Ear Piercing...need Some Opinions!

Nope . . . I was 3 months old when my mom got mine done, and if I had girls I would have done it the same way!

It is just pierced ears, and if it will make her happy why not get it done!

Mine all had them pierced by them. Just be aware that you may be the one who takes care of them because of her age.

I was 3 or 4 when I got my first hole. I would say it is up to you as the parent to decide when to allow her to get her ears pierced. When I got mine pierced the first time, I had both ears done at the same time!

This is my honest reaction to your question not trying to offend anyone. You are getting a lot of people who think its not too young but note they are cool with baby piercing too. To each his own but my thoughts when I see pierced baby ears is one of revulsion and I only feel slightly less revolted at it in very young girls. I would place earrings in the same category as makeup or shaving legs as far as not looking too grown up too fast. But thats just me.

I got mine done when I was 6. I had my daughters' done when they were infants. My daughters' and I rarely wear earrings, but we love having the option. My oldest two daughters have started wearing them more to school, but my youngest is a tomboy and prefers not to wear them. (Except for her Auntie's wedding. She demanded earrings then!)

I don't think 7 is too young at all. She's old enough to help keep them rotated and so on, plus she can help pick out earrings, etc.

Oh....this is a very sore subject for me.
My mom had pierced ears and I wanted mine done too. I wanted it so badly. She told me..."You have to wait until you are 10".
ALL my life..."You have to wait until you are 10".
I stuck fuschias in my ears thinking they looked like earrings. I bent paper clips with a bead on them so they'd hook by where my ear canal is and look like earrings. If I got a gold star on my homework....I saved them and stuck them on my ears.
You know how long 10 years seems when you're a kid? It's like forever.
Finally....the years of waiting were over. My 10th birthday arrived. I'm pretty sure I heard a choir of angels singing as the day had finally come.
My birthday is 9 days before Christmas so the choir of angels could have been on the car radio, but still.....
We went to the jewelry store. The nice man showed me a selection of appropriate first earrings. I thought very long and very carefully about such a crucial decision. I cried a little. Not because I was scared, I just couldn't believe it was finally happening.
I chose dainty hearts with a tiny sapphire in the middle.
Having prepared myself for so long, I never flinched as he pierced each ear.
He handed me a mirror so I could see. I was the happiest girl on the entire planet.

For about 60 seconds.
Then I heard my mom say, "That was easy. We might as well get her sister's done while we're here".

My sister's birthday wasn't for another 11 days, and even at that, she was only turning 7.
I can't tell you how much that hurt me at the time.
The very first thing my very rough and tumble tomboy sister did, that very day, was get one caught on something, yanked it out and it bled everywhere then got infected.

I think it depends on the kid.
Some people get their ears pierced as babies and it's all they know.
I did my daughter's ears at 3 and she had no problems at all, but she understood that they had to be turned and cleaned, etc and she had to be still.
With older kids, you have the advantage of them being involved in caring for their ears and being more gentle with them and careful.
I don't think 7 is necessarily too young, but like I said, it depends on the kid.
If your daughter isn't ready to take care of her ears and her earrings then it's okay to wait a while longer.
Also, if she has ideas of wearing danglies or hoops, make sure she knows your opinions on that.
Another thing to consider is possible allergies to different metals. As long as my ears have been pierced, I am highly sensitive to certain things. Thankfully, they have hypoallergenic and surgical steel options now.

Good luck with your decision!

I had to wait till I was 16.
My Mom caved in to my sister and let her's get pierced at the same time I did - she was 14 at the time.
In our family it was more of a high school/middle school thing and it went along with being allowed to wear makeup, wear pantyhose and getting a drivers license.

If she is asking then it is time to consider it. Not sure about the other responses but I say if she is asking and is interested then go for it. Make sure she knows the care she will have to do with them. Both of my girls asked and we went and there wasn't a problem.

My 7 year old daughter just asked as well. I explained what would happen and she handled it just fine. We've kept them clean and she's done a great job of rotating them. She can hardly wait to wear something fancy.

How responsible is she?
My very responsible 10 yr old JUST started asking about it a month ago. Within a week I took her to get them done. She goes back this Thursday for a re-check to ensure they are healing properly and see if they are ready for her to be able to take them out and use other earrings.

She is a straight A student, very bright and always eager to try new things. She is very independent and knows her own mind. She doesn't change her mind easily. I say all of this, to explain her personality, as that also can play a part in your decision to let your daughter get it done. Even with all her independence, I cleaned her ears for her the first week and a half, because they were very sore and it was difficult for her to get the backs done well. For the past 2 weeks, she has been doing it on her own, though I have done it for her at night once or twice a week, just to be sure, and because she likes the extra attention. :)

I think that if your daughter is mature enough to deal with the care (at least somewhat in the beginning, but more the long-term issues after the first weeks go by--- not losing them, taking care with hair brushing, not exchanging with friends, etc), understands that it will be painful, is fairly responsible and works hard at whatever tasks she is given... then why not? Is there something you are trying to work with her on, that you could use the ear piercing as a reward/goal? Would you consider it as a Christmas gift? A birthday present?
My daughter didn't express any interest until 10. I didn't get mine until I was 12, and I had been asking for a couple of years already... but then... that was 30 years ago....
My daughter actually asked me: "Why didn't you just get them for me when I was a baby like so many other kids had done? Then it wouldn't have hurt." I told her, "Yes it would have hurt, only you wouldn't know WHY you were hurting. Now you will understand what is happening. And what if you never wanted them pierced at all?" She thought about it moment, and then was perfectly satisfied with my response. She actually started acting a bit more "girly" and was quite pleased with herself after making the decision to have it done and "endure" the pain. LOL
If you think your daughter will be whiny about it, then maybe I'd hold off a little.

personally I think 7 is too young. There is a lot of maintenance with earrings in the beginning. My sister and I both had to wait until our 13y birthday. Received a pair of 14k gold birthday studs as our gift.

My 2 neices both got their ears pierced at 4m. I don't think they really notice or care that they have pierced ears.

One thing that that my mom let me do between when i started asking and 13 was to wear clip and stick-on ear stickers.

I think it really depends on the child. 8 was the magic age in my house (only because my sister and I were 8 & 10 when we got ours done.....it's all I had to go on). My oldest is 14 and still doesn't want hers pierced. My youngest got hers done when she was 8 1/2 (had to wait until soccer season was over cuz they can't wear jewelry in games). If your daughter is responsible enough to help take care of them herself and she understands that it will hurt and she'll have to keep them clean, I think it's fine. Good Luck!

I haven't read others' responses, but when questions like these arise, just remember: You're the parents, so YOU make the decision.

Your kids may whine and cry for stuff, and feed you the line that "everyone else does it." Times like those, just remember that if staying faithful to your family traditions is a value, then use this as a teachable moment. Your family doesn't have to do the same things as other families.

No matter what you decide, she'll have her whole life to deal with the responsibility of earrings.

my daughter asked at 3 to get her ears pierced. I had her watch me to see how much work was involved with wearing earrings - my ears are pierced 5 times each. She watched me for 6 months take them out, clean them, put them back in (longes 6 months of my life since I don't usually take them out!! LOL), and she still wanted to have hers done. So I took her for Christmas and made a day of it. I also paid the extra $10 to have a second person there to do both ears at the same time. She is now 15 and still takes care of her earrings, and is thinking about getting them pierced for a second time.

My wife never had her ears pierced. My daughters got their ears pierced around 18 when they were old enough to make the choice on their own.

One of them is glad and one of them wishes she hadn't.

I'd say 7 is too young.

Good luck to you and yours.

We are letting both our girls make the choice. They are 2 and 3 and the 3 year old has been asking as of late. Not sure where it is coming from since I don't wear earings and she is home with me, but none the less we are letting them choose. While we hope to put her off for a bit longer, if she is really up for it, then so be it! Her ears.
I don't see the harm. I love when people say is sexualizes them too early and on and on. Please, they are holes in the ears. Nuff said.

I think at 7 she is old enough to make the choice and take care of them-let her know that the care is a bit of work.
I got mine at 8 and nearly walked out with one ear done. I hated the pain. We keep telling our daughter it is like a shot and hurts- we figure if we are honest then she can truly make an informed choice.

All of my granddaughters had theirs ears pierced when they were less than a year old. Seven is definitely not too young in my book!

My daughter had hers done at age 5 because she wanted to. Mine were done as a baby. We decided that whenever she really wanted to, we would let her. I don't think it's a big deal to make her "wait" for.

I agree that it's up to you, but I would insist that she take care of them herself. Of course, you can help her the first couple of times, but after that, she should be on her own. Be sure to explain to her that she has to leave those first earrings in for a full 6-8 weeks before she can change them. Also, they recommend not wearing any dangly or heavy earrings for 6 months. When you get them pierced, the only advice I would give is to pierce them with plain, round studs, not the star or flower ones -- my daughter's ended up too tight and some of the "petals" on the flowers poked through her ear. The one ear piercing ended up getting stretched, so we had to let it grow shut. Will be trying again soon.

I think it's up to you as her parent to decide. I think she isn't too young and if she's ready for the responsibility (cleaning them, caring for them when they get infected, etc.) then I say go for it. We waited til our daughters asked for it. My older one was 6 and my younger one was 4 (yes a little on the young side.) However both were ready and we have no regrets. When I think it's wrong is when parents pierce babies' ears...they are not old enough to care for their ears and the moms just think "it's cute." So at 7 years old, I think she's ready. I'd find somewhere that pierces both at the same time....my oldest had one then the other and she cried quite a bit with the second one. My four year old didn't make a sound and smiled the whole time....we have both on video, make sure and record the event.:)

My daughter wanted her ears pierced. We got them done and after they had healed she didn't want them anymore. She is 4. I think at 7, your daughter will be fine.

I was thinking about getting my daughter's pierced for her 6th birthday, if she wants to. I had mine done when I was 3. I don't think it's a big deal.

My older daughter was 3 and my younger was 5 when they got their ears pierced. We didn't have any trouble with either of them. Incidentally, my 23-year-old (who started nagging us at 3 for her first earrings) has so many piercings now I couldn't even tell you for sure how many!

Nope not to young, in fact I plan on having my baby girl ears done when shes 3 months old.

I had mine done at five because my mother said I asked for it. My daughter is five and doesn't seem to care one way or the other so I'll wait till she does and then take her to get them done. She probably doesn't care because I never swap out my earrings. I put small silver hoops in the holes and never change them. I take them out to clean them of course, but I don't swap them around and "play" with my earrings so she has probably forgotten they exist, as I do many days. My mother, on the other hand, swapped her earrings on a daily basis so I supposed I wanted to as well...

I can't say that 7 is too young my daughter has had hers pierced since she was 8 weeks old. She's almost 8 now and loves her earrings.

I say they are her ears! I got mine done at 1. I had boys so I never thought about it until my son asked me, at age 3, if he could get his ears pierced like grandpa. I said sure, and took him that day. He is now 6 and still loves having them pierced. She knows what she wants, and I don't think 7 is too young at all.

i was about 8 when i got my ears pierced and remember it hurt!!! i never wear earrings. my daughter was 5 months old when she got hers, and she's 14 now, and it was nice, because she was so used to them, she didn't mess with them. 7 is def not too young, just make sure she takes care of the holes, so there is no infection, and age appropriate earrings, she will LOVE all the options out there. Good luck, mama!!

If she wants them and will be good about keeping them clean (or at least letting you do it), I don't see why not. My daughter is 4 and if she wanted it done now, I would probably make her wait, but she told me she wants it done when she is 6 - and I would be okay with that.

Girls have their ears pierced at all ages, even as babies - so I don't think it's really that big a deal. I'm not a big fan of babies with pierced ears but to each their own.

Too young. I did mine in college. I went with my mom - who did hers at the same time. I have a hard time justifying poking non-medically necessary holes in my child until old enough to give informed consent.

I got my daughters done at 7 and frankly i think she might have been the perfect age for it. At 7 it was totally her decision...but i would have let her decide that at three.......as long as she got to decide it.

For the record i really dont like the idea of piercing babies, its aesthetic permanent and serves no other purpose.

I had my daughters pierced at age 5. I think 7 is a perfect age. Good for you for waiting!

My parents wouldn't let me get them done until I was 9. I got the second piercing when I was 16. Got the nose pierced when I was 33 ;) It took a lot of nagging to get it done at 9 but because my aunt was getting it done too they relented. I don't think I'll wait that long if my daughter asks. She's 2 now. If you are interested in a doctor's opinion Dr Sears suggests 8 years old as a good age. There are a number of problems with getting them done too young. Earlobes aren't done growing so they can become misaligned and need to be redone or be crooked. Skin can grow over the backings and such because of the rapid growth in young children. 7 sounds resonable to me but I highly recommend making sure you help with the care. Even at 9 my mom helped me out a lot and reminded me a lot to make sure I had no problems with them.

Both my girls got theirs done at 6 and 7 months. So obviously I don't think 7 is too young.

My mom let me get mine done right before Kindergarten.

I wouldn't pierce a baby's ears (and have read comments from women who had their ears pierced when they were young and hated having "unsightly" holes/scars in their ears, and it was done without their consent); but if she's old enough to want it, that's different. I was about 8 when I had mine pierced; my mom made my oldest sister wait until she was 12... and then went ahead and got mine and my other sister's pierced a few weeks later.

The rationale behind making a girl wait (imo) is the same as making them wait to wear makeup -- it's something reserved for those who are old enough to be dating, get married, attract a male, etc., and not something for children to do. However, as others have posted on this question, it's fairly common for it to be done to babies, so is not so much a mark of age any more like it used to be.

Will she be old enough to take care of them? Yes, most likely.

My daughter got hers pierced when she was 6 I think. she had talked about it for a while and we waited a bit. when she kept bringing it up after 6 months or so, we went and did it. we had talked about how to keep them clean, etc ... and that it would hurt ...
she was fine with it. never had any problems. but less than 2 years later, or less, she never wore them. so all the earrings we had are never used.
I think if you make sure she understands about keeping them clean, taking care of her ears, etc ... and she still wants to do it after some time, go ahead!

I have 9 year old twins. They have been asking to have their ears pierced for about 3 years now. Taking care of your ears is a big responsibility. I told them that if they can keep their room clean for one month- meaning that it is clean everyday, then they could have their ears pierced.

It is not just a matter of rewarding them. It is a matter of them proving to me that they are responsible enough to care for their jewelry and themselves.

By the way, I have now given them an additional incentive. I told them if they bring home a perfect report card that they can have their ears pierced.

I think this depends on your child. I got my ears pierced at age 6 and did just fine with them. So when my daughter begged to get them done at age 8 after swearing that she would never pierce them for years, I didn't think anything of it. My SIL tried to warn me and I ignored her. Everything went well until it came time to change the earrings. Now my daughter has a lot of anxiety, but I didn't anticipate changing the earrings to be an issue. After all she managed to have then pierced without blinking an eye. Well when I pulled the first starter out, she started screaming about how much it hurt and refused to let me pull the second out. My SIL managed to get it out the next day, but then there was much drama about her putting the new earrings in herself and changing them herself. Finally after advice from other mamapedia moms, I told her she can leave her earrings in for as long as she wants as long as they are clean. She has no intention of changing them anytime soon. So if your daughter can change them by herself and isn't one that is prone to high drama, I say let her get them pierced. If she has a low pain threshold, then have her wait.

I dont think its too young! I wanted to wait until my daughter was old enough to take care of them herself. We pierced them when she was just after a yr old. She wore them fine no problems until about 8 months after we got them. Then she would just pull them out. Finally after no screw on backs would hold them in we gave up. She really liked the but truly was not old enough.

Ear piercing is cheap and if it dose not work out she can try again when she is twelve.

I was a baby. My SD was 8. My cousins were 6.

I think 7 is just fine as long as she is aware of what the process is. Consider going to her pediatrician vs the place in the mall and if you do go to the place in the mall, watch how they mark her ears so they are even. I have 2 holes (2nd when I was 17) and I had to let one of the second set grow in and re-do it because it was so "off".

My SD did fine at 8 and I wouldn't call her the world's most responsible kid. She did take the ear care solution to school one day, though, and got in trouble.

My DD is currently 3. DH feels more strongly than I do that she should wait so I'm waiting. If she were 7 and asked, I'd get them done.

However, I would also put limits on the types of earrings. Nothing too long that gets caught. Let little girls be little girls with cute studs and hoops and leave the big earrings for being older.

I always said 13, cause I got mine done then, but a few weeks ago we had a change to get my 7 yr olds done & did. I took care of them for the first few weeks & she has now taken over the 2x a day cleaning. She is doing a good job, I did tell her if she doesn't take care of them that the doc's will make us take them out and she can't get it done again any time soon.

Now I did also have to tell her no gages like her sister that lives elsewhere untill she is out of our house or at least 18. Sorry, don't mean to upset anyone, but I think gages are nasty looking.

I don't think 7 is too young if she is aware that there is a little pain involved, and if you are willing to care for the piercings, because I believe that 7 is still a little too young to be fully responsible for that. I am not a fan of piercing babies' ears, they didnt' ask for it and can't understand why they are having pain (and not for a medical reason). With my daughter, I never set a specific age number or considered how old I was when I got mine done. I would let her have it done when she was old enough to ask for it and when she could take care of the piercings herself because I had no desire to do that. She asked when she was 10 and that's when I took her to have it done.

Too young.... I think 9 or 10 is a good age.. they can take care of it themselves, etc.

I think unless it is a cultural thing it just looks a little trashy when small girls have earrings in.

My mom made me and my sister each wait until age 10 so we would be old enough to be responsible. I think at 7 you would have to supervise the cleaning until they heal. Otherwise it is a judgement call depending on how responsible your child is.