When to Get Ears Pierced?

My daughter was 10 days old. It was great. She was too young to play with her ears and I was able to keep them clean. In some California hospitals, they actually have practitioners who will do this before the baby is discharged from the hopital. I know the person who pierced my daughter's ears was hesitant to do it because she hadn't had her first tetanus shot but I convinced her to do it anyway. Either do it when she is really young or when she is old enough to take care of them herself.

I got my ears pierced when i was 6 weeks old. I was allowed to get my second hole in my ear when I was 12

My daughter's ears were pierced when she was about 6 months old. I took her to a business that had experience with babies. She's now 24 and never had any problems. BTW, my ears are pierced twice.
E.

My daughter is 4 and does not have her ears pierced, but we're planning on doing the same thing my mom did with me....

When I was 6 I asked my mom if I could get my ears pierced while visiting an out-of-town mall. I had two friends that had pierced ears (since they were babies) and I was SURE she'd say "no". Well, she said "yes" and we found a place to do it. I asked her why she never said I could have them pierced before, and she told me that when I was ready, I would ask. So they went to do it, put (what looked like) the huge, metal and scary piercing gun up to my ear and I freaked out. Couldn't do it. LOL!

It wasn't until 4 years later that my best friend and I went and got our ears pierced together at the age of 10. Honestly, I was a scared then too and my friend went first - making sure to smile the entire time - so I wouldn't chicken out. I can't imagine getting them younger than that because I wouldn't have been able to take care of them like I should. If/when our daughter asks... we'll take her to a professional piercer after going over exactly what they do, the aftercare and how much it will hurt. No mall piercing guns for us. :-)

I was 16 when my Mom allowed me to get my ears pierced. My sister was 14, but my Mom just thought it would be easier to let us do it at the same time. If I were in my Mom's shoes I'd have made her wait till 16. 16 was when I could wear make up and panty hose. I think as they go into high school as a right of passage, quincenara, bet mitzva, coming of age or symbolic step to becoming a young lady is a nice gesture. I'm not for rushing kids into morphing into grown ups and I think middle school is too soon. People complain kids get sexualized earlier and earlier and wonder why it happens when they've left nothing to mark the crossing of important boundaries. Growing up boundaries are just as important as boundaries for a toddler or any other age. I'm in a minority when it comes to the ear piercing issue.

I got my daughters both done at 6 weeks. I agree that it needs to happen either early or when they are old enough to take care of them. The most important thing though is to go to a licensed piercer, who will do it with a needle, not some one at the mall making minimum wage and using a "gun" on your child. Also, turning and using alcohol has been proven to damage the piercing site, not promote healing. That is most likely what led to the scarring other people are referring to.

Well I dont have girls but I was able to get my ears pierced when I was in junior high school. My mom wanted me to be sure I really wanted them & that I would take care of them on my own - teaching responsibility. It did teach me to realize that if I did not care for my own ears then I could have infection or my holes close up. I did have friends who got theirs when they were much younger but did not seem to appreciate them like I did. I am glad that my mom had waited until I was ready & helped me learn to be more responsible. For my 2 cents...I think it all depends on each child & where they are at developmentally & what responsibility they are willing to take. God Bless

Growing up my mother made a tradition of going to get ears pierced as part of our 11th birthday party (I have 3 sisters and we all did it that way). Now as adults with our own children we had a big outing last summer with our own girls while I was visiting them in Wisconsin. Between three of us we have 5 girls 3 years apart - if that makes sense - so they all got their ears pierced at WalMart, one after the other. Their ages were 5-8.

The older girls have done quite well with taking care of them, with the youngest (mine) needing our reminders and help. She loves the earrings when they're in, but throws a fit about taking them out, because piercing studs are VERY difficult to get apart.

I guess it all depends on the temperament and interest of your daughter!

My husband and I decided to wait until she asks for it herself and make it a memorable birthday/holiday/event present.

I was allowed to get my ears pierced when i was 16. I know others that have had their daughters ears pierced when they were infants... I'd wait until they were old enough to take care of their ears themselves.

I was conservative and didn't agree for my daughter to have her ears pierced until she was around 16. In my generation ear piercing was considered a sort of rite of passage. I also thought that the effect was permanent.

However my daughter had her daughter's ears pierced when she was a baby. At first I disagreed but then discovered that many other girls that age had pierced ears and they were cute. Taking care of them was easy because we did it at the same time we changed her diaper.

My granddaughter is now 9 and doesn't wear earrings. She's told me that she's a "tom boy" and doesn't want to wear girly things.

She had stopped wearing them a few years ago and the holes healed shut and the site was not visible. Then she wanted to wear them and so had to have her ears pierced again. I think she was 6-7 and did take care of them herself.

Piercing is not permanent! Inmates, who aren't allowed to wear any jewelry, keep broom straws in their ears so that they won't heal shut.

For anyone having their young child's ears pierced I recommend using earrings sized for a baby or young child. My daughter took her daughter to a place that only used adult sized studs and my granddaughter's ear lobes are bent some away from her head. It's possible that it wasn't the earrings that caused this but if I'd known it was a possibility I would've suggested that my daughter put in smaller earrings after the first few weeks.

My daughter was 11 or so. We waited until it was something she wanted and until she could care for them herself.

www.thosecrazybeans.blogspot.com

Honestly if you want to let them get their ears pierced, either do it when they are a baby or wait until they are at least 5, so they know and understand what is going to happen to them. I was allowed to have mine done at 5 and I remember it hurting but not much else, however I chose to do my daughters at 3 and it was a nightmare. She constantly pulled them out. My sister had her daughters done at about 6 months and it was much easier to keep them in and clean. In all reality it is whenever you chose that is best. I would just make sure they are old enough to understand not to pull at them and make it worse.

It was Spring Break during her Kindergarten year...I had offered earlier in the year and she was fearful of the pain. So, we would stroll the jewelry section at WalMart on occasion, and she decided that she was ready. I didn't lie and told her it might hurt a little bit - she psyched herself into it, and after it was done, she popped up and exclaimed "that didn't even hurt!" Enable and empower! We established a rule for no hoops or dangles until they have been pierced for one year....

I waited until my girls wanted to have their ears pierced. They were around 5 years when they started to ask. I was truthful with them and told them that it would hurt a little then feel warm. My oldest refused until she was nine years old. My second daughter waited until she was about 6 and they look cute and girly. I don't regret it at all. My 9yo can take care of her ears herself, but my 6yo needs help to keep them clean

When she asked to have them pierced and was capable of caring for the new piercing and earrings. I have friends who pierced their infant daughter's ears and then there are folks like me who didn't get their ears pierced until they were 21. My daughter didn't want her ears pierced, my niece had her's pierced at age 8. Again, my niece was responsible for the daily care and had to keep track of her earrings, as they were 14 karat gold posts, not plated to make sure there would be no nickle allergies or other problems. Choice and responsibility are the two factors.

I dont know why people wait so long to do this. I dont know why I waited - but I just took my 4.5 y.o. daughter to have her ears pierced as a holiday gift. It was easier than I thought it would be for her and she recovered fast. Plus she is so proud of herself - it was almost magical for her. There are so many cute little girl earings - I say any time you think you girls are ready to sit still and not touch them when they are healing.

We are waiting until our children are old enough to ask for it and understand that it can hurt and will require care. My husband and I are really into body modification and have many piercings and tattoos. We want our children to take great care in the decisions they make about their bodies. We also want to be sure to have it done in a way that honors their choice. It is a major right of passage and should be treated as such.

I would recommend that anyone interested in piercings do their research.
The Association of Professional Piercers has some great info at www.safepiercing.org
In our community I would highly recommend High Priestess Piercing. http://www.highpriestesspiercing.com/
They are a wonderful team of friendly professionals.

Beware of piercing guns and places that use them. They can be harmful to your health.

My daughters don't have pierced ears and we won't let them until they're able to take care of them at least.

My sister go hers pierced at about 15 and mine were about 12.

Most of the posts say to wait until age 16. There is no way I am going to wait that long. My daughter is 7 months old & I am planning on piercing her ears soon. I agree, if you wait until she is a toddler, the ears are more likely to get infected (she'll be touching them constatly).

I plan on letting my daughter decide for herself when she is 16, just like my mother did. Most in my generation seem to be into infant ear piercing, but I strongly believe that it should be the child's decision. I have friends who have scarred ears and never wear earings and wish their mothers had not mutilated them as babies (yes, they feel as if their bodies were mutilated). Point being, piercing is a decision to be made by each person, not something we should inflict on a baby/child to young to make a decision or understand the ramifications.

When she is old enough to take care of them. They have to be turned and alcohol has to be put on them several times a day and I am not going to do that for her. When she gets old enough that she can twist and turn them and she can put the alcohol on them and be responsible enough to do it and remember to do it, she can get them pierced. I am gonna say that should be around 16 yrs old. It really depends. If she can prove her responsibleness before then, we will have a discussion and decide as a team whether she is old enough or not.
Just my opinions. All the little 3 and 4 yr olds that have that done are cute but not me. I have too much to do to mess with that. My responsibilities around the house and teaching her what she needs to know about on top of all the house work, library visits, grocery shopping, cloths washing, etc..... (get the picture).... I am not putting any more on me than what I have to.

I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until my 8th birthday and was very diligent about cleaning them. My husband and I decided to have our daughter's ears pierced when she asked for them which just happened to be right before she turned 2. It may not have been the best time to do it, while she loved them it was a challenge to clean and care for them because she would kick and cry each time we needed to clean them or heaven forbid one earring came out and we had to put it back in. She never played with her earrings but for some reason several months after we had her ears pierced, when you'd think they'd had plenty of time to heal, she did develop an infection in one earlobe and month after treating that ear she developed an infection in the opposite lobe..it was her first experience with antibiotics. Now it's been a year, she still has the earrings and will let us clean them, change them, whatever and she will sit patiently and wait until we are done.

Let her get them pierced when she gets her first period - it will be a nice way to commemorate a right of passage and take the edge off something that is otherwise "icky" to alot of young girls.

My daughter was 2 years old when we took her to get her ears pierced. The care that so many talk about is so easy and might take 2 minutes max. My daughter has never had any problems with her ears.

I do not believe there is a right or a wrong regarding this topic. We, as parents, get to make the choice regarding what we will allow. Live and let live.....

I begged for years to get my ears pierced. On my 12th birthday my mom took me to get that done as I was old enough to take care of them myself.

I wasn't aloud until I was 16....had to be old enough to care for them myself and make a decision that can't be reversed.

We plan on letting our daughters have their ears pierced when they are old enough to ask for it by themselves and are able to understand the ramifications (temporary pain, etc.). As long as they're not asking, they're not having their ears pierced. We think it to be cruel if parents take their little girls, who don't even understand what happens, and have their ears pierced, poor little girls.

We waited until 7.

My 4 year old got pierced earrings for Christmas from my mom. But, my mom wouldn't let me get pierced ears until I was old enough to take care of them. I was 9 and going into 4th grade. I was very diligent about cleaning my ears for a little while, but I was such a tomboy that I would wrestle around and I got one torn partway out. OUCH!!!

I think when they can take care of them, then they can get them pierced, about 8 or 9 is probably a good age.

I don't want to do it now, my daughter did ask, but it was because Nana gave her earrings and she isn't doing much that is asked of her these days, so I don't think she will be very responsible with her earrings.

D.