Ear Piercing - Idaho Falls,ID

Congrats on your first anniversary! And the baby. :+) I personally think you should wait until children are old enough to make the choice themselves, but my sis has had both her girl's ears pierced when they were really young and each was different. The older one (5 now) loves to wear earrings and change them (and has lost several). The younger one (3 now) doesn't like hers to be taken out, but she leaves them alone.

At 28, and my sis at 27, I'm glad that my mom wanted us to wait until we were old enough to take care of them ourselves. I remember being so excited for the age my mom gave me, 12, then she changed her mind to 11. I don't remember it hurting at all. My sis was about the same age when she got hers. I'm not really into jewelry, but my sis is.

In the end, you'll have to decide if you want to have the responsibility to keep on top of them while they heal, or have her do it when she's older.

As to her not having much hair, my daughter didn't really have any hair until she was closer to 18 months. I think the clothes make a big difference, though. I always dressed her in outfits that said 'girl'. Only one outfit was confusing to people. Besides, I found that people are really good about it when they get the gender wrong. It can be very difficult with babies (and some adults!) to tell gender.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

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Hi A.,
No matter what people will still ask if she is a boy. Even if she is dressed in pink and has a bib on that says I'm a girl. That's just how people are. But I had my oldest daughters ears done when she was a baby, not sure how old. Just make sure that they do them both at the same time. It takes 2 people, but if you ask them to do it at the same time then they will. She didn't have any problmes with them as far as pulling at them or anything. She cried the first few weeks everytime I cleaned them. Her problems came when she was older and changed them, but that's because she has ears like me and I can not wear earrings. my other suggestion would be to get ear rings that you are not going to want to change until she is like 2. They have cute little dimond ones and stuff. The longer you leave the stud in the better of they will be. Good Luck and take your husband for him to hold her, so when she crys it's his fault. :o)

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We have two daughters the youngest is 6mo and the oldest is 2-1/2. My wife wanted to get the oldest's ears pierced when she was an infant. I didn't like the idea because I think she needs to be old enough to make that decision on her own. It is her body and who knows what will be in style and acceptable in 10-15 years. I think tattoos are cute too but you wouldn't think of going ahead and getting her a tramp stamp because she won't remember the pain. I had my ear pierced when I was younger (29) and I don't remember it hurting. I do remember it getting slightly infected and the pain in the butt that was.

Another thing to consider is that there are many acupuncture points in and around the ear that could cause her problems if they are constantly stimulated. I know it sounds strange but I've had patients with particular long term health problems that when they remove the earrings, the problems go away. If those points can help heal, they can also cause problems.

If people are having trouble mistaking her for a boy, get her a t-shirt. My favorite is: "I'm an inny".

Good luck

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Well, since you asked....I hate seeing babies with pierced ears. I see no good reason to do it, and many reasons not to. First, even if the initial pain is slight, I know that I, personally, can't stand the thought of my baby experiencing any unnecessary pain whatsoever. Plus, I'm sure your baby doesn't care one bit if people think she's a boy. Secondly, the maintenance, discomfort, and potential of infection over the following days and weeks is just more than a baby should have to deal with. Please wait until she's old enough to make the decision herself.

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A little girl getting her ears pierced is a "rite of passage" so to speak. It's a big deal that she should remember and look forward to...I can't imagine that a 6 month old will remember the experience. Try little barrettes or headbands to make her look more feminine and let her get her ears pierced when she's older and will appreciate it!

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Just a quick idea - and it may have already been mentioned, but I didn't read all 33 responses - I plan on getting my daughter's ears pierced at age 13 as a "Welcome To Your Teens" gift, if she wants it.

Now, whether she'll wait that long or want it done sooner, we'll just have to wait and see. Will I give in? Hmmm...good question!

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She will have hair soon enough. Dress her in a lot of pink. Save the ear piercing for when she is old enough to make the decision herself. She will thank you. Its a lot of fun when they are older and she can help with the care. Save your worries for other things. She already needs a lot of care at this age. Start reading to her she can absorb a lot of information right now.

Lots of Luck.

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If you do this, realize there is always the potential for infection. My sister had hers done when she was in high school & took really good care of the new holes. However, she still got an infection. She decided to let the holes close because the infection kept recurring. The holes never completely closed! To this day the scars still have white pus she can express from them. For this reason, I would encourage you to wait until your daughter is old enough to make an informed choice on her own. This is something that will mar her body for life. (I do have pierced ears by the way--got them in high school--but my daughters who are 14, 12, & 7 so far haven't wanted them!).

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First of all it is unnecessary painful event for a baby. Second, it is a choking hazard when they come out of her ears in the midlle of the night and she decides to eat it. My suggestion is to wait until she is old enough to make the decision about putting holes in HER body. I promise even with earrings people will still mistake her for a boy. My daughter can be covered in pink from head to toe and people ask if it's a boy. I am always tempted to tell them that it is a boy but that we really wanted a girl so we just dress him in pink.

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with all five of my girls i waited to they were old enuff to want them done and understand that it dose hurt and 5 and up when they ask for them well good luck

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It always saddens me to see little girls (or boys) with pierced ears. I think it's more fair to them to wait until they can choose to have their body changed forever. Plus, it would be heartbreaking if your baby would have an allergic reaction to the earrings.

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I personally waited until my 10 yr old daugther was old enough to ask for herself, she was about 5yrs. I will make the same choice with my younger daughter. I don't think there is too much harm, I just prefer to have them make a choice like that for themselves.

There is always risk of infection and/or allergy. If you get it done i would do the higest karet gold possible to prevent allergy. I actually did this anyway with both of my daughters earpiercings. Metal allergies are not fun.

People will never be observant enough to always make out that your baby is a girl. My son had a head full of hair (haircuts every 2 months so far) and he's never had the girl comment, wheread my oldest daughter was always mistaken, she also had tons of hair.

Good luck with your choice. I'm sure your daughter is beautiful just the way she is.

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A.,
I have a 5 yr old and a 3 yr old. I pierced both of their ears when they were under 1 years old. They both cried more for immunizations than ears pierced. They dont mess with them at all we very seldom change them at this age although my 5 yr old wants to start. Otherwise I say go for it.
I took my girls to a salon where they peirced them at the same time. :)
have a great day,
kim

I feel that this is an excellent time to get your daughter's ears pierced, but I would recommend that she have her ears pierced by a doctor since she is so young.

I had my daughter's ears pierced really early in her life (I think it was around the month range) pretty much for the same reasons you give for wanting to do your daughters ears. At 15 my daughter is very pretty (OK, I am biased) well she doesn't get confused for a boy anymore.
The piercings never caused us any problems not when she was small and not now that she is older. At the young age they are less likely to mess with the piercings. That is what I was told when we did ours and I am inclinded to agree.
I bet she is just a beautiful little baby and congradulations on your year anniversary.
Take care of you and each other.
J.

My little girl was 2 years old when we got her ears pierced. But we did it because her brother cut her hair so she really looked like a boy. We thought it would make her look more girly. But people still make the mistake and call her a boy. But it did not help that she had a second hair cut from her brother. Also you have to be very careful because at 6 months they sometimes pull on their ears anyway. But infection can come and you have to be on your toes watching her ears so when an infection comes then you can fix it quickly. My 3 year old now she has had several infections in her piercing and she would not let me clean them. Also when you get it done make sure you have two people and they do it at the same time and are aligned right. You have to be careful with that to because the guns can get stuck and they pull on the ear and the child screams. So good luck. My little girl loves her earings though.

We got our daughters ears pierced when she was 1 1/2. People were mistaking her for a boy also. She finally got hair at about 2 1/2. We took her to a shop in the mall. Unfortunetly there was only one lady to help us so she had to pierce one ear at a time. She cried a little, the lady worked as fast as she could, handed her a sucker after and she was good to go. She never pulled at her ears, but I would tell people to get it done as soon as possible.

I think that you could get them done now with no problem. I got my daughters ears pierced when shhe was 2 months old. she does fine with them. she doesn't even know that they are there. Also make sure you get studs and what ever you do don't get hoops. They can get their finger stuck and pull them out.

I had my daughters ears pierced whe she was 6 months old. She has to have had her first DTap shots before they can do it. My daughter cried for just a second each ear but was relatively painless. (I made my sister hold her so that I could "rescue" her! LOL) But she never palyed with them at all. She knows they are there now. She is 3 1/2. But now she knows that she can't play with them. And I always make sure that she has the screwback or safety earrings for kids. Hope this helps you out.

My own experience makes me wait for my daughter. When I was three years old, my earing caught on my pillow and ripped my ear lobe. I haven't been able to wear normal earings all my adult life until they came out with the ear sticker to help hold it in place. My parents choice while I was a child, affected my choices as an adult. I agree with the mom who said dress your little girl in pink. I had boys that had long eyelashes and were mistaken as girls. Believe me, people don't really pay attention to details and no matter the gender of your child, someone will get it wrong. We as mothers know what our child is and we have to just roll our eyes to those who can't pay attention to the clothing to tell the difference. Remember that your baby will remember nothing of this time of her life. Your choice to pierce her ears is bigger than whether others think she's a boy. Carefully consider the options. Good luck!

this is a good time to do it she will not remeber it at all untill you tell her about it when she is older.

HI! I got my oldest daughter's ears pierced when she was about 6 mo. For me, it was not a big deal at all to keep them clean, etc. She never had infections, and we had the screw back earrings- which were great so you don't worry about them falling off. My daughter never played with them. Now she's almost 9, and she chooses when she wants to wear earrings. So thinking of 'letting her make the choice when she's older' wasn't an issue, because she makes the choice on her own as to if she wants to wear earrings or not! (She loves wearing them usually, and sometimes just forgets which is ok too because since they have been pierced so long, her holes don't close and the holes don't 'show' either.) I wish I would have gotten my 4 1/2 year old daughter's done early, too, because she is scared to go get it done. Oh well. I would say if you want to do it, go for it! It's adorable, and she can 'choose' weather or not to wear them when she's older. And if you do deal with an infection even with good cleaning, just take them out and then let her decide when she's older if she wants to try again. Have fun!!

To pierce or not to pierce it entirely up to you. My sister was only a couple of months old when my stepmom had hers done. She never bothered them b/c she was so small. However, don't do it b/c people think that she looks like a boy. And yes it would be cute, but you will be the one responsible for taking care of them. I'd like to pierce my daughter's ears (she's 4), but I would be responsible for taking care of them. Plus I know that it would hurt. I was 5 when mine were done and I remember it. It hurt a lot. Pierce if you want, but it might be wise to wait until she's big enough to take care of them herself.

IMO-- I think this is something she should decide when she's older. My daughter asked at 4, and I told her all it entailed, so she decided not to. Then she asked again at 6, and this time she was ready-I was glad I waited.

I got my daughter's ears pierced when she was 3 months old and other than the crying when she got pierced, there were no problems. We got screw back baby earrings and they have a clear coat of nail polish on the back to prevent them from accidentally unscrewing. She never touched them when she first got them so they never got infected. She is now 2 1/2 and still doesn't touch them. I don't know if she's even aware of them.

A friend at work got her daughter's ears pierced when she was a toddler and ended up having to take out the earrings shortly after because her daughter wouldn't stop playing with them.

I think it's much better to get ears pierced when your daughter is a baby, but I may be biased because I had my ears pierced when I was a month old.

Hi, A.! We pierced our daughter's ears at 8 months, and I think it was actually a little too late. You're at the perfect time! She left them alone very well. Just make sure to get screw back earrings and clean them VERY well while they're healing. Good luck!

good morning A.. my name is S.. i had my daughter's ears pierced before she left the hospital. we had to let them close as she got alot of ear infections and was always rubbing her ears on the crib mattress. i too thought it was cute and our doctor thought i was nuts. he did suggest that you wait until they are about 1-1 1/2 years old. they are beyond the ear drainage stage while feeding so it is much easier on the child. hope this helps a bit. have a great day !!!

I have 2 little girls and have pierced both of their ears. They were both 4 months old. We were told that we needed to do it between 3 and 6 months. After that they are more aware of them and more likely to pull at them. My 2.5 year old has never taken them out or played with them. ( The little pne is 5 months old and we clean her ears daily. My husband does it while I am feeding and she does great. They would only do one at a time for both of my daughters. They didn't want her to jerk and one to end up with slightly different placement. But they did one, the girls fussed about 5-10 seconds, they placed the other one and did it and it all went really smoothly. We used 2 different places, but if you have a Merle Norman that does piercing, they did a great job.

Keeping them clean, making sure they don't get infected, rotating them so they don't stick...sounds like a lot of extra work for a mom. I don't know about you, but I've got plenty of work without baby earrings. : )

please just make sure you take her to someone who is certified to do peircing, the girls that work at the mall for $7.00 an hour are not quailified, and the plastic guns they use cannot be sanitized properly because of the way they are made. There is no way to sanitize those guns for aids, hepatitis, or other things. Before anyone does this, make sure to ask if the person doing the pericing has a certification for bloodborne pathogen training. (usually they dont) Best bet is to call around the tatoo/peircing shops, and ask for someone who is good with children, you can even request a female to do it, if you want a recommendation, just message me back, I know a few people in the southwest michigan area.

I had gotten my daughters ears pierced when she was very small and they ended up getting infected even tho I cleaned them all the time. We had to remove them and to this day (she is now 14) she is afraid to get them re-pierced. Some how she remembers it. Just be careful, because they some how remember the pain we put them in to make them even more cute.
T.

I have two girls and the youngest is 4 months old. I just had her ears pierced 2 weeks ago. My oldest is 5. She had her ears pierced when she was 3 months old as well. With the first she never touched them until she was about 3 and then she was facinated by them for a couple of months and we found the "perfect" pair for her and she hasn't touched them since. She likes hoops that have some decorations on them and she doesn't like them changed or anything, so we leave them in all the time. I think the younger the better. My nieces (4) all have their ears pierced and they all had theirs done when they were babies. I think it is best when they are young.

I have been a hair stylist for 20 years. I have done many ear piercings. My experiance with the young ones is that it does frighten them. However, with as young as yours is, she wouldn't know what you were doing until it was done. The way to do it would be to have two people pierce simultanously. You would have to hold her on your lap and hold her head, and hands, and body very still so there wouldn't be any mistakes. Be prepared for her to cry as it will hurt for a minuet and she will be surprised.
When its the little girls own idea, its easier on the mom. Good luck.
P.S. I have 6 year old twin girls and they don't have pierced ears.

My daughter hardly had any hair as a baby(she is five and still it hasn't reached her shoulders!:) and we pierced her ears at 6 months. She never had any problems with them and didn't tug on them, because to her, she had always had them. I took care of them, turning them and putting the cleaning solution on. She still has them and I think they are very cute. I would recommend, if you decide to do it, have both ears pierced at the same time and have a bottle, or some other comfort thing ready for afterward. My sister in law has 5 girls, and pierced the first 3 girls when they were 6 months old, but now only one still wants the earrings. Since 2 of her older ones didn't care for the earrings when they got older, she decided not to pierce the younger two as infants.
You do have to be careful not to loose the earrings on an infant, so they don't come out and pose a choking hazard. I always checked my little girl's earrings during the day, several times, to make sure they weren't loose and was careful when dressing her not to pop the earrings off when pulling shirts on and off.
Good luck deciding!

I had my daughters ears pierced when she was 6 months old. I took her to Great Looks which is in the Sandy Mall on 9400 S and 700 E. They were terrific. Two woman did it at the same time so it was done quickly. I think it startled my little girl more than anything. She cried for a second and then was fine. She never seemed to be bothered by the earrings. I think getting there ears pierced when they are young is a great idea because my niece is 7 and wants to have hers pierced but she won't because she it too scared. I think now is a great time to do it.

Good luck!
A.

I would not pierce her ears! My husband is a professional piercer and has been for 8 years (and I am not talking about someone in the mall). Her body is constantly changing, as I am sure you know, and the position of the holes are going to change. But that's the least you have to worry about. If you do decide to do it you should do it in a reputable piercing studio/tattoo shop. If you get it done in the mall you are risking too much. The guns that they use can not be sterilized and are the worlds largest spreader of Hep B. Plus, do you want some angry uneducated teenager to put holes in your baby? I know they do it in Dr's offices but they are doc's not piercers. I could go on and on about how a piercing should be done and that's not what you asked. I would really wait until she is much older and use it to reward her for something great she did. Bottom line is MAKE SURE THE SHOP IS CLEAN! All the equipment should be in autoclave bags that are sealed, ask to see them and make sure the marker on the bag is the correct color. Just ask the person a bunch of questions and if they don't want to answer, leave.

I hate to break it to you, but people are probably still going to think she looks like a boy. If people in the grocery stores aren't observant enough to notice that a baby is wearing pink flowers (which always happened to me), they're probably not going to be observant enough to notice tiny little jewelry on her ears.

You're right... it is very cute... but I didn't have my daughter's ears peirced until she was almost 7 years old. I decided to wait until she was old enough to realize she wanted it done and ask for it herself. Then I made her watch another girl get it done to make sure she really wanted to do it. Of course she decided to wait and we had to go through her watching two other girls before she finally decided she really wanted to do it. It worked like a dream and by this age she was old enough to take care of cleaning her ears and twisting the earrings herself. It was a good lesson about the responsibility that comes with your choices and I plan on doing the same thing with my youngest daughter, who is now almost 18 months.

I did both of my daughters (4& 1) when they were 4 months old. Both times I throughly checked out an ear piercing place both times I found a very cleanly one in the Mall. I asked if there was two people to to the piercing so they could do both ears at the same time. My oldest daughter did cry more than my younger daughter. As long as you keep the ears clean, they should give you some antiseptic solution to clean the ears with the piercing themselves should be fine.

I had both my girls' ears pierced when they were really little. Neither one of them cried and never bothered them. They never picked at them or anything. I did my oldest when she was in first grade. It was a lot easier on the little girls than it was on the oldest.

I say it all depends on the child! Really...lol. My oldest, who will be 5 in March, did an awesome job with her earrings, and loves to put new ones in everyday. We got hers pierced when she was 7 months old. So, when we had our second daughter, we thought, why not do the same. She was 7 months old, also, at the time that we got them pierced. She will be 2 in March, and between the months of December and January she pulled out 22 pairs of earrings. I got so frustrated. I even went and bought a really expensive pair that had safety backs on them and she MANAGED to get those pulled out 2 weeks after I bought them. I just took the earrings out of her ears altogether, and don't put them in now unless we are having pictures or such. It really is a 'parents judgment' thing, I believe. I'm glad I did it, though, with both children because now if they want to wear earrings they can, and if they don't, they don't have to. At least they don't remember the pain of getting them pierced.

I hope this helps!

I got both my daughters ears pierced when they were between 6/8 months old. They never pulled at them. Plus, they are so little then, they don't remember the pain. If you wait until they are older, they will remember how bad it hurts. I would suggest that you get them done soon. My first daughter didn't even notice she had them until she was 3.

I got my daughter's ears pierced at 5 months old, she is 7 months old now. She looks ADORABLE, and it did not tramatize her at all. She hardly cried when they were being done, and because she was only 5 months old she has laid SO nice to let me clean them 3 times a day. I have made the cleanings a ritual, where I change her diaper and we clean the earrings! She has NEVER pulled on her ears at all.

I decided to do it because she doesn't know what is going on, so she isn't going to ask me to change them too soon, and I plan to leave them in at least a year or two, and then by the time that she does start asking to change them they will be so healed up that it won't hurt her. I have a couple of friends who did it as toddlers, and the toddlers wanted to change them too soon, then they got infected, they hurt...and both ended up letting them close, and re-done when they were 7 years old. Wasn't fun on the mom or the pocket book.

I say do it! They really look great!
Good luck!

I pierced my daughters ears when she was 6 months old. It was great for about a year, then she figured out how to pull them out and I could never get her to leave earrings in so I gave up and let them close. I'll reconsider it again when she's old enough to leave them alone.

I thought I would respond to A. becuz I can understand her wanting to give her little girl a more feminine look.All babies make us wonder"boy or girl" if they're not wearing gender-revealing attire! Plus I have a little insight on piercings becuz my hubby is a successfull body piercer and owns a number of shops on the east coast. I know that he wont pierce babies. He actually wont work on ANY child under the age of 15 even with parental concent.He says that to pierce yourself ANYWHERE before your body is done growing is senseless. Skin moves as it grows,so anything done to it will move and grow as well. I understand wanting your princess to have pretty shiney jeweled ears,and would support the idea for just that reason, just consider what could happen,they could end up being uneven &have much more of a chance of tearing(thinner undeveloped skin)and/or infection.Although none of this is real threatening, it's something to think about for those out there who can be perfectionists!Besides, what if when she gets older she doesnt want them. I met my husband when I was 22 and wished I hadn't already had pierced ears because of the jewelry and placement I decided I wanted.My origonal holes were in the way and ended up being unwanted at all in my right ear! Body modification has come a long way and will continue to grow in creativity and popularity, let her make those decisions when you think she is old enough! Good luck to you and your daughter on your decission! God bless and hey, try some pretty hair scarves, clips and all the other great accessories out there for girls today!
sincerely~G. Dean -Ely MN

My daughter was 4 mos old when we got her ears pierced. She never pulled on them and it never bothered her either. I think I cried more when she got them pierced that she did. She cried for like 30 seconds, then it was like it never happened. I did it at that young of an age cuz I was told that it won't hurt them as much at that young of a age. She is now 8 and I can't pay her to get them pierced them again!!

I would wait. I too, worry about pulling and getting them caught on their blankets. Plus, I agree, no one will know she is a girl just because she has earrings. And I, personally, think babies with their ears pierced are not cute. At least not the piercing part. The actual baby is what is cute, not extra holes in their head. Please, no one send me hate mail, your baby is cute, just not the piercings. :)
Please think about this hard. I got my ears pierced for my 5th b-day and am glad, but I have severe metal allergies too, and these seem to be more and more common. They are horrible, I even get reactions to gold. Your ears swell, they hurt and itch and get all full of pus. And once the pus dried it hurts to do anything with the earrings and you need to take them out or turn them so they don't grow into the ears.

Ear piercing is generally a benign process. Of course there are risks but Im sure you are aware of those. Only you can decide if you want her ears pierced. Personally I think it's cute, but then I don't have any daughters so I was never faced with the actual decision. As far as 'letting her decide to have her body changed forever'...are you kidding? I trust you'll stop at her ears and not pierce her eyebrows, tongue, nose, bellybutton or 'girl parts' and Im sure you'll wait till at least 2years for the full body tattoos, right?! LOL!!!

Okay, joking aside...it's really not a big deal to have done, just make sure they do both at once and please, please, please don't go to a place like Claires or some cheap kiddie jewelry store!

L.

I had mentioned wanting to get my daughter's ears pierced as well when she reaches about 3-4 mos. Everyone I've talked to told me to ask if her pediatrician will do it in the office. I guess they put a little numbing stuff on her ears before they pierce them. I guess it's better for the baby since it's in a more sterile environment. I'm going to ask her doctor if he does it at her next appointment.

Hey A. -
As long as the earrings are the right size for her, they shouldn't bother her too much. Of course it might take her a bit to get used to them, but it shouldn't take her too long. My mom pierced mine and all my three sisters ears that young and we all did fine with it. Make sure to do it professionally though. Plus, it does look super cute!

I have my ears pierced and as with every thing in life it has its negative side. Swelling and pain while waiting for healing. The post ( no matter how small ) jabbing into your head when sleeping on side. Your daughter does not have a choice in choosing to endure this discomfort for purely cosmetic reasons. Please do not do this to her. Dress her in pink and do not inflickt unnesesary pain on her who is powerless to refuse.

My daughter had her daughter's ears pierced when she was 10 days old. She barely cried and I think it was only because she took the bottle out of her mouth. She also did not pull on them because she was so little. The backs of the earrings are hard to get off and you need to be able to clean them every day and turn them but I think it is better when they are small because the don't know to play with them.

I have a little girl (almost 3) and while I think it's cute to see babies with earrings, I decided to let my daughter decide for herself when she's ready and has proven herself responsible enough to take care of them.

I remember having to wait until my 12th birthday to get my ears pierced and how exciting it was! And I still remember the pain of the alcohol to clean them. Frankly, I very rarely wear earrings now.

I have a friend who had her's pierced when she was very little and she says she wished her mother hadn't done it because she would never have done it herself.

Only you and your husband can make this decision, but I think pink clothes and dresses, etc, will go far in helping others realize she a girl (but some people are less observant and I don't think pierced ears is going to make a difference to those people). Congrats on the anniversary and baby!