To Pierce or Not To Pierce
When I found out I was having boy/girl twins I was so excited. Not only did I get to buy baseball mitts, overalls and cars but I got to buy pretty hair bows, dolls and jewelry. My daughter has jewelry, but no earrings yet because I was too chicken to get her ears pierced as a baby.
There are many reasons parents decide to have their daughter’s ears pierced. There are family traditions, cultural traditions, or for gender identity.
Ear piercing a baby has always been the subject of a controversy. Should you pierce their ears when they are young so they don’t remember the pain? Or should your child make their own decision when they get older?
My friend who has a one year old daughter decided to pierce her baby’s ears when she was just five months old. “I wanted to make sure everyone knew she was a girl, so I really did it for gender recognition? she said. Her pediatrician was fully on board with piercing anytime after the baby reached three months old and she did it safely in his office.
Of course there are health and safety concerns that you should consider with ear piercing:
Infection: This is the most common problem with any piercing. Make sure that the equipment being used is sterile, that the posts are clean and new, that the posts are 14K gold or hypo-allergenic stainless steel, and that the earrings are not too tight onto the earlobe. It is important to clean the ear with rubbing alcohol daily to prevent infection.
Choking: Of course earrings are not permanent so they can become loose and even fall out. Anything this small can pose a choking hazard to a baby. Make sure the earrings you get have a special baby proof backing that is very hard to remove easily.
Injury: You don’t want your baby pulling on the earring or ear and hurting herself. Make sure you only use stud earring until your child is much older, hoops are too easily entangled in clothing or hair and easy to pull on.
This is a decision that is one that should be made by both parents. Many feel that doing it early in life is easier for the child. We are going to let our daughter decide when she is ready to get her ears pierced. We will all go and celebrate with her as a family, like I did with my parents. I am excited to share this developmental milestone with her and to add to her jewelry collection for her “big girl ears?!
ear piercing, when to get baby’s ear pierced, baby ear piercing, ear piercing little girls, parenting, babies, infants, girls
January 21st, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I’m defintely against ear piercing in infants. It is unsafe, painful, and has no benefits. I say let the child decide when they are older.
March 11th, 2008 at 8:34 am
In Latin American countries a nurse goes round and pierces the ears of the baby girls.
August 10th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
My ears were pierced as a newborn before I left the hospital. I would rather have my daughter’s ears pierced at the hospital than the mall, since my doctor won’t do it. I’m having it done when she is 6m old, then get it checked out with her pediatrician at her 6m check up.