Finger Nail Polish and Pierced Ears

I don't believe I've ever even seen a baby with nail polish on so I don't think I'll comment on that one! :o) However, I debated about getting my daughters ears pierced when she was a baby but decided to wait until she wanted it done. I thought it would be fun to make a big deal out of it and go together, etc. Well, she's 10 now and still has no desire to get them pierced. So I'm glad I waited and am letting her decide if and when she wants to pierce her OWN ears. Good luck to you!

I don't think it's very safe or necessary to polish a babies nails. They have their hands in their mouths all the time, I wouldn't risk my child digesting fingernail polish when she was chewing on her hands.
Ears pierced, mine were done at 18 months, my daughter's were done at 10 months old.

My Dr. said he would not pierce my little girls ears until she was six. She will be 7 4/29/10 and she has told me " I do not want my ears pierced!" So be it. I never painted her nails. My husband and I got her a make-up kit and she has done her nails maybe three times, she is to busy running around and getting dirty to care about that stuff. Maybe some day. I like her being a little girl that stuff will come in due time. I told her when she is 14 she can start wearing make-up like mommy does. Maybe she will maybe she won't only time will tell.

I wouldn't polish a baby's nails at all, no need for it. I allowed it once my daughter was preschool age, but I wouldn't do it for a nail biter or thumbsucker, or has hands in mouth

Appropriate age for ear piercing - when the child is old enough to ask for it and understand that it will be painful. For myself, I also added the condition of being old enough to take care of the piercings, I had no desire to do the cleaning, turning, ointment, etc. For my daughter, this was age 10.

It sounds like you have a baby. There's no need to rush into nailpolish and earrings. Your baby can be a baby. They don't need any special ornamentation, they are beautiful they way they are.

I'm afraid that you are not kidding when you are asking these questions but I am stunned that you could actually be considering doing this. Do you really want to risk your baby who has fingers in their mouth very often, getting bits of nail polish in their system? Have you read the ingredients in nail polish ... the side affects if ingested ... even in small quantities for a baby? Is the risk worth cute nails .. NO. I personally would not let anyone in Walmart come at me or definitely my baby with a needle. I know there are babies with pierced ears but not the majority. It is definitely something that is more for mom than for baby. When she asks to get them pierced, she's old enough and it's time. Then it becomes really about her and not someone else in the family.

I don't think that polishing your child's nails poses any kind of safety issue - none that I'm aware of. I have friends who did it with their kids as infants (6 months +).

We had friends who pierced their daughter's ears right at birth.

Our daughter just turned two, and we'll wait a few more years with her. My mom had a 13 year-old rule which was really excessive. I'd believe that 6-10 years is more probably in our family based upon her interest in having them pierced.

Since babies put their fingers in their mouth, I would use a non-toxic paint like piggie paint. It is pricey but really worth it to not be putting the toxic stuff on the baby.

As far as ear piercing, I think that is something that should wait until kids can give consent. I have watched little ones get it done and I have felt so sorry for them. Why expose them to unnecessary pain for cosmetic reasons? Also, I think about how awful it would be if they snagged that earring on something - ie a blanket and it ripped their ear. I don't personally feel it is my right to permanently alter my child's body without their consent. (This is an argument I use against routine cirumcision but I think it can still apply here.) It is obviously not medically necessary, painful, and can introduce a means for infection to enter the child's body that if left alone, would not have happened. Now, I will totally admit, that I have been tempted to do it with my girls but have been waiting until they bring it up. Just this last week my nearly 6yo daughter has started hounding me about getting "holes in her ears." I am not against doing it but I want her to understand that it will hurt for a minute to have it done and that I will have to turn them and clean them for her and that might hurt a little. (I was actually thinking about posting something here asking about the care of newly pierced ears as it has been a while for me.)

My personal opinion.....it is your daughter's body therefore your daughter's choice.

The "appropriate" time in my opinion is when a daughter expresses an interest in getting her ears pierced. At that time, make it something special.

I have seen very young infants (under 6 mo.) with toe nail polish, but not with finger nail polish. I don't have any girls (living), but polish is cute on toe nails. But at the same time your baby will chew at it & ingest some of it so I don't suggest it. With ear piercing I have 2 friends who had their infant girls ears pierced. I think girls should get them pierced when they can make the decission. I remeber sleeping on earings was very uncomfortable & even painful at times, so I wouldn't pierce my baby's ears (if I get another girl), but it is totally up to you.

God bless!

Why do you feel it is necesary to polish a baby's nails... Come on!
As for piercing... It is an entirely personal matter. Mine were pierced i the hospital when I was born... In the 70's it was a different matter all together...

I pierced my daughter's ears at 3 months. As long as they are healthy and are up to date on their shots, it's not a problem.

I started painting my daughter's toes when she was 2 months old. She got really sick and was diagnosed with swine flu. I was so scared and was loving all over her. I just wanted to do something special. She doesn't (and can't) put her feet in her mouth so I'm not worried about the toenail polish.

She's 9mo now, and I still don't paint her finger nails because she always has her hands in her mouth. I don't know if it's toxic or not, but don't wanna find out. I'm sure there's some kinda natural or non- toxic polish out there, but I don't know. I will probably paint her nails when she's old enough to understand not to eat it (probably 3 or 4 years)

My daughter was 3 months old when I had her ears pierced and she's now 5 and doesn't think twice about them so I'm glad I had them done. It's just a part of her now. She loves picking out her own earrings, too. I allowed her to have painted nails when she was about 3-1/2 or so.

I didn't polish my daughter's nails or pierce her ears until she was old enough to ask me to do so. My daughter was four when she asked to have her ears pierced, and at that time, I allowed her to have it done.
I would NEVER pierce an infant's ears.

Trisha G: " I don't personally feel it is my right to permanently alter my child's body without their consent. (This is an argument I use against routine cirumcision but I think it can still apply here.)"

I agree with you completely.

Just something to think about!! Babies ears are so tiny and as they grow I have heard that the piercings are not centered. They were centered when 3 months old but at 5 the holes were too low. Dont know if true or not.

I tried to be honest with my girls (about the little bit of pain) and they wouldn't get them pierced. One daughter finally got it done at 9 and the other got it done at 6.

I have two daughters and I had their ears pierced very early (3 months old). They both did well. They cried a little, I gave them a bottle and it was over. As for the nail polish; I didn't let my girls wear it until they were passed the stage of putting their fingers in their mouths. If I recall correctly, that was around the age of 3.

I agree with all the comments on nail polish, there is the danger of her eating the polish off of her nails.

I have 3 daughters and had their ears pierced as babies. They have never even questioned why I didn that or said they wished they weren't done. They of course went through times where they didn't wear earrings, but I think this will happen no matter the age. This is really a personal choice and I don't really see a problem with either way. I will state that I waited until 7 months to have my middle daughter's ears pierced and that was not the right age. When ears are healing they become itchy and she was old enough to find her ears and she pulled her earrings out, which did no damage, but we had to watch her so that she didn't put them in her mouth. With the other 2 daughters we did it much earlier and there was not this problem. So, I would do it 3-4 months of age, or wait until they understand what you are doing and the rules about touching them.

Good luck with your decision.

Wow, you have lots of responses!! Well, I guess I'll throw my 2 cents in as well.
My husband and I decided that we would wait until our daughter asked for her ears to be pierced, even though I do think it's cute to see little ears pierced. My parents waited for me to ask and from what I remember being 5 years old, that I felt very grown up and responsible for choosing to have it done and taking care of my ears after it was done (my mom did help me a little with the cleaning).
As for the nail polish; I painted my daughters toe nails from about a month old (she was a summer baby and painted toes look too cute with baby sandals), until she was able to start putting her feet in her mouth. I didn't want her to eat the paint off her nails. We just started to paint her finger nails, shes 2 1/2, because she asked for it to be done. She also is good about keeping her fingers out of her mouth, so I'm not too worried about her eating the polish off her nails.
But really, all I can really say is that she is your child, so whatever you feel deep down is the right thing, is the right thing for your child.

I painted my daughter's fingernails and had her ears pierced after she asked for them. She was about 2 1/2. She begged for a month about getting her ears pierced, after some long talks about how it will hurt and how I will have to clean them a few times a day she was still for it. We went with my friend and her daughter and she was so excited! She didn't cry and did very well with them. She is now 5 and loves having earrings and changing them out to match with her outfits. I painted my daughter's toe nails when she was young and was barefoot all the time, but I did wait on the nail polish. Unless you can find some that is non-toxic.

I have 3 girls and I don't see anything wrong w/painting fingers or toes. I have painted their nails. I'm not sure when I started, but they are ages 5, 2 and 1 now. You can wash their hands if you are worried about the fumes or taste. The polish doesn't last long on their nails. My 2 year old will have them off of her nails fast from biting it off. I used to do the same and I turned out fine. I don't think it is harmful to them.
I had their ears pierced from 6 months to a year. I would have liked to take them at 3 months, but never did it. I think it is better to do it now so they will have them done. I know so many girls that are 5+ and are scared of doing it b/c they are afraid it will hurt. I have many moms tell me that they wished they would have had them done as a baby. If you get them done early also they can enjoy changing out the earrings and not having to wait 6 months till their ears are healed.
Good Luck!!

Gee this is a question that is coming up a lot lately.
I wouldn't put anything on their hands that you wouldn't want to go into their mouths, and with babies - everything will go into their mouths for YEARS to come. Maybe 5 yrs old for finger nail polish IF they can sit still long enough for it to dry. They'll still eat it, but it might look ok for an hour or two.
(I was not allowed to use nail polish till I was in high school.)
As for the earrings - just my opinion - 16 yrs old as a rite of passage to becoming a young lady.

I polished the toe nails of my girls when they were babies. It looks so cute when they are wearing little summer outfits. The best time to paint them (if you can) is when the baby is taking a nap. Using a toothpick to paint those little toenails helps alot.

I got my two oldest girls ear pierced when they turned a year old. My middle daugther is now 3 and does not really like to wear them, so I am thinking about waiting with my youngest until she expresses interest in having her ears pierced.

Nail polish is fine for babies, I actually researched this when my little girl was a baby. I personally am going to wait until my daugher (now 2) asks to get hers done. I love seeing little girls with earrings, but I want it to be something special that she will remember.

My 2 girls pierced ears @ 41/2 months at the mall fingers and toes polished well a few weeks old it's to cute not too and everyone gets a kick out of it I personally love it daddy doesn't say anything he encourages it.

I personally couldn't hold my baby while someone unnecessarily hurts her. I'm not against it completely - I just couldn't do it.

My ears were pierced at 6 years old, and I made my daughters wait until they were six, as I felt they would understand that it would hurt, etc. It was funny - with my second daughter, the lady at Wal-Mart glared at me, and said my daughter would have to verbally agree to it. I told her that was fine as we had talked about it extensively. She then turned to my daughter and said, "Do you really want to get your ears pierced?" When my daughter answered in the affirmative, she then told her, "It's going to hurt really, REALLY bad." My daughter told her that her mommy had already told her that. The woman gave me another glare and proceeded to pierce her ears.

There are less toxic brands of nail polish, but most contain a rather daunting list of poisonous solvents and other ingredients, such as ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, nitrocellulose, propyl acetate, tosylamide/formaldehyde resin…. And then there's polish remover, which contains many of the same solvents.

These toxins are inhaled by the baby as they evaporate, and can be absorbed directly into the bloodstream through paper-thin nails. Repeated exposures to these chemicals can cause cancers, nerve/brain damage, respiratory problems, and other health problems. A young child is affected much more than an adult. Why submit your child to these risks for the sake of vanity?

My personal opinion is that your daughter's ears are hers to do with what she wants. Not yours. I would let her decide that one.

The Wal-mart here will not do it until they are 6 months, that said I do not think there is a right time. My Mom did mine when I was one. Just be sure they have 2 people so they can do both ears at once to minimize any trauma. I have boys so I did not peirce as babies, but when my 3 year old son asked if he could get his done I took him to the mall. They had 2 girls, and he only cried for about a second and was over it. He now loves his earrings.
As for nail polish, not until she is no longer putting her hands and fingers in her mouth, you do not want her swallowing that stuff!

I have been painting my daughters toenails since she was about 6 months old....it is NOT going to hurt them! Plus its cute lol. Thats half the fun of having a baby girl!!! I dont know about ear piercing....I could never bring myself to do it but I do think its cute!! I guess I will let her decide now when she wants it...I had mine done at 5 :)

Children are given soooo many things NOW. What will it hurt to wait? Give them something to look forward to. My daughter asked at 6ys. to get her ears pierced. We told her that she needed to wait until 12 as her "right of passage" into JR HS. We waited until she was old enough to be responsible for her new earrings. Just got them pierced last week and made a big deal out of it. She is so proud, and really taking good care of her ears. We did nail polish when she asked for it.

I got my daughter's ears pierced at 3 months and my husband and I paint both our daughters nails. In fact Daddy does it more than I do. That is one of the ways he bonds with our little girls and they love seeing the color on their fingernails and toenails. Have fun!

I made the mistake of asking about piercing my daughter's ears when she was 5 months old (over 2 years ago) and got almost 200 responses and that was before Mamapedia was more global!

There are a ton of people who said I needed to wait for my daughter to wait and ask for it or make it something she had to wait for like a right of passage thing. Then there were the ton of people who warned about choking hazards with the earrings etc. There were a few people who said they had their baby's ears done very early, even a week old or so.

The jest that I got was that you have a window of opportunity to pierce your daughter's ears IF YOU CHOOSE to do it early. That is from birth to about 8 months (or crawling). That way the babe gets used to them and they can be taken out if the child is clumsy (which most babes are when they start crawling and walking). As the last person pointed out, they may become lop sided looking because most places do not have equipment to pierce babies' ears. The next time is to wait until she is no longer a toddler and is walking and running as graceful as she can.

We decided to wait and make it a Kindergarden right of passage thing or for her 5th birthday (since she probably won't attend K until the following year due to her late birthday). I'm not worried about her asking to have them done...she already has (age 2.5).

As far as nail polish, I would wait until she is out of the "put everything in her mouth stage."

Good luck with your decisions. IT IS UP TO YOU! :)

I can only tell you what I did.

I started painting my eldest daughters toe nails at 4 months. I only waited that long because she was sick and in and out of the hospital. I only painted her toenails because her fingers were always in her mouth and I didn't want her to eat the polish. I didn't start polishing my youngest daughters nails until she was almost two, simply because she was too wigly. Now I let bothe of them pick out nail polish at the store weekly (the $.88 bon bons are awesome.) My oldest always goes for pink or purple and glitter. My youngest goes for orange, blue, green. It's a lot of fun!

Piercing ears is a different story. We decided to wait until they asked. At 26 months my eldest asked, so we did it. She is now four and is only allowed to wear small earings, that do not go below her earlope, again safety! My youngest, now 26 months has never mentioned it.

I know moms that have gotten their children's ear pierced ASAP. I say if that's what you want, go for it. I don't think it is traumatic for them. It does pinch but only for a second. Feed her while they are piercing her ears, she'll probably never even know! Make sure you clean clean clean and change often. You already know that, but it's worth saying!

I am all for painting tiny toe nails! I have two girls that have summer birthdays, and I painted their little toes really early because they were barefoot babies. The earrings I won't do. My 11 yr old got hers done at six. My 3 yr old has mentioned it, but she doesn't really ask and I still wouldn't do it at this age. Even now I find it uncomfortable to sleep in earrings. My girls were both tummy sleepers, so I was too concerned that the earrings would also be uncomfortable for them to sleep with.

My husband always argued that I should wait until they are old enough to make a permanent decision about their own bodies. I don't agree. I think it's just a matter of when, not if, they'll want them pierced.

1. Fingernail polish – you shouldn’t put fingernail polish on your baby until she is old enough to know what it is and ask for it. Putting it on a baby is only for the mother’s enjoyment of playing dress up…she is a baby…not a play toy.
2. Pierced ears – you will get different opinions about this because a lot of woman are very selfish and will do this whether or not their daughter wants it. I waited until my daughter asked for her ears to be pierced and I made a day of it. We went to the Daughter and Me Day at the salon (not expensive), and she had her nails painted, hair made up, and her ears pierced. She will never forget this day with me, and that means a lot – you are making memories for both of y’all (not just you).

Can you please research piercing before you do it? There are so many things people don't know about those piercing "guns" used in malls and stores like Wal-Mart. They are not designed to pierce properly and hence cause more damage than good. Also piercing at a young age when the ears are so small make for trouble later because the ears still have growing to do and so that can mean lop-sided piercings or low sitting piercings.
I'm all for getting piercings but they should be done properly and safely. Here are a few sites for you to check out. I do agree with the moms who say to wait til she is old enough to ask for it and either help in the care or care for it herself. And just so you know my sons have had their ears done at about 4 yrs old til they got to a school that didn't allow boys to have earrings. Now they are at a school that allows it (oldest son is now 13) and he is asking for it again. I just have been lazy and haven't asked my piercer what their age limit is.
http://tattoo.about.com/cs/psafety/a/piercing_guns.htm

http://wiki.bmezine.com/index.php/Piercing_gun

http://www.namaii.com/suck/

My daughter was 5 months old and people quit asking if she was a boy or girl!

The best ages in my experience to pierce a child's ears are under a year, ***preferably*** under 6mo (because, as you said, they don't "mess" with them, and caring for them isn't a lesson that has to be constantly gone over again and again, it's normal) OR after they're "grown" and responsible for themselves.

I have no idea about polish, however, sorry!!! Probably any kind would be fine once she stops putting toes in the mouth. :)

R

My personal belief with ear piercing is that the child should be old enough to take care of their own ears before getting them pierced. You also have to know that your child will sit through getting the second ear pierced after the pain of the first one. I was 12 when I had mine done and my daughter is 7 now. If she asked at this stage, I think I might tell her to wait another couple of years until I know for sure she can do it on her own (that and I'm not sure she'd go through with the second ear).
As for nail polish, my daughter asked at about age 3 and I put it on her because she wanted to try it. She wanted it off again right away, she didn't like the way it felt.
I would say if your child is a thumb sucker or nail biter I would avoid it, but otherwise as soon as they ask I let them try.

I've tried many times to paint my 13 month olds toes but she is way to wiggly. :)

I had my daughters ears pierced at 7 months. I wanted to do it much earlier but at first I wanted to do it at the Dr.s but they kept telling me she was too small and they wouldn't be able to make them even. Finally at 7 months I took her to a piercing Pagoda, not the little stand in the mall but an actual store. I figured all they did all day was pierce ears so they would be able to do it. I watched them pierce a smaller babies ears before they did my daughter (just a coincidence they were there at the same time) and the manager really talked me through everything and told me the best earings to get and everything. I know that there are also people that will come to your house and pierce kids ears (google it!). Not to sound like a snob but I really wouldn't trust anyone at walmart with an ear piercing gun near me let alone my little baby girl!

Don't listen to the haters my daughter cried for half a second and then saw the camera and started giggling. :) I also loved that she was old enough to sit up when we had it done it made cleaning the earings sooo much easier. After I would brush her teeth I would let her chew on the toothbrush when I would clean her ears. :) Have fun with your little girl!

I pierced my daughters ears around 6 months, she never messed with them and they healed fine. She is now 5 years old and LOVES earrings and jewelry. My mom made me wait and I was terrified to get them done and waited until I was 17 but was soo jealous of all the other girls who already had them! I think around 9 monthish is when I started painting the toenails

It is lucky that you have a litle girl to do things with. I had to wait for granddaughters. I don't believe any of them had their ears pierced when they were babies. They are all teenagers now and they do wear earrings. I don't remember their mothers painting their fingernails or toenails. Now that they are old enough to decide these things on their own, it is much better. My only grandson had his ears pierced at the youngest age and made the biggest deal of the whole thing. I have one son who keeps an earring in his ear. It is cute when we see baby girls with their shiny little studs. Do, by all means, invest the money in "real" gold. at least 14K for the posts. You will have no problems with adverse reactions to the metal..Good luck, and a hug for trying, a happy grandmother..

Ear holes don't "grow up" there's still the scar & some holes still are 'holes' & don't fill in w/non-use. I cringe everytime I see an infant or toddler w/pierced ears. I think it's extremely wrong & cruel to pierce a baby's ears...she didn't ask for that. You should wait til she asks for that, she may never ask for it but you should get her permission first. You may be the 'parent' but she has rights to make her own decisions about things like that. I too agree w/other moms who are against it...it should be the child's decision, not the parents.

I painted my daughers toe nails very early, but waited until about a year to paint her nails. She never put her hands or anything else in her mouth so at about a year I felt safe painting them. I would say wait on painting her nails until you know if she will chew on them or not. I waited to pierce her ears until she was about 18 months only because she had a lot of ear infections and had to have tubes 3 times. During any surgery you have to remove all jewlery. Even at 18 months she cried for a few seconds and then they never bothered her. I think you should know your baby and do what you feel is best for the both of you. Good luck and God bless!

Belly Sprout is a great natural mothering store in Fullerton that sells NON TOXIC princess nail polish for little girls. I have been using it since my little girl was 1 (on her toes). I chose not to pierce her ears but whatever your gut tells you with your little princess is the right thing to do.

Hi H.. I know they have safe polish for children. My daughter for as long as I can remember has always wanted her little fingers and toes painted because, she wants to look like mama and she watches me. Ear piercing should be a personal preference. My daughter is 6 years old wants to get her ears pierced. I sometimes wish I had them pierced when she was a baby because now she would be totally used to it. If I do them now I am afraid she will lose her earrings. You just go with what your gut tells you. Good Luck!!! H. McC.

I wasn't allowed to get my ears pierced until I turned 16, and I really wanted them pierced for awhile around age 13. By the time I reached 16, I didn't really care, though. I never did get them pierced.

I know lots of moms pierce their baby's ears. However, it always seemed like a bad idea to me. I was raised to see pierced ears in a girl too young as sort of trashy. Kind of like makeup and heels on a 13 year old. But I know that's just me. Lots of people see it in an entirely different light.

As for polish, just wait until she's not putting her fingers in her mouth much anymore. An occasional nail paint chip won't hurt her, but ingesting a lot of it isn't really a good idea.

With ear piercing I'm in the wait until she is old enough to decide for herself camp. My mom made me wait until I was ten and understood what I was asking to have done. I might go a little younger, maybe 8 or 9, but my daughter is only 15 months now. Of course she is already trying to steal my jewlery, LOL. I had to find her some plastic beads she could play with.

I would probably skip the nail polish for now because of all the chemicals, unless you can find something non-toxic. My kids could and did get their toes as well as their fingers in their mouths as babies (by around 6 months). BTW, I am the oldest grandchild in my family and my aunts used to put nail polish and makeup on me when I was 3 or 4 though.

I just want you to know that I don't think you will burn in hell for doing either. The risks to her health are minimal. Anyone who drives a baby in a car, even in an approved car seat, is putting the baby at risk but I don't see miles of blogs about how a good mother should never do that. Don't lose sleep over this.

The nurses in the NICU recommended to me to paint my identical twin babies' toenails so I could tell them apart. These are the same highly trained medical professionals who pull premature babies back from the brink. I hardly think they'd suggest this if it was oh so dangerous. Baby B got pink polish, Baby A got none. If Baby B turns out less than perfect, I won't be blaming the polish. So far she kicks Baby A's butt.

Assuming you are aware of the big risks (SIDS, choking, etc.) the rest is small beer. Enjoy your little girl, toes, baubles and all.