Ear Piercing Girls

I got my DD's done at 8 months, from Walmart. LOL! Hubby kept procrastinating taking us to a 'real' place to get them done, so one day when we were grocery shopping I said "Screw it, I'm getting them done NOW!" One lady stood on each side, and pierced both ears at the same time. She cried for about 3 seconds, before she got distracted by the box of ear-care that was included with the piercing. lol.

NEVER had any issues with them... They were very easy to care for, never got infected, and now at 2 she LOVES picking out new earrings to wear in the morning. :)

My mother took me for piercings when I was 11 years old and "graduating" from elementary school. I don't remember where we went, though. Even though I wanted to be glammed out with earrings like the other girls, I was never bitter about it and learned to appreciate (before I became an adult) that she made me wait. She explained to me that there needed to be certain rites of passage for girls so they could have some things to look forward to. I understood and agree. I wonder if I would have had the same appreciation for keeping up with my earrings had my ears been pierced earlier in my life. I appreciate havign had the responsibility of keeping the holes clean as they healed. I do know that remembering the pinch has kept me from getting other piercings. I feel (and felt while growing up) a sense of tradition and living-in-the-moment appreciation that I don't think is common enough.

My brother's a jeweler. His store has pierced in past but doesn't do it now because it's a risk, they have to worry about the sanitation, etc. He says he has also seen way too many young women come in who had bad piercings done at mall stores, etc. and who have had earrings rip through earlobes, infected piercings, etc. He says he would advise people to wait until a child is old enough to care for piercings on her (or his) own.

It's hard enough to get a kid to wash her own face correctly or brush her teeth well -- why add in another thing to nag her about if she's not even doing those basics well? That's why I would wait until a child was truly ready to take on the self-care involved in piercings. As for infants with pierced ears -- why add another thing for mom to take care of just because it's "cute" to adults?

wow! i'm going to be the old fuddy-duddy here and go against the majority. i think body modifications of any kind should wait until the child is a) old enough to want it (and by want it i mean REALLY want it, not just ask for it because everyone else is or an idle whim) and b) old enough to be the main caretaker. i don't have daughters, but my sons were tweens when they got their first ear piercings.
i know some cultures are different and that's fine, but i just don't see a need to poke holes in children's epidermises until there's a big strong desire in the child to do it. anything else is, at heart, just parental vanity.
i hasten to add that parental vanity isn't the end of the world. my boys sported mohawks long before it became a fad. but at least they were easily changeable and carried no potential for infection, KWIM?
:) khairete
S.

I think there are 2 answers to this question -

The first is where it is a cultural thing (EARLY - like under a year that is very common in some cultures) and the second is everyone else! My girls are 5 hand haven't asked yet - even though some of the neighbors have them.

I think 10 is a good age ... I'm a bit old fashioned thought and think - just for cosmetic reasons- children should be older.

I'm another old fuddy duddy. I don't have any daughters, but if I did I would wait until she was old enough to be responsible for taking care of her earlobes. I got my ears pierced for my 11th birthday. Most of my friends got their ears pierced between ages 10 and 13. I expressed interest in getting my ears pierced when I was around 6 or 7 because my mother wore earrings. But she wanted me to wait until I could be responsible for my own ear care.

My ears were pierced in a doctor's office.

My daughter was 3 months when she had the first holes done......5 when she got the 2nd holes. she wants another hole in each ear so we may do that this summer. she is 9.

My daughter is 8 and has been asking to pierce her ears for the last couple of years. I'd like to wait until she is more responsible and able to take care of them herself. I'm thinking at age 10.

I'm conservative on this one. And I don't have daughters, but if I did, I wouldn't let her pierce her ears until she was 14, if she really wanted to.

Personally, I don't care for the look of pierced ears on babies, although I understand that it is normal/expected in certain cultures.

My 3 & 4yo got them both at 2 months, as did I. My new baby, who is 3 weeks, will be the same. Got them at Claires(sp?)

She was 10 when she asked about it with any real interest. By that I mean, she didn't just ask "what are those things in your ears?" She actually asked if it hurt to get it done, and can you take them out, several questions that showed me she was contemplating wanting to do it herself.

I took her to watch someone else get it done (at the mall). And she decided the next day that she wanted to do it. We went the next day after her karate class and had it done.

She has had a bit of soreness now and again since then (no infections), from forgetting to turn them occasionally, and from wearing the backs too tightly. But other than that she hasn't had any issues.
I got hers done at the same place we watched someone else getting theirs done. At the mall: Piercing Pagoda.
The other store at the mall that did it my daughter said had a funny smell, and she didn't want to do it there.

I had my daughters done at 4 months old. I did some research and piercing pagoda in the mall is the only place that has the employees take a ear piercing class. I was so terrified of it being non symmetrical but they were perfect.

My son will be allowed to pierce his ears (if he chooses) when he's thirteen. We may do it with my sister, who is a licensed piercer and very careful with her work. Or we'll find another reputable person.... IF he wants to do it. I have no vested interest, other than him being old enough to care for the healing of the holes.

I had mine done, supposedly at my request, when I was four, nearly five, for K. And then we had lots of problems later on, so that I didn't wear them for years. I'd prefer to wait as a mom now.

I waited until they wanted it AND they were old enough to take care of their ears themselves. My oldest was nine, youngest was eight. The only rule was no dangly earrings until middle school, only because I worried about potential playground accidents in elementary school.
Had it done at Claires :)

my daughter was a baby. 10 months maybe. Mine were done when I was a baby and so were my daughters.
got them done at Claires in the mall.

My daughter was 3 months old and I got it at the mall. She didn't even flinch.

Our 6 yo twins want their ears pierced. My husband thinks they are too young but has kind of left it up to me. I haven't decided so will be reading what other people say.

My oldest daughter just got them pierced a few months ago at the age of 6 1/2. I was waiting for her to come to me wanting them done. My youngest is almost 5 and she still doesn't want them pierced.

My daughter was 11 months when we had hers done at the mall. She never bothered them. She is 5 now and wears the earrings all the time. She never complains about them, never had any type of infection or any pain with them.

I got mine done when I was six at a mall. I don't think you can be too young. It doesn't even hurt that much.

A year old. At Claire's.

I got my daughter's done at 7 months at walmart but at 18 months we had to take them out because she was picking at the and got the backs off(the lock back kind). So if they grow up she can have them re pierced when she ask for them to be done and knows not to pick.

When they were five. I wanted them old enough to understand that (1) it was their choice to have it done or not and (2) that it would hurt (a little), and (3) that it would take some time to heal and the healing process might not be too comfortable. With that said, I had it done at Claire's.

My daughter is 5 and has asked about it a little bit, but when I told her they take a sharp needle and poke a hole through your earlobe, she changed her mind for the time being!

I didn't have mine done until I was 14, it was an 8th grade graduation present from my parents - we just went to the local "Claire's" store in the mall, and I have never had them close up or had any infection in my ear peircings.

I think once she asks again, and once she is big enough.responsible enough to take care of the care and cleaning of new peircings and to not lose all her earrings, we will consider it - I would think somewhere between 8-14 years old, depending on the child's maturity level.

My daughter, who will be 7 in Sept, wants to get her ears pierced, but is nervous of the pain. We're just waiting until she wants it bad enough to go through with it.

We called her pediatrician and they don't do it, so we'll probably go to a jewelery store like Clarie's or something.

I adopted my biological niece at ten days old and somewhere between 3 days old when she got out of the hospital and day ten, my sister had them pierced. I thought that was way too young so I took them out. When she was about 9 she thought she would see if they would still work...they were open with the exception of a little bit of the back on one side and pushed it through. She played a lot of softball from 7 to 18 and they were not allowed so she wore them for special occasions in high school and now does in college.

I got my daughter's ears pierced at 1 yr, and I had it done by my pediatrician in my home country. I'd already gotten a pair of small studs in gold, and took them with me. After the piercing, they themselves put the studs on DD, freshly sterilized. Her ears were fully healed and done within a week.
She still wears the pair of studs. I'll have the same on her until she turns 3 or more, when she'd be old enough to let me put on different earrings on her, and not try to damage her own ears.

I got my DD's ears pierced young, at about 6 months old. She has enjoyed having her ears pierced and wears earrings occasionally at age 8.

1 month (family member did it) & 3 months (piercing pavilian in mall)

my daughter just asked recently for the first time. She is 7 years old.

I don't have a daughter, but my mother had my ears pierced when I was 5. I loved it! My favorite earrings were little red ladybugs. I had mine done at a department store, but when I had my sons, I noticed that most pediatrician's offices seem to offer it now-days, most likely in order to make sure it's done safely and in a sterile environment. I know in much of the Hispanic community, it's very popular and just something you do if you have a baby girl. If I did have a girl, I doubt it's something I would have done or do while they're little, but if she wanted to do it -I wouldn't mind at any age.

We are waiting for DD to ask for them. She's 4 1/2 and hasn't said a word about them. I thought (when she was an infant) that we might do it for a special, "you're going to K celebration." Well, she is going to K a year early...this fall, so I guess we'll just wait until she asks.

My daughter's ears were pierced at 4 months at the pediatrician's office. My were pierced around the same age.

My daughter does not have any yet, but wants to. She is 9. So we will see.
Her friend who is the same age, just got her ears pierced, from a Merle Norman shop. The Mom takes care with cleaning it, although the daughter can. But the Mom just wants to make sure. The girl is a responsible girl.
According to this girl's Mom, it was only this one woman at their local Merle Norman store, that was good at doing it with kids. She just had an inherently good way with kids and was QUICK.

I think just go to someplace reputable/clean. And ask the store, who is good and with kids and perhaps, actually watch the store women who does it. And see how they do. Observe, first. Before choosing.
Or ask other Moms you know, word of mouth is a good indicator.