I'm Thinking of Having My Daughter's Ears Pierced at Her 9 Month Old Check Up.

A. - I am not in favor of having babies' ears pierced. First of all, I want little girls to look like little girls - not small teenagers. You'll see this more in clothes for 10 y.o. Secondly, it gives them something to look forward to, like a 'rite of passage'. I held off til my dtr. was going into 8th grade (still several yrs. earlier than i got mine peirced). she was excited & has had fun getting earrings she really wants. (On the practical side: no need to have anything else to clean 0r keep up with when they are babies; earrings can get in the way while in the sandbox or soccer field) :)

I too am of the opinion that it is better to wait and for all of the reasons I've seen listed. I had mine pierced at 13 and discovered I was highly allergic to the metals. I also believe that it should be the child's choice. Would you tatoo her just because it is the latest fad? It is her body and she should have the choice to alter it.

I think its completely up to you but something to consider, when someone has their lobes pierced as a baby, as they grow their ears grow with them and change a little over time so the piercing can sometimes sit quite low on the lobe instead of centered by adulthood. It’s harder to do perfect placement on a tiny lobe.

I tend to not be in favor of piercing babies' ears. Of course, I wanted mine done as a girl, but I wanted lots of things that my parents had to say no to. It was a rite of passage for me to have my ears pierced as I was graduating from fifth grade. It wasn't at all unpleasant, but I remember the experience and was never interested in piercing anything else. (That's something to think about, huh?)

I don't mean to make it bigger than it is, but I think of it in terms of something to look forward to. Kids are getting so many things earlier and earlier in life that they have little to aspire to, and they perpetually seek all kinds of new heights. They develop a sense of entitlement and rights to things just because they're here and/or because every other kid has it or is doing it. We are to blame for our current "microwave" era, the age of instant gratification. Making me wait for earrings--for the permanent holes that are in my earlobes and the jewelry pieces that go with them--helped me not to get ahead of myself and to teach me the responsibility of maintaining my earrings and ear health at an age when I could really appreciate it. (I learned to keep up with my earrings because I was old enough to be disappointed when I'd lose one.) I don't think that it's necessarily a good thing to pierce a baby's ears before she understands how to appreciate it, when she can just grow up already used to it. It's like the concept of allowing a child to have a pet (any kind), something to take care of, to be responsibile for. There are basic life lessons in these simple things that children miss out on when we don't allow them to grow into certain privileges, to learn how to wait and earn something, to feel that sense of accomplishment instead of a lifetime sense of entitlement, or even a sense fo failure because they haven't been taught how to work/wait for something.

Now, that said, if you still choose to have this done, it would be a good idea to just keep this other stuff in mind so you can instill these values/lessons in other ways.

Enjoy your daughter and take good care!

Hi, A.. I understand the thoughts about using it as a right of passage since I didn't get my ears pierced until age 12. However, I had my daughter's ears pierced at 6 months old. She is now 5 years old and I am still glad I did it when she was a baby. The pediatrician's nurse did it at her 6 month check up. I felt comfortable having it done there but would not have done it anywhere else. It was good to have it done early because she didn't mess with her ears at that age. And from what her doctor says it is quite common these days. It's really a personal choice.

I have 4 Girls, (hold on I am aging myself here) when the odest was born in 1990, i asked the same question to my Ped Doc. and he gave me this answer. Children should do two things when they get their Drivers Permit- (1) go to store and buy and drink fruit juice for the first time (because at this age they care how thier teeth look and will brush frequently) and (2) drive to the dr.s office request to have their ear pierced for free and litsen to the doc explain how to be a safe teen-(because ear care has consequences if you fail to take care of them he can explain all the yucky stuff that happens to teens who for ex: drink after one another, and other stuff the parent may want him to bring up while he holds their little ears in his hands) of course Mom must wait outside! anyway it worked with my two older daughters, whom were happy to get some information that the may have been to embarressed to bring up with there doc, in front of mom. plus mom knows ahead of time what the doc is going to say and the info the kids get is medically sound. Just a Thought!

It is a personal decision. I personally do not get my little girls ears pierced at a young age. I had to wait until I was 13. It was a rite of passage and something to look forward to in becoming a teenager. At this age I was responsible for my own care and cleaning of the piercing. I have also heard stories of babies getting their earings caught on blankets and such and it pulling the earing through the earlobe causing the earlobe to split. I know that risk is minimal but I didn't want it. I am also allergic to metal. Didn't find this out until I got my ears pierced. My ears get real itchy at the site where I have them pierced when I where earings. So, for this reason I'm waiting until they have an interest in getting them done or until they are 13. It is her body, it should be her choice.
I don't think people are going to judge you with whatever decision you make.

It's one of those topics that some parents feel a little uneasy about. Before making the decision, you have to know if you can just assume they will want them pierced at all when they get older. I would assume they will.

My 6 year old had hers done on her last birthday - it was difficult. My 7 year old desperately wants hers done now, but is too scared. Now, she'll end up waiting several more years, I'm sure.

Personally, I don't think it's the taboo subject it used to be. If you're going to get it done, I'd have it done early. :-) In hindsight, that would be my personal choice also.

I say GO FOR IT!!! My husband and I regret not taking our little one earlier. Now, at 14 months, its too late for a while. She is at the stage where she probably wouldnt quit fiddling with them. We wish we had done it earlier. My neighbors baby has her ears pierced. It looks sooo cute!!!

Margaret :)

I went throught the same delimna with my baby daughter. I had them pierced at her 1 year visit, which was a month ago. It was done by the pediatrician and it looks so cute. She cried only for a short time. I'm sure is no more painful than getting her immunization shots. One thing to consider is the size of the studs and how they will look on your baby ear lobes. I'm not sure if they come in sizes or they are a standard size. I think the size of they studs they used look proportional to the size of my dauthers ear lobes. If they use these size studs on a smaller childs ear, for example 3 months, it might look a little goofy...a big gold stud on a tiny ear lobe. Might want to inquire with the ped before you get it done. Bottom line....I love how it looks on my little girls ears. She looks so cute. I was happy I did it at 1yr.

Hey there! This is always a topic for much discussion. It is a personal choice but we can share experiences. My daughter (now 4 years old) had her ears pierced the afternoon of her 6 month visit at the Ped. He gave us the go ahead and we drove straight to the mall from there. 2 nice ladies at the Piercing Pagoda did it. I held her and they each did an ear at exactly the same time. It was over in the blink of an eye. I cried- but my baby didn't!

But the important thing is I am so happy we did it. And she loooooves wearing earrings these days. For me- I did not want to her to have anxiety over it later on. No regrets here.

Good luck.

This isnt't a big deal. Get it done now because she is not going to allow the doctor to do it when she is older without a fight. You know you're going to do it and there is no better place than your doctors office. take a breath and get ready for about 30 seconds of crying. Give her a dose of tylonol or motrin about 15 mon prior so when he/she does it wont be as bad.

Hi! I had my daughters ears pierced at 4 months old and love it. She didn't cry at all!! I thought that doing it when she was young would give me a better chance to clean them each day and she wouldn't know to mess with them. Now she is 2 and LOVES her earings!!

T.

Okay.. I have seen this done over and over again. I know for some it is a cultural thing and that is fine and that is their choice, but you said you wanted to hear all opinions.

I put up with a lot of comments from strangers on the street to family members. My answer was simply "I believe in giving my child the right to choose in her own time if she wants a piercing of any type." For me to have her ears pierced while she is a baby, does nothing more than take her personal body choice away from ehr before she is even old enough to understand that she has them.

I hope that you make the right choice for you personally and your belief sytem. ;-)

Good Luck

Hi.there A. i have a 11 yearold daughter and i got her ears pierced at 6mos old get it done why she is young that way she gets use to them why she is young if you wait till she is older she want keep them in my mother waited till my sister was 2 yearsold and now she is 15 and will not wear earrings she still will not wear them.so i think that is a great i deal to get them done make sure you keep the outside area of the ear rings clean.good luck have a good day

I believe the earlier the better. My daughters were done at 2-3 months, so I could care for it properly and clean it without their interference and for many of the reasons mentioned below.

Just make sure it is done closer to the center of the earlobe and not towards the edge, my daughter and my self have torn earlobes bc the early piercing was too close to the edge.

I had my dughters ears pierced at 4 months. Nothing wrong with doing so. just make sure you keep up with the cleaning and the antibiotic cream for infections.

I had both my daughters ears pierced at 2 or 3 months old and it was quick and easy. I wanted it done early before they could know to tug on them and get them infected. They still never touch them cause they have always been used to them. I am all for getting it done the earlier the better.

I know you'll do what you want but in my opinion, shouldn't you ask HER what SHE wants? I really have to say I'm very much against this. Firstly, it looks INCREDIBLY stupid on a baby but furthermore, it should always be up to the child to say whether they want an unecessary procedure or not. I'm sure I'm too late in my response but think about it, would YOU like it if someone made you do something that you have no control over or no say-so in the matter or didn't expect? Although she's an infant, she still has feelings & rights. That's like saying it's okay to pull a perfectly good tooth while the dentist has you under sedation just because the dentist doesn't like it or a surgeon/doctor piercing your belly button while you're under sedation for something else, just because he thinks it's cute. How do YOU REALLY know that is what your daughter wants? After all, it IS about her...is it not?