When should i pierce my daughters ears

We offer pediatric ear piercing so you can be confident you are in a clean and sterile environment and a qualified professional is doing the piercing with the right equipment. To make an appointment at our Riverside office, call To make an appointment at our Southside office, call Risks of Ear Piercing for Kids There are risks associated with ear piercing for kids, with infection being the most common.

Infection: There is a risk of all ear piercings getting infected, but with children, the risk can be greater, especially when they are very young.

If a child is not old enough or responsible enough to care for their own ear piercings, then it falls on parents to keep them clean and healthy.

Allergies: Sometimes children will have an allergic reaction to the materials used in earrings. Tearing: People of all ages are at risk of tearing the piercing site if the earring gets pulled or snags on something. This is mostly an issue with long, dangling earrings. They Use the Best Equipment and Materials: Another reason ear piercing for kids should be done by a pediatrician is because of the equipment used. Also, medical providers will use earrings made of the right materials to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction.

Most doctors use earrings made of titanium, surgical steel, or precious metal. They can also offer clear and comprehensive aftercare instructions and are there to follow up if there are any problems like infection after the piercing is done. Leave earrings in for at least 6 weeks after the piercing. I personally think the child has to be big enough to ask and when they ask old enough to understand it hurts and they need cleaning and looking after.

Denise Ashton-Simpson: I had both my girls ears done when they were 1 neither 1 regret that I made that choice for them. In fact over the years they then had them pierced several times. I would allow my daughter when she was old enough to ask and understand the care in having them done. Lorna Coll: If they can ask, they can.

I was young, but old enough to ask. My mum was completely honest with me and told me it would hurt a lot but I insisted I wanted them done so I could be like her. I had to really hold back the tears haha. Hazel Rea: When my daughter was 11 a lot of her friends were getting their ears pierced and she wanted to have hers done. We told her if she waited until she was 16 we would buy her a pair of diamond studs for her 16th birthday — she waited and we did.

So — would YOU let your child get their ears pierced at a young age? Let us know in the comment section below! Fun facts for kids Non-chocolate advent calendars Royal news.

You might be able to come to a compromise with the gym teacher, such as putting bandages over the earrings during class. It might also be the case that you're better off scheduling your child's first ear piercing during the summer when school is not in session. By the time school starts up again, the new piercings will be fully healed, and your child can remove their earrings for gym class without any issue.

In some cultures, it's common and expected to pierce a baby's ears shortly after birth. In some parts of the world, hospitals will pierce a baby girl's ears before she's discharged from the hospital after her birth.

In cultures where baby girls commonly get their ears pierced, new parents are as likely to receive a pretty pair of earrings for their infant as they are a onesie or a set of bottles.

Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends waiting until a child is old enough to care for the pierced area themselves before piercing the ears, it also notes that ear piercing can be done at any age. While it's not the official recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics, some pediatricians recommend waiting until a baby is three months old before piercing their ears. One reason for that recommendation is that if a baby does get an infection or develop a fever after getting their ears pierced, they'll likely need to go to the hospital if they're under three months of age.

Another reason to wait until your baby is a few months old is to give them time to get some of their vaccinations. Waiting a few months also gives your baby's immune system a chance to develop, meaning they're likely to be better able to fight off any infections if they do occur.

If you decided not to pierce your child's ears while they were an infant, how can you know when they're ready to have their ears pierced as an older child? There are a few signs to look for, including the following:. Once you've decided to go ahead with your child's ear piercing, the next thing to decide is where to have the piercing performed. Several options exist when it comes to piercing your child's ears:. One of the big questions parents face when they're deciding to have their children's ears pierced is whether it's better to pierce with a needle or a piercing gun.

Although piercing guns are relatively common, many experts, such as the Association of Professional Piercers, recommend using a needle instead of a gun to pierce any part of the body. The primary reason needles are recommended is that it's impossible to sterilize a piercing gun. The person using a piercing gun can disinfect it, but they can't expose it to the high temperatures required to sterilize it.

Another reason needles are preferable to piercing guns is because of the sharpness of the object being pushed through the earlobe. Piercing guns push the post of an earring into the lobe. The post of the earring isn't as sharp as the point of a hypodermic needle, meaning that the process of piercing the earlobe relies more on the pressure from the gun than the sharpness of the post.

There's a somewhat increased risk of infection and other complications when a piercing gun is used instead of a needle. Whether you go to a piercing parlor, a doctor's office or a mall store, you want to make sure the following process happens before the person performing the piercing gets anywhere near your child's ears:.

You can ask the person doing the piercing about their sterilization or disinfecting processes. If they can't give you an answer or aren't sure how things are sterilized or disinfected, you might want to find another place to go. Before piercing your child's ears, the person performing the piercing should clean the earlobe with an antiseptic solution or wipe.