Ear Piercing - Manitowoc,WI

I think everyone has a different opinion but here is mine...Wait til she is older and let her decide if she wants to put holes in her ears. I had mine done when i was 7. My daughter for her 7th bithday. I dont think that is a choice parents should make. Good luck.

Another opinion. I wanted my daughters (2, one now 20 and the other 18) to WANT to have their ears pierced before doing it because I thought they would look cute. They both opted for piercings about in the 3rd grade. One wears earrings all the time, the other over half the time, I rarely ever wear earrings now. They were both old enough to take care of their piercings with little oversight and it was their decision to have the body modification done, not mine. That is my humble opinion, it's a personal, individual decision made by the person who will be affected most. Plus, the piercing may not close all the way depending on how long they have been pierced. My 18 year old has a scar just below her lip where she had a lip ring put (thankfully now not utilized any more) and it's noticable close up.

Getting my daughters ears peirced before one was the best thing I ever done. She barely flinched and since she is so young, she left them alone cause her ears are still foreign to her. Don't let anyone talk you out of it. If she don't want them when she is older, she can let them close on her own.
L.

S.,
I was told that the younger babies can't feel the pain of the piecring as much. I got my daughter's done at 8 months and I don't remember her in all that much pain. I think I gave her tylonel just in case and they did both ears at the same time. She is now 13 and she doensn't even wear earrings now. You may want to take that into consideration also.

I got my daughters ears pierced at 9 months and she did great getting it done the problem came at around 2years old she started to pull them out of her ears of course i worried about her putting them into her mouth so I was very careful when she would wear them. She is now 8 and barley ever wears her earings because she has sensitive ears. Don't know if this helps just wanted you to be careful if she were to pull them out! Otherwise yes they do look so cute :) Take Care J.

I had my 1st daughters ears done at 13 months. I would not recommed that age! She was too old to not know what was going on so she would not sit still for ''strangers'' to put the markings on her ears (that alone took 20min, she was screaming) and she was too young to sit still and be excited for the outcome. Let's just say I will be getting my 6 mo old's ears pierced very soon :) Don't worry about it hurting her. The nerves in their ears have not fully grown down into their lobes so she really would feel very little to no pain. My daughter still has never played or bothered them (she's had them a year now) I think they have just become part of her, she doesn't even know they are there.

I had my daughter's ear pierced when she was a year old and thought it would be cute to have the pearl earrings when she was a flowergirl for my brother's wedding. One day she was standing on a chair at the bowling alley and fell, ripping her earring out. I felt so horrible. We let the holes close and we didn't worry about it until she was 5 and asked for them to be done. She took very good care of them and loved them but one day in Kindergarten she was laying her head down on the carpet and the earring caught in the weave of the carpet. She pulled her head up and it pulled the earring back into her ear. By the time I seen it, it had swollen up and we had to have a doctor remove it. I decided after that that she needs to be big enough to handle taking care of them, putting them in and removing them. My daughter in law won't get my granddaughter's done until she asks for them and is old enough to care for them.

Earrings are cute on little girls but with the infections, tearing and all that could happen, I would think twice of ever doing something so permament just for it being "cute" again.

well to put your mind at ease. you can actually pierce babies ears after their first vaccinations so around 2 months old. she should be fine with the whole rolling around on the floor thing after getting them done. my daughter had no problem with this. there really is no discomfort to the child as i could tell with my daughter. she screamed after the first ear was done but the second ear didnt bother her when the piercer did it. just be careful when turning them after putting the daily disinfectent on them. best to have daddy do that if you have long finger nails you dont want to pinch her little ears. plus it will make daddy feel important. lol. well there you go. sorry if that didnt help you much or if you got many responses with the same as mine.

When my 7 year old daughter was a tiny baby, I wanted to get her ears pierced. My husband put his foot down, so I didn't do it.

Around the time that my divorce was final (she was about 4...) she started begging me to let her get earrings. I took her to Claires and let her see how it was done, and then let her think about it over a 2 week period.
I took her back to see it done again, and she still wanted it.

We got them pierced without more than about 30 seconds of crying. She knew it was going to hurt, and she knew she would probably cry, so it was all under her own control.
(By the way, I made sure that she had both done at the same time.)

She loved them... right up until one got infected.
After that, she was scared to death to touch them (or let me touch them) and we never got the chance to even change them. I ended up taking them out when she was 6 because of the lump that formed after the infection, and she "never wants earrings again".

Here is my two cents:

I say go for it!
I wish that I had done it when my daughter was a baby, rather than when she was older.
I agree with you that girls look adorable with earrings.

In regards to the other moms that suggested it should be your daughter's choice, I wonder how many of them that have sons allowed it to be their SON'S choice to have a circumcision!
Both procedures are unnecessary and both are cosmetic things that are right in line with what our society views as attractive. I doubt that will change.
Some moms said this was permanent, and I respectfully disagree.
My daughter has no scars from her piercings even WITH the infection!

I guess it comes down to this:
If you have it done now and your daughter decides when she's older that she doesn't want them, (seriously, what are the chances of that?) she can take them out and let them close.
No harm done.
On the other hand, if you wait until she's older, she will have to go through the same initial pain and she'll REMEMBER it.
Basically it's about a minute of tears, 6 weeks of cleaning them a few times a day, 6 more months of wearing the studs she is pierced with, and a lifetime of cuteness!

I wish you the very best of luck with whatever you decide to do!

First daughter we waited until she was 2 1/2. It was a painful experience! She bawled and bawled. 2nd daughter was 3 months old and she was fine. She's 11 months old now and never bothers her. The younger the better I think. Just keep them clean so they don't get infected. Good luck:-)

We have 3 girls, ages 14, 12, & 7. We've always felt that ear piercing should be a personal decision, as it is a permanent, unnecessary change to the body, & does leave a scar if the child chooses later to not continue wearing the earrings. Both the 14 & 12 year olds have mentioned wanting to have their ears pierced. I explained that that was fine with me, if they felt that they were ready. After I explained how it was done & they would be responsible for the cleaning regimen (I had my own pierced in high school, BTW), & that there CAN be infection issues if they aren't properly taken care of (& sometimes even when they are!)they have choosen to wait for now. Doesn't matter either way to me, I just think it should be THEIR decision, as it is their bodies.

Just my opinion, but I really suggest on waiting now until she is at least 4 years old. I have heard from lots of people that the best time to get them pierced is up until they are 3 months old. Or you need to wait until they are old enough to help take care of them.. No one told me this until after I got my daughter's done, and I did her's right before she turned one. That only lasted about 8 months. I had to take them out because she kept doing it herself and I didn't want her to rip them out. Like I said, its just my opinion. good luck

I had my three girls done when they were very young (8 months, 6 months, 3 weeks) and have had absolutely no problem with them. As another posted said, if you do it when they are young, tbey tend not to even know they are there and don't bug with them.

I would like to make a suggestion though; keep good quality earrings in for a long time. Buy a few sets when you have her ears done from the place that is doing the piercing so that you have a little variety and then keep the intital ones in for a long time (6 months) so that all of the healing is done before you try to change them.

They are not difficult to keep clean and they really do look cute.

Best of luck!

C.

well it all depends on u. Some say to Not do it that young and others say its the best time cause they wont mess with them but 8 months old mm will she pull at her ears? Are u putting urself up for something u dont wanna deal with now? U are going to have to watch her all the time to make sure she dont rip them out which wouldnt be good.I wanted to get my daughters done when she was a baby so she wouldnt be messing with them and hubby said NO he wants her to make the decision to get holes in her head what does ur hubby think or does he have an opinion? There is NO harm in doing it u just gotta make sure u ready for the 6 weeks of watching so they heal well. and hope she sits still long enuff as to not get them lopsided. Good luck in what ever u do.

My thought is: when she's old enough to want them, and is mature enough to care properly for her ears and her earings by herself or with very little help.

I never wanted my ears pierced, and still don't have them pierced.

My 1 year old twin girls got their ears pierced when they were 4 1/2 months old. They have earring backs that cover the stem of the earring and snap over it so it won't poke her neck. Just be sure they have this kind when you get her ears done. Be sure to give her some Tylenol before you go in. Make sure they do both ears at the same time too (insist on it). My girls have never fussed with their earrings because they have always had them. I really think it was much easier getting it done while they were little. My oldest niece got hers done when she was about 6 years old and her ears are all closed now because she wouldn't leave the earrings in and messed with them all the time. My other niece got hers at 6 months and never messes with them either. Good luck!

Hi I had my little girls ears pierced at 6 weeks old. the sooner the better. My daughter is now 7 and loves hers and has never had a problem with them. hope this helps

Hi S.,

I got my daughters ears pierced when she was 6 months old. She cried for about 5 minutes and that was it. I'm glad I got them done when she was little, she didn't play with them or try to rip them out at all and still doesn't.
Hope that helps and good luck.

My daughter in law got my granddaughters ears pierced when she was 3 months old if taken very good care of to prevent infection then it should be fine. They never bother her but the child has to be upto date on shots at least when they pierced her ears she had to show proof.

I had my oldest ears pierced 3x becuase I originally tried when she was a baby (less than 6 months) and they got infected. Then I tried again a few years later, same thing. Finally, I waited until she was like 7 or so and they are fine now. I strongly recommend waiting if you can until she is a bit older - once they roll, etc they could get them caught on something and that would be a problem. Plus cleaning them is a hassel when they are this young. They will look cute but the risk for infection, etc is higher when they are this small. Good luck!

I got my dd's done when she was almost 4 yo. If I had it to do over again, I would not do it until she was old enough to take care of her ears herself. It is just more work for ME to do to take care of them. Like us moms don't have enough to do already! I am sure your dd is cute without earrings. I wouldn't get it done because she would look cuter. I would wait til she can ask to have it done and clean and change them herself (with your supervision).
S.

If you do it when they are young then their body treats it like it belongs there and you have less of problem with them getting infected or closing up. My parents had mine done when I was a couple of mths old and I had my daughters done about the same time. Neither of us had any problems at the time. I also had second holes done later (14) and had nothing but problems with them. My advice is to get it done sooner than later.

Hi S.,
I had my daughter's ears pierced when she was 1 year old. She did really well... she cried obviously for a little while after they had done it but she was consolible right away after. The only complaint I have is that she would just fight us when we tried to clean her ears twice a day for 6 weeks. I would probably wait until she was a little older just so she'd somewhat understand a little better that they need to be cleaned to keep them from getting infected.

I don't understand why you would want to put holes in your daughter's ears. I think it is a way of sexualizing a child before they're ready. 8 months old? I just don't get it. I think you're sending her a message that looks are way too important as well. Important enough that the pain is worth it. She would probably look "cute as a bug" with makeup as well - but should you?

I wouldn't get it done over cuteness and think it's taking her right to decide what she wants done to her body. It's not fair. I'd like to get my 19 month old done but just can't get myself to do it until she asks me.

I waited until my oldest was 3 and was telling me on and off for about a year that she wanted earrings like me.
I struggled with my decision at first though. She's 3! I think 7 or 8 is a better age to make such a permanent decision. Many girls in our society have their ears pierced. I worried that she'll be mad at me later in life but who has experienced that?

She's had them for 6 weeks now. She wanted it so bad she didn't even back down off the chair and she watched an older girl get it done before her. She'll still look at them in the mirror and thanks me for them. She tells me how much she likes them. I'm happy we did it. I wished she was much older when she asked though but it is what it is.

In my opinion I think you should wait. I wanted my childs ears pierced as a tiny baby but always had that feeling as if I'm smoking while pregnant. Taking away my kids right.

S.,
Just to let you know that I was very young when I got my ears pierced and I don't remember my mother telling me anything about it hurting afterwards.
K.

I'd wait for many reasons. Number one, infection. My mother pierced my ears (at a salon) when I was really young ( I think I was 3 or 4), and they got badly infected and I eventually developed permanent scarring. But before the scarring set in, I had terrible problems with metal allergies from cheap posts which exacerbated my problems. I hated getting my ears cleaned, and after having puss lanced from my ears by a doctor several times over, oral antibiotics, and my mother having to chase me around the house with peroxide washes and antibacterial ointments, I was finally unable to wear earrings. My holes closed up.

By the time I was in high school, I was old enough to appreciate ear rings. I got them pierced again, but because of the old scar tissue, I had to have the posts put in a different spot on my ears, so it looks a little weird and off-center. This time around, I had no problems, though I still am allergic to certain metals. I can only wear real gold..not just those posts labeld "hyperallergenic".

Maybe wait until she's old enough to appreciate them, and old enough to take care of them.

I got my youngest done when she was 6 months(now 11 months), they did both at the same time. (highly recomend!!) She cried for maybe 2 min., that was it!! She does not paly with them or anything. Now my 3 year old was a whole other story!!

By the way we just went to Clarie's, they did an awesome job, and where great with the girls.

HTH,
J.

We had our daughter's ears pierced when she was 6 months - only girl with 2 older and 2 younger brothers. I always made sure to choose tiny studs that didn't dangle or get in her grasp if she was pulling her ears so we had absolutely no problems with them. She is now a gorgeous 27 year old, has added several more pierciing to her ears over the years and loves to wear them. Wish you the best
C. - mother of 5

Since you asked...

I cringe when I see babies' ears pierced. Babies are perfect and beautiful the way they're born. Earrings on a baby are sad and tacky to me.

I was 12 when I got my ears pierced (and it hurt!) and my daughters won't get their ears pierced until they're about 12 too.

I got my ear pierced when I was a month old. I too have metal allergies and can only wear sterling silver or gold for any type of jewelry. I got my second set of piercings in my ears at 16 and a 3rd set at 18. I've had no trouble with infections except when something has been labeled as sterling silver but it really wasn't. I have a 14 month old daughter and I'm planning to wait to get her ears pierced until she is old enough to take care of them on her own. I'm sure she will have metal allergies like I do. I know when they are so young they could potentially pull at the earrings. My daughter won't even let me put anything on her head because she just rips it off so I can imagine what she'll do with earrings.

I had my daughter's done at 4 months. She let out a short "ehh" after the second ear and they never bothered her again. Now she is 2.5 and loves to "match" her earings to her outfit. It is every person's individual choice to decide how and when to do ear piercing, but my daughter didn't have hair until she was 2. This helped to make her look like a cute little girl without having to dress her in pink all the time!

I did it when my daughter was 4 months old and it looks great! everyone comments on how cute she looks. she cried for a second then that was it (pretty much like she does at a shot). I just made sure and gave her tylenol about 20 minutes before hand, and I did NOT use their aniseptic cleaner they gave me. Instead I used vitamin e oil on her ears once a day for a week and they were healed. I just check them every once and a while to make sure they are okay. Vitamin E oil works so great! Good luck!

I had both of my daughters' ears pierced at 8 and 9 months and they handled it very well. They didn't play with them, act like they had any discomfort or anything. They didn't like having them cleaned those couple of times a day but that's because the solution was cold. I haven't had nor have any of my friends had trouble with infections as long as you keep them clean. Good luck and I'm sure she'll look beautiful!

S.~

i always suggest to people to do it now before she gets little older where she is not playing with it or trying to take it off etc.. I am a mother of 3 girls and one 1 boy and all 3 of my girls have thier ears periced when they were 3 months old.. they cry few min and they forgot bout it.. every time i changed thier diapers i put stuff on thier ears same time...Good luck...

My daughter is 6 & has unpierced ears. We are waiting until she asks for them.

But, I think if you want them done & are willing to put in the work - go for it. She should be fine as long as the earrings are not dangly.

When I got my ears pierced the first time at age 10, I don't remember any pain & had no problems taking care of them. And my Dad would only let me wear stud earring until I was in high school. In high school I got double piercing - did them myself. Those healed fine also.

I waited until my daughter could ask me for them. I explained that it will hurt and she thought about it for a while... we visited the store where the lady showed her the equipment, she thought about it for another few weeks. Then at age 4 she decided to do it. It was prety painful - I could totally tell by her face, but she didn't cry and made sure everyone knew it :) I'm glad I waited this long but it would have been easier if we waited until she could take care of them herself. They are a lot of work to keep up. I am so busy and it is hard to clean them as often as you need to (we both forget, although she reminds me too). And we have to be careful when pulling her shirt on and off - the earings sometimes get caught... It's just one more thing to add to your list of things to do - but it DOES look cute! Good luck with your decision :)

I got my daughter's ears pierced at 5 months. She barely cried when they were done, and has been wonderful in letting me clean them. Her ears never looked red or irritated after they were pierced, and they didn't and don't seem to bother her at all. She is 10 months old now, and she doesn't seem to know she has earrings in. She rolls, crawls, and bumps her head all the time, we only touch them to clean them- I say go for it!!! They are adorable!!! I have only heard negative stories when a mother/child has taken the earrings out too early. Let them stay in as long as they can, I don't plan to change them until she asks me too, which should be a pretty long time. That way I can be sure that they are totally healed, and won't hurt when we change them.

Good Luck!!

My daughter is 5 months old. We will not be peircing her ears until she asks to have them done and is old enough to care for them herself.

A good rule of thumb S. is to ask yourself: are you doing it for you or for her?

If you are doing it for you, considering her discomfort is good, but are you considering the consequences to YOU of your actions? For 4-6 months they will have to be cleaned every day 3x and monitored for infection. If they get infected (babies can be awfully messy with food, etc.) you will have trips to the doctor.

Then they will have to be changed periodically, giving the two of you ample opportunities for control issues.

If you are doing it for her, why not wait until she is conscious of wanting to have them pierced? At 8 months it is doubtful that she is requesting the pain, cleaning, and changing of them.

I would suggest waiting until she is willing to endure the initial pain, can clean them herself and has the dexterity to take them in and out without help (around 10 years old).

I personal would wait until she asks for them. My daughter would have pulled them out because she hated anything 'touching' her head (it was next to impossible to wash her hair/head). So take in consideration how she reacts to things on/touching her... maybe try putting a small sticker on her ear and see if it bothers her. If she could care less then maybe get them pierced... but I really think that it could be more of a problem and babies are going to deal with enough 'pain' like colds, ear infections, teething and such.

Best of luck in your decision.

I did my daughter's at 4mos. old and never had any problems or issues. She never knew they were there and never touched,grabbed or played with them. Because of this no infections no problems. She didn't cry at all just a little wince and I gave her the bottle and she was content in 2sec.

Now she had a second hole pierced at age6 and we had more problems with her second hole, she played with them, they got infected etc...When she had the first one pierced she freaked out and didn't want the second one pierced.

I'm pregnant with my second child if this one is a girl I'm piercing her ears right away too.

Some say wait til your daughter decides on her own to have her ears pierced... I've NEVER met any female that didn't want her ears pierced later in life.

My daughter also has senstive ears and we stick with gold or the earrings that say sensitive.

If you're sure that you want to get them done, then I would get them done. I've heard of babies getting them done as early as 8wks! My daughter is just about 5 months and I want to get hers done as well. I'm not too sure about the 'rolling' around thing, but as long as you DON'T get dangly earrings and DO make sure you get the ones with the rounded safety backs, then I'm sure she'll be fine. When I go to get my daughters done, I'm going to give her some Infant Tylenol in advance. Also, I would recommend, as it's been recommended to me as well, to have two people (one on each side) to get the job done...it'll be quicker.
Hope that helped some! GOOD LUCK!

Hi S., I have twin girls and I got their ears pierced when they were 3 1/2 months old and have had no problems at all. Since it was done at such an early age they don't even realize that they are there. I hope that helps a little.

my daughter got her done at age 2 months and did she wonderful with them. just make sure you use the studs or you use real gold with screw on backs..they are so cute a clean them

Hi S.! I see you have gotten some strong feedback. I just wanted to say that whatever you decide is the right choice because it is the right choice for YOU. I haven't pierced my daughters ears yet (17 months old) and I will probably wait. That doesn't mean I am against infants having it done. She probably will be cute as a bug!
To the person who so quickly labeled it at sexualizing... good grief! There is nothing sexual about ears being pierced.
So, S.. Don't worry. You won't scar your child for life. I do agree with those who talked about allergies. I would take her to a place that specializes in piercings and get real stainless steel.

I don't have girls, so I never had to consider it.

I know they do look cute, but I personally never liked seeing babies with their ears pierced. I just always felt something like that should be a decision for them to make about their body.

I myself never had my ears pierced until I was like 10 or 12 and could take care of it myself.

I do hear they do both ears at once, so that may help, but I'm guessing she'll scream from the initial "suprise" of what happened, so I'm not sure how you yourself will take it. I know I can't stand when my kids cry when they get shots at the doctors, I almost cry half the time....so I guess that might be somethign to take into consideration.

I took our daughter to get her ears pierced when she was 6 months old. They were both done at the same time and have had no problems. Our daughter even likes to play with her ears and my husband was worried that she would rip one out, but it never happened. She hasn't had any issues with infection either. She did cry for a bit, but only as much as she would with a shot at the doctor's office.

Hi S., i want to tell you that in my country (Peru) we use to ear pierce our babies just right after they born, most of the time we bring the earrings to the hospital and the nurse is who makes it. I didn't do it, but i got it for my oldest daughter when she was 6 months, everything was ok, no infection, or pain i put some antibiotic cream just for prevention, i think if the place is clean, they work with disposable material, everything will go fine.
Good luck
V.

I, too thought my daughter would be adorable with earrings. But my husband said he thought we should wait until our daughter decided she wanted them. After some thought, I decided that was a good idea. Just a suggestion......

We had our daughters' ears pierced at 9 months. She didn't make a peep. Never touched her ears or anything.

Just make sure there will be 2 workers there so they can do it at the same time. Also make sure you go someplace where they do it often. You don't want your daughter being someone's guinea pig....

We made sure we cleaned them and turned them for a couple weeks but we never had any problems with our daughter...

Hope this helps.

My first daughther had them done around 6 mos and was fine after the initial shock of the piercing. If she's not an ear tugger she should be ok. Just make sure they do both at once. My second daughther got hers done about 2 weeks ago at age 2 and doesn't touch them at all.

Oh please wait! 6-7 year old is much better. Let it be her choice.

I had my daughter's ears pierced at 10 weeks. Because she was so young she has never played with them. We had absolutely no problems as far as infections or anything of the sort. She showed no signs of discomfort after the piercing. She did cry for about 3 mins after the initial piercing but once she was comforted she acted like nothing happened. I was 3 when I got my ears pierced, and I can still remember getting it done and I remember crying and not wanting to go through with getting my second ear done. My personal opinion is to get it done while they are younger....

I got my daughter's ears pierced when she was 6 months old. I took her to get them done right before her nap and gave her some tylenol beforehand. She had both her ears pierced at the same time and she did great! No crying and she went to sleep less than 5 minutes after. I've never had any problems with infection either. She is 2 1/2 now and likes to pick out a different pair every other day. I would recommend getting a higher karat earring to keep infection away. It's your choice so do what you feel is best.