Getting Ears Pierced

I would wait since the earrings could fall out and be a choking hazard.
Some daycares will not let an infant have jewelry for this reason.

It's her body and it should be her choice. You're not also thinking of getting her a tattoo are you? I didn't have mine pierced until I was almost 10 and it was not painful or traumatizing in any way so I see no reason to rush it.

My daughter got her ears pierced as soon as she had her tetanus shot (I think 8-10 weeks). I'm so glad i did it then. She slept through the actual piercing and to this day doesn't play or pull at them b/c she doesn't know any different. My niece on the other hand had her's done for her 1st birthday and constantly pulls at them and has actually pulled them out a few times.
From my experience, I would do it when they're younger b/c they are less prone to know what it is and to try to take them out and put them in their mouths. Just my opinion....hope it helps.

S.
Allentown, PA

This is totally up to you. There are newborns who get their ears pierced. Personally, I am waiting until my daughter is old enough to take care of her ears herself. I don't want to be the one keeping track of her earrings, cleaning them, and what not when I already have too much on my plate with triplets and a teen, lol. Plus, with two brothers she wrestles with I don't want her ears to get ripped. This is our situation so this is what works for us. If you are willing to care for your daughter ears and jewelry and have no siblings that could rip them out, then there's no problem getting them done now. Do what works for you. Do be aware that some people are allergic to the inexpensive jewelry, like myself. So you may end up being stuck with buying real gold, but how many pairs of earrings can a baby wear, right? LOL

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

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Hi Lauren, I guess I am old school, but since my family does have a history of sensitive skin I waited until my girls were at least 7 or 8 yrs old and wanted to have their ears pierced before getting their ears pierced. Of my three daughters my oldest had major issues and had her ears pierced twice only to let them close because of her allergies to metals. My middle one had no problems, and the youngest had a bad infection on one ear (which I still have to watch after 5yrs). It all boils down to how much you want to care for/deal with the piercing. Best wishes.

My theory is to wait until your child is old enough to make her own decision. Who are you doing it for -- for her or for you ? If you are doing it for her, then you should probably wait until you find out whether she wants her ears pierced, or whether she doesn't really care about wearing jewelry.

Hi Lauren, I read thru all the responses and wow. Anyway I did both of my girls at 6 months. I had them done at the Dr.'s office. They won't do them till that age. It costs about the same as going to the mall. The better thing is you know that everything is clean. Anyway, they use plastic earrings and a plastic gun. It is said that plastic is better, less chance of an infections if any at all. I didn't do the cleaning and twisting that i had to do with mine growing up. My girls never played with them, lost them or had any problem with them. It was an easy transition into gold earrings too. I would recommend it to everyone. Ask your Dr. Good luck! T.

You will probably get a variety of responses from people on both sides of the street here. I had my daughter's ears pierced when she was 7 1/2 months and it couldn't have gone better. I'll be honest, I was pretty nervous about it, but I'm glad we did it. She cried for about a minute (literally) and then that was it. I'm not sure I would've done it much past 9 or 10 months b/c I'd be afraid she would play with them too much. The benefit of doing it when they're as young as your daughter is that, most likely, she won't play with them at all. Cleaning them became just a quick addition to morning and bedtime dressing. It's been just over a year at this point and we have no complaints. However, it's your decision. And if you're of the belief that it should be her decision, then it's probably best to wait until she's 6 or 7. My decision was based on the fact that, in all reality, she probably would've had them done at some point in her life. Good luck!

Lauren ,
Do it now . baby will think she was 'born ' with earrings. will not tug, eat, them ...you have controll to sanitize daily .
I did my 2 girls the day they came home from birth with a peice of string .
they are fine !
a grammy

My daughter was four months old when i got her ears pierced. It didn't even bother her she cried for a minute and they were easier to take care of...doing the twisting and cleaning part. She is now 5 and really doesn't even know they are there. She doesn't mind me changing them or cleaning them still. I know a couple of moms who have waited till they were like 3-5 and say that they won't let them go near the ear to clean it.

I think it's personal preference, but keep in mind that just like the rest of her body, her overall size of her ear is still going to grow a little bit. So, although you might like the way the earrings look in her ears now, the actual location of the hole might appear to have shifted over time as her ears grow & stretch. Another advantage to waiting until she's older is that you can use it to help her learn responsibilities - she has to be able to clean her ears & turn the earrings in the hole by herself when they're first pierced before she's allowed to get them pierced. I'm not sure if you have your ears pierced or not, but the pain is short-lived (less than an hour) & just red ears for a bit that day.

Hi Lauren,

I got my daughters ears pierced when she was 5 1/2mths old she is now 9 mths. It was the best decision that I made. The ears heeled perfect and I could maintain them with cleaning without any issues from my daughter. She is so use to having them that she does not bother them at all.

It was not painful for her at all. They do one ear at a time at this age. She cried for a few moments after the piercing, but I nursed her immediately and it clamed her down within 5 minutes and she went back to her normal self. If you don’t nurse I would suggest having a bottle handy to sooth her.

My decision was very easy to for me I have several nieces and my sisters all waited until they were older and there were so many issues. The girls were not old enough to take care of the maintenance and did not want help from their parents. They were always touching them with dirty hands and infections happened etc.

It's your decision do what feels right to you..

I got my daughter's done when she was 4 months and my sister got her three girls done at 4 months too. If you wanted to do it, I would recommend soon so that she will not notice and not be tempted to pull on them like she will be when she is older. My daughter only cried while they did it and as soon as they handed her back to me, she stopped crying and never acted like her ears bothered her.

Lauren,

I have heard both sides of this "argument" and I truly believe that it is a personal decision for the mother to make. Some people say that she would be too young, they can not turn the earring appropriatly, when they sleep they rub back and forth and it bothers the ear, it is thier body and they should choose to do it when they are old enough to say they want it done.....on the other side.... I have heard that 5 months is a good age, and if you discuss it with her doctor , then it should be fine. Again, I believe it is a personal decision. Good Luck!!
L.

This is a hot topic so i am sure you will hear varying advice/opinions. I can only speak to my own expierences. I have two biological daughters and 1 stepdaughter. I got both of my girls ears pierced at 2 months (this is when the pediatrician said it was safe) neither of them had any problems. My oldest is almost 7 and she loves her earrings. They look great (no issues with her growing and them not being in the right place) my 2.5 year old also has not had any issues and has never really bothered with her earrings. So with that being said when my husband and i got married his daughter did not have pierced ears. After a year or so she decided she wanted her ears peirced too. We took her (with her moms consent)and it was HORRIBLE. She was so upset. It was the worst ordeal ever. She never let us clean them. She fussed with them, she lost one and had to get it re-pierced. She is now 9 and is much better with them, but WOW it was bad. So i guess my expierence says do it while they are younger... they grow up accustomed to them and learn as they get older how to care for them. Feel free to contact me with any more questions. Good luck. P.S. Sally Beauty supply sells the earrings that have locking backs (like ones from the piercing place) so you can always have extra pairs for emergencies or just when you want to change them. They sell the earrings to the public (just not the actual piercing kit) and they are super cheap and safe. We have tons of pairs of them.... all are so cute.

I feel both ways about this but mostly I would leave it for her to decide. I think that ear piercing is a rite of passage for many girls. I remember getting mine at 5 yo and I can remember some of the girls in my class had to wait until the wee 10- 12 years old. The point of waiting is to have her ask for it and be old enough to take care of it herself.

Hey, Lauren!
Having a daughter myself, I understand the temptation (especially since mine was bald & mistaken for a boy till she was almost 2!).
However, you should know that there are SEVERAL pretty big risks, both short term & long term w/ getting an infant/small child's ears pierced.

The first is pain & swelling. This is unavoidable & can be quite severe for several weeks. The next would be chance of infection---anything from a minor infection to, believe it or not, Hep B (which have been linked on several occasions to ear piercing guns since there is NO way to steralize them).

In addition to that, when the ears are pierced at such a young age, the ears are, obviously, going to continue to grow quite a bit. A lot of times, the earring hole ends up in completely the wrong place later on. I have a couple of friends who got ears pierced as infants & as adults, they now never wear earrings b/c the placement is so "off"--their holes are WAY too high & it looks wierd. One of them, especially, feels "robbed" of her choice to get her body altered & feels very resentful that her mother made that choice for her at such a young age.

Ear piercing guns also use blunt force trauma to shove a dull-pointed earring through their cartilage & is very painful. IF you choose to have it done, I HIGHLY suggest going to a tattoo shop/piercing studio to have it done. It'll be done by trained professionals who do this for a living (not by some teenager who watched a 10 minute video) & will be done with sterile needles, not a gun.

My almost-6-yr.-old daughter wanted to get hers done, so last month I took her to a tattoo shop to get it done & it was quick (not nearly as quick as a gun, but pretty fast) & there was virtually NO swelling, redness, drainage, etc... It's also done w/ hoops instead of studs so that bacteria doesn't get trapped between the earring & ear & "twisted" into the wound.

The other risk is that earrings (especially if you change them from the ones they get pierced with) are a MAJOR choking hazard. In fact, it's one of the top 12 choking hazards for infants & small children. The earrings can also get snagged on/by their clothing, blankets, etc.... & lead to a ripped earlobe.

You're her mom & you need to choose what you're comfortable with. I can tell you that leaving the choice up to my daughter was something that I ended up being very happy about. She was very nervous to have it done but after it was done she felt so overwhelmingly proud of herself for having the courage to get through it. I can't tell you how proud of herself she was! I've never seen her beaming with so much pride!

Good luck with this big decision for your daughter!

It's really a matter of choice and personal taste. I probably would not have the heart to do that to a 5 mo old, but I DO think those little pierced ears look so very cute! Thank goodness I have a boy, so I didn't have to decide about ear piercing! Good luck.

Hi Lauren,

Wait. The baby will experience pain with piercing. She won't know what is causing it.

Just a thought. Good luck. D.

Most places will pierce a babies ears over 2 months of age. I had my youngest daughters ears pierced at about 4-5 months old. It is your choice and if you want to get them done then go for it.

I know this isn't really a big thing in the grand scheme, but I'd wait till she requests it. It's her body. Good luck deciding.

I am personally waiting until my girls are older, but I do think babies look cute with them!
I heard you can get your doctor to do it, though i've never actually asked. Good luck!

I got my oldest daughter's pierced at a year old and my younger two were both 6 months. Younger was definitely easier - the older one didn't like them touching her. I never had any problems with the piercings until my youngest though - they kept bleeding and looking painful. I wished I hadn't done it, but finally found that 2 tsp sea salt dissolved in a gallon of distilled water was the best cleaning solution. I heated up a small bowl to tolerably warm and soaked a cotton ball in it and cleaned them a few times a day. They were healed within 2 days. So much better than the solution they gave me at the store!

Hi,

It's a personal choice. I couldn't wait for my daughter to turn 2.5 months so I could have her ears pierced. She has no problems with them now that she's 4.5 yo. They're like a part of her & she loves them. I was 8 when mine were done (with a sterilized needle & ice back in the 70's) and it hurt like crazy, so I was trying to avoid that pain for my daughter. I'm glad I had hers done early. If she grows up and doesn't want them, she can remove them and maybe the holes will grow closed over time.

First, I would check with your Dr., some offices actually do pierce ears of young children. I have a son, so I won't be dealing with that unless of course I would have another child and it would be a girl. Otherwise, most people tha I know that had their daughters ears pierced at a young age before dr. offices were diong them, they only did 1 side at a time so that the child could sleep on the other.