Ear Pierce

Hi N.,
Any Mall in the area....Go to Claire's or some of the dept stores still do them. But if you go to almost any accessories store, they pierce them right there in the store....
Lisa

Have you considered letting permanent holes in her ears be her own decision? What if she grows up and doesn't want them?

Hi N.,

I took both of my daughter's to Claire's in Arden Mall.

I waited til they were 4 months old and had already had 2 sets of shots. The drama is less than what it is for shots. I found that if I gave them baby Tylenol right before (as recommended when they have shots) and snuggled them as we walked back to the car, that by the end of the 10-15 minute car ride home they were happy little clams. Just be sure to follow th cleaning and maintenance required for proper healing and all should be wonderful!
As for "wait til they're old enough to decide for themselves" have you ever met a little girl who didn't want to be able to were earrings?
The problem you run into with waiting is now that she is 8 or 10 or 12, she wants to do it, but now she's afraid it's going to hurt. So many times my niece would get to the shop and chicken out. When she finally did it, it was right before school sports started and she was not allowed to wear the earrings and her holes would close up and she had to start the process all over.
When pierced as infants, the holes are well established and taking off earrings for extended periods of time for sports is not an issue.
If she grows up and doesn't want to wear earrings, she doesn't have to.

Hi N.,

I have 4 daughters and never pierced their ears until they started asking for it. However, if you are going to do this I would suggest that you look under piercing in the yellow pages. Find a good reputable company and not just some place that will do it. Good Luck.

D.

I had called the local Claire's and they said that they didn't pierce ears for babies younger than 4 months, I believe. We waited until our daughter was 6 months and took her to the Claire's at the Galleria mall and they did a great job. Just make sure to keep an eye on the ears to see if there is a reaction and clean them everyday. Best of luck!

Hi N.-

I had my daughter's ears pierced at Icing in Arden Fair Mall. I was iffy about doing it at the mall, but it worked out really well. There only requirement is that she has had her first round of vacinations, so around 2-3 months I think. I took her when she was almost 6 months. (The same day as her checkup and shots, thought I'd get all the torture out of the way at once. lol) They won't do both ears at once at this age because they are too likely to move. I made sure that I filled out all the paperwork possible before they pierced so I could just get out of there when they were done. She cried from when they pierced the first one until we stepped foot out of the mall, but has not had one problem with them since. She really never even realized they were there until recently and she is now almost two.

Good luck! I swear, it's almost harder on you then her when you have to hold her head still when she's crying.

I took my daiughter to Claires in the Galleria mall in Roseville. She wa 4 mo. at the time. Bring your immunization card as they will require it. Good luck!

I would HIGHLY recommend using a peircing shop instead of Claire's or another place that uses a "gun". Piercings done with a beveled (hollow) needle cause a lot less trauma to the tissue & make for less chance of infection and better healing time. The needle will actually take out a tiny plug of skin, instead of tearing through and pushing the tissue out of the way. This way, you just have a clean wound that heals around the earring, instead of tissue trying to push itself back together, but being stopped by the post.

Your only challenge, I think, will be to find a shop that will do it. By the way, this is the method that is used in hospitals and doctors' offices when they do offer the service.

Good luck!

I'm from the bay area originally and lots of pediatrician offices offer the service there, so when I had a daughter, naturally that is how I expected to have it done. Not the case. I did not want to have it done at the mall by an inexperienced person that was there just as an after school job to collect a paycheck. But that is where I ended up. Most Piercing/Tattoo shops will not pierce infants/children even though you are consenting - I checked at several local shops. I used the Piercing Pagoda at the Galleria in Roseville when my daughter was 6 months. I went to the mall several on several occasions with the intention of having it done, but didn't actually go thru with it until I encountered an employee I felt comfortable with. I was very happy I waited for the right person!

Be sure to bring someone that will provide you moral support, it hurts you more than it hurts your little one. My mom sat with my daughter while she was pierced - I couldn't. I gave her a little tylenol afterwards and nursed her immediately and she was fine.

By the way, I can appreciate the moms below who say wait and let her make her own decision, but in some families/cultures it is just as much a tradition to do it as it is for some not to. SO, don't let that be your deciding factor. My daughter is 4 now and she doesn't remember the pain, but she loves her earrings and the opportunity to change them ; )