Ear Piercing - Erlanger, KY

I didn't let my daughter get her ears pierced until she was twelve. This way was it not only her decision, and her desire, but it was a great day for us to spend out together. I saw my sister-in-law get her daughter's ears pierced (both of them) when they were very little and watched the infections, the repiercings, etc., until they were about 7. I would never consider violating another human beings body without their consent.

Hi T.:

Speaking from experience, wait till she can take care of them herself. I did that with my daughter at her 1 year birthday. She ended up getting them caught in clothing, blankets, pulling at them you name it. Plus there is the taking care of them ordeal, she was my first child and it was still a chore, although I had to work. Now, not all children are the same, this is just advice.

I think 13 is the perfect age too so the child can take care of it. Otherwise it is another thing for you to take care of. I was 13 and my daughter is 14 and I still haven't allowed her to get it done because she is dealing with some health issues. I am the mother of 4 and had 4 younger siblings (3 of which were girls) myself and I still think 13 is the perfect age.

This is just my personal opinion here ~ I can't stand to see little tiny babies with pierced ears! WHY would you do that to a new baby? They don't understand what is happening and you put them through the pain of getting needles jabbed into their little ears?? It is not for the benefit of the baby - they don't care if they have earings on, they don't even know what pierced ears are! You would be doing it for YOUR enjoyment, not HERS. What if they get infected? More pain for a baby that doesn't understand what is happening. Why not wait until she can decide if she wants them? It could be a special moment between mother & daughter when she is older.

Just my humble opinion. She is your baby and you decide what is best for her. Just keep her health and comfort your top priority and whatever decision you make is your choice. Congrats on the new baby!

... about the same time you get her first tattoo.

I, too, cringe when I see babies with pierced ears because I feel that ear piercing should be a personal decision and should wait until the child is old enough to make that choice. I certainly don't equate ear piercing with "fun stuff" for little girls.
Thirteen sounds like a reasonable age. I had my oldest daughter's ears pierced when she requested to have them done, at age 5, and they did not last long because she was not ready to properly care for them - and take care with them; she was just too young and I should have waited. She got them pierced again when she was older.

Put a bow in her hair, or dress her exclusively in dresses if you want her to be "girly." But leave the stuff that hurts for another time.

Ah, that is the age old question. When is the right time for female body mutilation? When she is old enough to consent. I am being sarcastic but I do think it is no different than a tattoo. You are putting an unneccessary hole in your daughters body. My daughter has diabetes and not one day of her life goes by without a needle and hole in her body. She opted not to get her ears pierced, go figure. I know I am in the minority; it is a personal decision. Let her make that decision when she is capable.

Hi T.!
As much as you want to get your daughter's ears pierced, I highly recommend you wait until she can make up her own mind on when she wants them pierced and that she understands the responsibility in the care of pierced ears. All people mature differently and it would depend on her maturity as to when to get it done. If you have them pierced now, she will learn nothing of the responsibility in the care of them and will remember nothing of the special moment that she made such a grown up decision to have them pierced. Also, babies tend to pull at their ears when they have an ear infection or just "found" them. You will risk her ripping her ears if you don't watch her like a hawk. Please consider this carefully before you ruch out to do a fun thing that can in fact hurt your daughter. Good Luck to both of you! C.

I think it's a great 10-year-old birthday present. She's old enough to chose to bear the pain (I mean instead of inflicting it on an infant like some people do) and old enough to take care of them on her own.
In our family it was a sort-of right-of-passage to go with grandma for your 10th birthday and get your ears pierced (a tradition that DID NOT extend to my brother, the youngest and only boy! lol)
I also have to say that anyone who tells you that it hurts less if they are younger doesn't know what they are talking about! They don't have the words to tell you " OUCH! That hurt like a B****!" But there have been studies that show their little systems actually are more acute to pain (hence the push for numbing before circumcision lately).

i waited until she asked for it, which she did at 7.

T.,

You have the right to do whatever you want to your own body, but it is not fair for you to make a permanent physical change to your daughter's body like that without her informed consent. What if she doesn't want to have holes in her ears? Piercing is painful and often gets infected, particularly in little ones who play with the sore spot. Many people who have piercings develop an allergy to nickel because it is mixed into most metallic jewelry, then causes itching, redness, swelling and oozing. Why would you want to subject a baby to that? You should wait until she is actually old enough to make an informed decision.

Best wishes,
K.

T.,

You say you want to do all the "fun stuff".....but you need to stop and think, fun for whom? Because at a month old, I don't think Madie would consider a needle piercing her ear "fun".

Why not wait until she is old enough - mature enough - to make that decision. Depending on the child, that may be when she is eight, ten or even fourteen! So far my daughter has never even asked about it, (she's almost seven) but when she does, I will tell her what my mom told me - when you're 13. And it was a fun mom/daughter afternoon, going to the mall and having lunch and - in my eyes - "growing up" as I got my ears pierced.

They grow up way too fast, anyway....why push it?

J.

Hi T.,

I wanted to get my baby girl's ears pierced, but decided it made more sense to wait until she's old enough to understand the process and to want to have it done. Plus then it will be a fun girl's day out between mom and daughter. I'm hoping it will be a fun day of shopping, lunch and ear piercing when she's somewhere between 10 and 13. She's only 3 now so I have awhile to wait :o)

Good luck!
D.

We set the 10 year old rule - when she's old enough to earn money to pay for it and to take care of them herself.

I debated this with my daughter too! All my nieces got their ears pierced when they were tiny babies. I don't like the thought of that. Besides NONE of them wear earrings now! When they hit about 1 they started fussing with them and pulling them out. I think one of the girls even swallowed one! We did my daughter's when she was two. She never messed with them. It was hard to get her to let us clean them though. They wound up getting infected and that was NO FUN! Turns out hair had gotten twisted around the back and caused the infection. It was a nightmare to get her to let us take them out, clean them and put them back in. They healed pretty quick once we got them all good and cleaned. I think they look adorable on her and were worth the trouble, her daddy still disagrees ;) Lots of pediatricians offices will do them now. If you decide to get them done as an infant, I'd definitely have the doctor do them. We got my daughters done a WalMart. They did both ears at the same time. Good luck with whatever you decide! :)

I waited until my girls asked to have it done. That was age 4 with my first and age 3 with the other two. I think most places have a 2 month age limit.

My husband wanted to have it done when my daughter was a baby, but I dragged my feet. She decided to do it when she was 7, but I wish I'd done it like my husband wanted. The piercing scared her when she did it--not much fun for her. Plus, all the cleanings were a drag when she was older. All in all, I think it is easier when they are babies.

I have all boys so this is truly just my opinion, but I would wait until she wants them. Not all girls want their ears pierced. Also, I think it's more fun for them when they are excited about it and have that memory of "when I got my ears pierced". I still remember when I was finally allowed (8 or 9 yrs. old) and my mom and a friend's mom went and my and my friend got our ears pierced together.

My daughter is 9 months old and I had hers done at 2 months. Her Dr said she had to have her first set of shots before we could do it. (The first shots have the tetanus in them). She did fine and they healed really well because she was to young to mess with them. I know some of the moms said they waited until their daughters asked but I figured if she didn't want them when she got older she could just take them out. I guess it's just a matter of opinion. Good Luck..girls are a lot of fun. My first was a boy and I couldn't wait to do all the girly stuff with my daughter too!

T.,

I talked to my pediatrition. She suggested the earliest to get her ears peirced would be at 6 months old. This way their ear lobes are still soft and it hurts less. My peidatrition peirced my daughter's ears when she was 6 months old.
Good Luck - A.

I have 2 daughters and got both of their ears pierced the day they turned 3 mo old. I was too excited to wait :) When they are that little they can't reach their ears yet to mess with them and so the chance of infection goes down. Also, it gives them plenty of time to completely heal before they can reach them. My first daughter, now 22 mo, doesn't have a problem with me changing her earings at all. I have a friend that waited until her daughter was 1 to pierce and she has had an awful time. They've been infected a couple of times because she won't leave them alone and the little girl pulls them out. So my suggestion is to do it really young or wait until they are 6 or 7.

Hi T.,
I waited a long time to get my daughter's peirced ~ she was almost 6. We were having another baby & thought it was a good time for her to feel like a "big girl". 1 earring fell out & closed up (we took the other one out). She didn't want to get them re-pierced until this past April ~ she's 8. I personally wouldn't do it when they're babies. There are lots of worries ~ what if the earring falls out in the crib & she puts it in her mouth, what if her hair gets tangled around it, or infections. I pretty much can't wear earrings ~ it doesn't matter what type of posts (gold, silver, hypo-allergenic, etc.) my ears get infected. Our youngest is 2 1/2 & her ears aren't pierced yet. Good luck!
P.S. My husbad is 11 1/2 years older than me!!

I know my sister had her girls ears pierced when they were babies, can't tell you the exact age, and all had to have them re-pierced when they were older. The earring had fallen out, and she didnt' get it back in before the hole closed up. For her daughters, it took FOREVER for the holes to completely heal, unlike when they are older. Also, I have heard of dentists/peds talking about having to do x-rays, or when they do x-rays, finding the backing of an earring in an earlobe because the skin has grown over it. So if pierced at a young age, infant or child, make sure you keep track of what is happening behind the ear so that backing doesn't become trapped. Good luck on whatever your decision is.

I had mine done at age 15. If I would have realized the pain I would have never had then done.

My mom waited until my sister and I turned 8 to have our ears pearced so we could learn a little responsibility by taking care of them. Even then she probably should have waited for me I was to rambunctious and got them caught on stuff, luckily I never ripped my lobes but I would say it was a near miracle. Also if you want it to be a fun experiance that you can do together you'll want to wait until she can remember it.

I waited until I was 21 to get my ears pierced b/c I was so scared of it. I even passed up getting diamond earrings handed down from my grandma when I was 16 b/c I was to terrified...although I did want earrings and all my friends had them.
I was told after 4 months when the babies have had the majority of their shots is a good time. I have a 10 month old daughter and am planning on getting hers done for her 1st birthday.
I have heard so many people say younger is better b/c they don't know any better and won't mess with them. I tend to agree with that line of thinking.
Honestly, what girl doesn't want to wear earrings? I don't think you are hurting them. I know only one friend/acquaintance that does not wear earrings but she chooses not to wear any jewelry, ever!!

I waited till my daughter could ask. granted she was 4 when it finally happened but she was old enough to understand it would hurt and that she wanted it done. I know a lot of parents do it very young, some pediatricions even do it at the office, to avoid the pain later and others choose to wait till 13 as a right of passage. good luck.

I had mine done at a young age, and loved them. So I too wanted to get my daughter's done before she was too old to be afraid. I did her ears at 6 months. It was really hard to get her to hold still, but as soon as we were done I gave her a bottle (or you could breast feed) and she was perfectly fine! Because she was still so young she never played with them, and never got an infection. I made sure to clean them constantly. A friend of ours had her daughter's ears done when she was three, and she played with them so much they kept getting infected and eventually had to take them out. 6 months might be the earliest that they let you do them now, but I could be wrong. Good luck!

Hi T.,
I think that's a personal decision, in Latin countries like mine (Mexico) girls get their ears pierced as new borns, we leave the hospital with earrings already! so there's really no "good age", its all up to you and what you feel confortable with.
Good luck!

10 weeks old is how old my daughter was. That's the youngest they would take at the piercing places in the mall. I know some doctors will do this but my pediatrician didn't and we went to the mall. I think the younger they are the better and you can take care of the cleaning and maintenance without her messing with them when she's younger. As she gets older it will be more difficult to maintain them right after piercing. Do it while she can't remember it :-)

I have to agree with Cindy L. I got my ears pierced when I was 13. It wasn't one of those unsanitary booths at the mall - my pediatrician actually did it. 13 is when I could decide that I could have it done or not (along with some other "life" decisions). Today I don't even wear earrings. I have short hair, and they look stupid on me. Pierced ears might not even be remotely trendy when she's a teen/adult, then she's stuck with holes in her lobes that never close.

when my oldest DD was almost 2, I was getting dressed for church and putting on pantyhose. DD said, Mommy- I want hose. I said honey- YOu have your tights, those are almost just like Mommy's hose. "Not hose, Mommy, Hose. Hose in my ears." Sweet story- but we decided 7 would be a good age. (My parents made me wait until I was 18 for pierced ears.) 2 months before age 7-- my mother wanted to give ear piercing to her for a present for Christmas and we let her get that done as a surprise. I think 7 is a good age...it worked for us. (I'm not saying that is the right age for everyone's family...) I do think it is important to set up milestones to be achieved. In our family, we decided 15 for dating, etc.

HI T.. I have 3 daughters and I got all of their ears piered. The earlier you do it the less painfull it is for them and the faster they heal. All of mine only cried for a minute then it was all over. You also want to do it at a younger age cause if you wait till they are like 6 months to a year they will understand there is something there and play with them more. When they are younger they just leave them alone. You have to wait till at least 2 months though.....that is what every piercing place has told me. I had my first daughter done at like 6 months, my second at about 4 months and my 3rd daushter I did right when she turned 2 months and Ive had the most luck with her. They are now almost 8, 4 and almost 3. Hope this info was helpful. IF you have anymore questions feel free to email me.

Hey T.,

My daughter is 8 years old now and the fun continues!

I believe she was about 6 months old when we got her ears pierced. She did really well with it...I gave her a bottle while they were doing it and it hardly fazed her.

Have fun with your new baby girl!

We have 7 girls and we made the age of 10 as the age to do piercing and it has worked out. We have two that have had theirs pierced. They were old enough to understand and make the decision themselves. They do get infected if they do not have the right earrings, so I am glad we made that decision. They were able to take care of them themselves and with 7 girls I am glad I planned it that way. It was something special to them that they did with mom and it was their choice not mine! Yes having girls is fun and we want to do all the girly stuff but putting holes in their ears before they want them I think is unfair. It is a personal choice and they should have the choice! Just my opinion from someone who is raising 7 girls! I have noticed girls that start with piercing so young will think nothing of piercing their belly, lip, tongue, and so on and I just think that really takes away from the true beauty that they really are!

I had my daughter's ears pierced when she was about 4mths old. Her Dad held her and she cried for a minute but he put her binky in her mouth and she was fine. They never seemed to bother her not even when we had to clean them.

3 was a good age for my daughter. She showed interest for a long time before then, but we waited until she was responsible enough and patient enough to leave the earrings in. It couldn't just be a phase.

I've seen plenty of newborns (or seemingly newborns - regardless, "rather young") girls with pierced ears, and am always amazed at how soon people will have that done.

Please don't think I'm condemning anybody that has or is considering having their girls ears pierced; I'm really okay with it, just that there are some things I remember from having mine done that make me want to delay it a bit with my two girls (1 will be 6 this fall, the other will be 3 this fall).

I just figured I'd rather wait until they're closer to about 10 years old - when they might be better able to "handle it". There's things I'd rather not have to fiddle with that just yet - losing the backs, all the cleanings, catching their hair in them, fighting them to put the earings in, getting them caught in clothing, etc. etc. etc.

I guess it's a little bit of "history" too for me - when I was about 10, my mother took me and my two sisters and we all got our ears pierced at the same time....I guess I just planned on doing that with my girls too. Plus I remember not liking to sleep with the earrings in...it was very uncomfortable.

Just my thoughts....good luck!

I looked into getting my daughters ears pierced (she's 2 months today) and they recommended waiting until after their 2 month check up so they've had their first shots. They said there's less chance of infection that way.

the sooner the better. I've seen some that get their daughter's ears pierced within the first month. I waited till my daughter was two and ALMOST didn't get the other ear pierced as she screamed and fought so badly. go ahead and get it done now. They have those locking screw on backs so they can't come out. Treasure her...and the boys...they grow up and are gone WAY too soon!!

My daughter was 6 when she asked to get her ears pierced. I think it should be a choice the child makes. I grew up in the other extreme with my parents not allowing me to get my ears pierced so I was 18 and moved out before mine were done.
I think it is odd (crazy?) that people think that just because a baby can not tell you 'OUCH! That hurt!' that the piercing does not bother them. Then again what do you think all that crying is about? It does hurt them and after there is a rick of infection too. And for those who say to wait for after their shots because 'there is less chance of infection' I would love to understand where that information is from. After a child gets the vaccinations their immune system actually dose a nose dive because the body is dealing with the vaccine so they would be MORE likely to get an infection.
GL, enjoy your daughter but imo let her decide when she wants to get earrings.

I had my daughter's ears pierced when they were infants. I chose to do this so that when they were older they wouldn't mess with them because they don't know any different. This also allowed me to keep an eye on the healing process and making sure their ears stayed clean; therefore eliminating any possible infection. My daughters are now 10 and 4. Some would argue it doesn't give them a choice when they're this young....so it's up to you and what your views are.

Hi T.....
I have 3 girls, all who have their ears pierced. My oldest was about a year and a half and the other 2 were 6 weeks. I would definitely get it done the younger you can. With my oldest it not only was it difficult to get them pierced, she played with them constantly. The other two never touched them because they were always there. Good Luck!!

A.

I personally got my ears pierced when I was 13, and it was kind of a "coming of age" thing for me, and it made me feel very grown up. If I had any daughters, I would certainly wait until they were tweens, too. It meant a lot for me to take that first step toward adulthood, and also, if your daughters' ears are already pierced, they'll have to pierce something else to feel adult!

When I had my daughter I couldnt wait for all that girly stuff either and wanted to pierce her ears right away but someone said something to me about waiting till she was old enough to ask and for it. For it to be a mile stone for the both of us. I thought that was a great suggestion. So we waited for it to be something she would want on her own and that she would remember. She was four and her and I went to the mall. It was something for us to share together.

I was 13 when my parents pierced my ears. My mom brought home a home piercing kit and my parents and I had a talk about it. I was given the information that it was going to hurt and that I was going to have to take care of my ears. She did one ear and my father did the other. For us it was a sort of right of passage into my "Teen" years. It was my first "grown up" choice and it made it more important to me.

I'll openly admit I'm old fashioned when about certain things and ear piercing is one of them. Not really a fan of inflicting pain on my daughter for the sake of fashion. I would suggest waiting until your daughter is old enough to understand that it's going to hurt and it's going to be forever.

Just my thought, congratulations on the little girl.

I have 2 daughters ages 3 and 6 and I got both of their ears pierced 6 months of age.

I waitted til my daughter was 3mth old when we got her's done we waitted til it was almost feeding time to get it done so when the lady was done i could giver her a bottle to quite her down & comfort her

Hi, T.! Congratulations on little Madie! How exciting! I also have a daughter... my only daughter who has two big brothers... and I got her ears pierced at 9 months old. I made sure that the backs on the earrings were rounded and locking. We've never had a problem! It's been fine. She never bothers them, and now that she's almost 2, she loves changing her earrings to match her outfit! Enjoy her... time goes so fast!