experience cleaning new piercings when I was in the shower with original Dial Soap. Every professional piercer I have been to has had cleaning solutions they could sell me, but they all said that it was better to just use Dial. It worked out well for me.

Do not go to Claires, go to someone licensed in piercing. I will.never understand that I need a license to cut hair, but making min wage at the mall entitles you to pierce ears. They are not trained in how to spot communicable diseases. Go to a piercing place and get it done by a professional. Call ahead and ask for someone good with kids or ask for a woman.

NO, don't use a piercing gun! Do a little looking around online for the difference between using a gun and a needle. Basically, the gun uses a brunt force to jam a blunt object (earring) through the skin. A needle is obviously sharp and can be sterilized. A piercing gun canNOT be thoroughly sterilized. The hole made by a needle will have cause much less scar tissue than a gun.

That hard part can be finding a piercer who will pierce a minor's ears. But pull out the phone book and call around. After you find a reputable place, explain to your daughter that it's the needle or nothing. The gun is WAY more likely to give her an infection. And 8 year olds already aren't the greatest and keeping their fingers away from this! A quality piercer will explain all you need to know to speed the healing process too :)

My daughter was done at Claire's and she was fine. the most important thing is taking care of it afterwards, and at 8 that job will be Yours.

Our daughter had hers done there and it went fine. They were really good about matching up the holes correctly and getting it done quickly when our daughter started crying. I don't know of anyplace using a needle instead of a gun. I can't see how that would make any difference.

I took my daughter to Claires for her ears to be pierced, and then back for her cartlidge as well. No problems at all with them. When she went the first time, I had two people do both ears at the same time. It did hurt, but it didn't last and was done!!

I don't know about the comment about a gun jamming a blunt object through the ear... normally, there are certain earrings to choose from that are required to be used for the piercing itself, and those posts are not blunt.. they are pointy on the back. They also typically have a different back, that completely covers the pointy post that would otherwise stick out of most earring backs.

I took my daughter to Piercing Pagoda after she said the Claire's in our mall "had a funny smell". But evidently, Claire's was good enough for Harrison Ford back in 1997! LOL

For years I think a gun is fine. I don't know if a child could handle having it done with a needle and then the ear ring put through. I don't think I would have gotten three wholes in each ear if I didn't have it done with a gun. And a lot of tattoo places will not let minors in let alone pierce them.

Both of my girls had their ears pierced at Claire's, and it was fine. They did a good job of it there, and everything was very clean and hygienic. Plus, they have a nice selection of affordable earrings for little girls to choose from, which is nice.

We just used piercing pagoda because someone on here mentioned that they have to take a piercing class. Worked out fine. They wore rubber gloves, used sterilized piercing earrings and did the guns at the same time.

Check with your pediatrician to see if they're insured to do it. Some are and will do it right in the office.

I will never understand why some people answer questions on here they don't know the answer to. I worked at Claire's when I was in college. They do use a gun. However, the earring is inside a one time use cartridge that's placed in the gun. It's never touched anyone and is thrown away after. Piercing earrings are NOT blunt they are pointy. If you're nervous I would recommend asking for the store manager to do the piercing as she's probably had the most experience. Best wishes!

I took my daughter to Claire's, she was 4 when she begged me to let her do it. Claire's handled it great, no infections, no pain, and they look great.

I've seen it done at Claire's but not actually participated, I got mine at Walmart b/c at the time, that was the only place I knew of except at a local jewelry store or at the doctor's office. I don't think Claire's is any different than Walmart or Piercing Pagoda IMO, they just probably don't do them as often as Walmart but I guess it depends on the area demand at Claire's -vs- Walmart.
I got mine done at Walmart twice & they were fine. W/a gun, quick & simple, they give you after care instructions, the earrings are in a sterile package, not touched by human hands, believe me, I've used them to pierce with so I do know, my fingers never touched the earrings & they'll use new, sterile gloves so their fingers won't touch them either. The earrings are special earrings just for piercing, VERY sharp & pointy so they go right through quick as butter.
Not too keen on the needle idea, for one thing, where would you get it done w/a needle? A piercing shop is the only place I know of that uses them. Not sure if I'd want to take a young child in one & I don't think anyone under 14 is allowed if I heard right. Plus, they probably will use the 'hollow' needles, not sure which type they may use, but the hollow needles remove the skin, making a permanent hole, like a belly button piercing for example, which means if she changed her mind later, it'd never close up...plus I'm not sure what size needle they'd use...what if the hole is bigger than normal earrings? Plus it takes more time I'd think having to probably wait in line, them getting a newly packaged needle or two out plus the earrings, cork, forceps, & probably iodine to sanitize, etc they'd use to pierce with. Then they clamp on the forceps, double, triple, quadruple checking to make sure they're "in the right spot" then they poke the needle through half-way then they attach the special earrings to the needle butt & pull it/work it through, then detach the clamps...to me that's a lot of time & trouble for a young child, especially when the gun does the same job but a lot faster IMO.
Depending on the gun, whether it's pre-loaded or not, they put on the gloves, swab the ears, mark the place w/the pen, place the earrings in the gun if needed, aim then squeeze, boom your done. The Claire's in my area at the time, used the one-time only, single-use "pre-loaded" gun w/the earrings already in the gun, like they sell at Sally's, but the action is the same, gloves, swab, mark, aim & squeeze, boom, done & the gun is then discarded so each time, a new gun is used which I think is even better.
You can always look on YouTube & see the ear piercing videos done w/the needle & see what's involved -vs- the gun then make your decision. To me, I'd go w/the tried & true quick method w/the gun that's been done for many decades, in a safe, quick way, & relaxed environment...aka Claire's, Piercing Pagoda or Walmart. I really don't see anything wrong w/them. People use them all the time. Both store's probably cost considerably less than a professional piercer or doctor might charge. The employees are required to wear clean, sterile, new rubber gloves, use alcohol pads to swab the area & sanitize it before piercing. I have yet to hear any complaints about either store as far as piercing goes. I know I didn't have any trouble w/mine. But again, this is just my opinion.
There's also an alternative if you just can't decide...if there's a Sally's beauty supply in your area, why don't you just go by there & purchase the do-it-yourself piercers? They cost about the same as it would getting them pierced in a store & you can have that special moment between you & your daughter & you can make sure they get in the right spot. I've used them to re-pierce my mom's ears after she let them 'grow closed' & she didn't have any problems w/them at all. Just be sure to get some sterile gloves or else wash your hands thoroughly w/antibacterial soap & use alcohol to cleanse the area then use q-tip to dip into alcohol & swab around the earrings, front & back, for extra measure, that's what I did.
My cousin, on the other hand, the most recent time, used Piercing Pagoda at the mall when we went shopping together one day & it was fine. Just remember, no matter where you go, there will be redness, swelling & some pain associated w/the piercing. After all, you are causing 'injury' to the body so that's the normal reaction. I was also told this beforehand so I'd know what to expect & yes, mine got red, swelled up a bit & ears were sore for a day or so but was fine after that. I'm not sure where the poster who posted opposing the gun got the idea that piercing guns use brunt force to force a "blunt object" through the ear & is not sterile, that's simply not true, the earrings are special earrings that, again, are sharp & pointy & the earrings are in a sterile casing as well as the employees using sterile gloves. The amount of 'force' used is, I think, is about the same or a tad less than the amount of 'force' you'd use to squeeze a stapler to staple papers. I know when I used the piercing guns, I didn't hafta squeeze very hard. Hope this helps, good luck.

I know that probably 99.9% of girls have had their ears pierced at Claire's without any problems, but my daughter is in that tiny percentage of girls that did not have a pleasant experience. You can look at my "questions asked" to read about her entire story. Basically... she was 5, I had just had my 3rd child and she seemed a little depressed having yet another sibling to share my time with. I really wanted to do something special just for her and she'd been asking to please have her ears pierced for a while so I finally gave in. We planned a "girls day" and off we went to the Claire's in Woodfield Mall. I had heard that it was easier having both done at the same time so I asked them to do it that way. Lesson learned... do NOT have both ears done at the same time!!! One ear turned out perfect while the other girl completely missed the dot they'd drawn on her ear, the earring went in crooked leaving the backing of her earring completely visible from the front AND the gun jammed and got stuck on her ear! They had to slowly remove it while she cried. I ended up taking her earrings out and letting them heal up. However, here we are... she's 6 1/2 and begging to get her ears pierced again. I will not take her to a pediatrician... they have no training in piercing ears and I've read countless horror stories of how uneven piercings were done by pediatricians along with all the horror stories similar to my daughter's from "mall" places. After having my panic attack about my daughter's piercings I've read an unbelievable amount of info regarding piercing and believe that a professional piercer is the way to go. However... I have a beef with professional piercers because the ones in this area will not pierce anyone under the age of 12 even for earlobes. My daughter is 6 and is constantly asking to have her ears pierced... that means I have 6 more years of her asking and begging while all her friends go off to Claire's and have theirs done. If the professional piercing community is so adamant that their way is the best then they should make their services available to families of little girls. Everywhere I go, girls much younger than my daughter have their ears pierced. There really aren't too many 12 year olds out there without their ears pierced. I just wish the "right" way was available. Good luck to you and your daughter!

Pretty sure that's where my mom took us to get it done when I was 5 and my sister was 7. No problems. Just kept it clean with alcohol at home and have never had an infection.

My 7 year old just got hers pierced last Winter and we took her to Claire's. I thought they were great. Very nice, showed and told my daughter everything that was going to happen. I think it just depends on the person you get. I would recommend them.

I had my daughter's done at the Claire's in the Water Tower. I made a visit in advance and happened to catch the manager (short brunette guy - sorry - can't remember his name) piercing a young adult. He seemed to know what he was doing. We went back to do my daughter's and I was nervous but he was GREAT. He placed the holes in the perfect place and they healed the way he said they would. I don't know about other Claire's locations but I would go back to the one in the Water Tower again.

Please don't use alcohol on fresh piercings. Second please read the following links before you let anyone touch your daughter with that piercing guns. Yes lots of people have gotten lucky from getting pierced with those but truly getting pierced with a single use sterile needle is the best way to go.
As for places to go check out your local tattoo/piercing shops. There are some that will allow minors and pierce them as long as you talk to them and have the proper paperwork.
http://nomorepiercingguns.tumblr.com/
http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Piercing_Gun
http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Back-spray
http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Disinfection
http://news.bmezine.com/2003/05/09/piercing-guns-are-blas...
http://jewelry.about.com/od/bodyjewelry/a/piercing_guns.htm
http://www.safepiercing.org/en/piercing/faq/

Generally for piercings...I would say go to a place where they use needles...like a piercing/tattoo parlor. It is a cleaner pierce.
That being said...most piercing/tattoo parlors will not allow anyone under the age of 14 in..even with a parent.
However, for earlobes, I think the gun is fine. I have two holes in each ear that were done with a piercing gun at Claire's or some place similar and have not had any issues. Just make sure to keep it clean!

I used piercing pagoda in the mall....they are the only place that take a( short) class on proper procedures. They did great with my 4 month old.

When I was 12 my mom took me to a doctor to get my ears pierced. He did a horrible job and the hole wasn't straight and every time I tried to put earings in it would hurt and was horribly infected. I took out the earings, let the holes heal and 2 years later my mom took me to Claire's to get my ears re-piereced. Never had a problem since then - that was 26 years ago and the piercing from Claires was perfect. Who knew?!

I had my second holes done at Piercing Pagoda and had to have one re-done for spacing. I re-did it at Claire's and they were fine. For DD, I plan to ask her pediatrician if they will do them in the office when it comes time (if DD wants) to have them done. My sister's were done in the doctor's office when she was a toddler.

got mine redone there and my daughter's were done there when she was a baby. No issues at all , You just have to take care of them.

Claire's has been piercing ears for over 30 years. If they were a lot of issues, they wouldn't be in business anymore.

My daughter had her ears done there twice and other then redness and some swelling, which can happen anywhere, everything was fine.

Claire's should be fine. I would focus more on preparing her for the process. I have never heard of a place that uses a needle. Either way the earlobe flesh is pierced. I would rather it be done the quickest way possible. My 14 year old wants a second hole and when we do that, it will be at Claire's.

I worked at claires for over 8 years and pierced hundreds of ears! I would take my child to one...great sterilization and lots of practice! I loved piercing ears! Kinda miss it

Well, I am sure it may depend on the Claires, by I recently got my ears pierced there a few months ago and no problems. (they closed up while pregnant with my daughter, weird huh?) I think I went to Claires when I was about 8 too and I never had any problems!

I had my daughter's ears pierced as an infant, and I found a pediatrician to do it. You might consider that route. Good luck!

i say take her to a place that will use a needle. i have had both done and the needle is less painful and done by someone with more training and experience. Those guns they use at Claire's are terrible!
that is my plan for my own little one.

I really like the idea of having both ears done at the same time! I know for me the wait between them was the hardest and where I got sick. (I was in college and decided to get second holes).

My brother said the guns are way easier to handle and the needles hurt more. I have not had needles, but I certainly don't want one. Its like pulling the band off fast or slow. Or, waxing compared to plucking. Personally, I wax!

I had my ear pierced by Claire's when I was 7 (I'm 39 now) and the holes are in the right place, they are still fine. My youngest daughter had them done there. It's just ear piercing, people, not brain surgery. I'm sure a needle would be fine, too, but as long as you get someone who looks like it's not their first day on the job, you should be fine. Heck, my mom pierced her ears with a sewing needle and a potato back in the 50's and lived to tell about it.