Totally random... pierced ears for baby?

slhall0822
slhall0822 Posts: 128 Member
in Chit-Chat
Hi all,

This is random and totally not related to weight loss... however, I'm looking for different viewpoints on infant ear piercing.

I have an almost 5 month old baby girl. My husband wants to get her ears pierced. I'm not so sure. Mine are pierced, but my mother chose to wait until I was around 14 and I remember always hating that my ears weren't pierced and all the other girls had pierced ears. But every ounce of motherly instinct in my body tells me not to randomly poke holes in my baby girl's ears and cause her pain just because it's culturally acceptable.

Comments? Suggestions? Advice?
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Replies

  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
    Eww dude wtf. Let her decide if she even wants them at all - when she gets older. Shes not some dolly you can inflict pain on for strictly fashionable reasons.
  • kitsuneandy
    kitsuneandy Posts: 36
    Should be illegal in my opinion. There's no valid argument for having it done to a child so young it can't make the decision itself.
  • diodelcibo
    diodelcibo Posts: 2,564 Member
    Why not let the human choose when it's become self-aware in the future, and understands it better.
  • VelociMama
    VelociMama Posts: 3,119 Member
    I'm not a fan of doing it when they're so little. I didn't get mine done until I was 12 or so and neither did my sister. We were both fine.

    Let it be her choice.
  • iLoveMyPitbull1225
    iLoveMyPitbull1225 Posts: 1,690 Member
    those guys are being a little mean but I know where your coming from, lots of people do it. Personally I think I will wait until my children are old enough to make their own decision about it.
  • whitneyps7
    whitneyps7 Posts: 409 Member
    Why not let the human choose when it's become self-aware in the future, and understands it better.

    i agree with this...as welll as why baptize your child as well when they cant make the decison for themselves?
  • cuterbee
    cuterbee Posts: 545
    My ear piercing (in my teens) made me develop a metals allergy. Kids are more prone to allergies than adults; on the off chance that she'd develop an allergic reaction, I'd wait.
  • elainewitch
    elainewitch Posts: 30 Member
    As a somebody who once did piercing and a mom, wait. It's her body and it's not necessary so why not let her make the choice when she's older?
  • LaurySch
    LaurySch Posts: 277 Member
    My personal opinion is not to do it for the same reasons you stated. I did not pierce my daughters ears but as soon as she was old enough to actually take care of them herself I kept asking if she wanted them pierced (I think she was 7 when I first asked). We didn't get them done until she was 10, she was actually terrified of the process and kept putting it off! And 6 months later she got a basketball in the side of her head and ended up with a pretty serious infected wound right beside the piercing (which luckily cleared up before we had to pull out the stud and wait to re-pierce). The reasons to pierce early don't make any sense to me and it can be plain inconvenient!
  • TeraGC
    TeraGC Posts: 40 Member
    My daughter got hers when she started school when she became more aware that there were other girls who had theirs done, she was so big about it and did great tending to them.
  • Im_NotPerfect
    Im_NotPerfect Posts: 2,181 Member
    I don't agree with it personally. I got mine pierced when I was 6 and I remember it being somewhat of a passage into "big girlhood". It was pretty momentus. I have an almost 4 year old girl and she won't get her's pierced until she asks for it or she's at least 8. Whichever is older...
  • itsuki
    itsuki Posts: 520 Member
    You'd be making a permanent body modification to a person who is unable to consent to it.

    I know society general views pierced ears as okay, but would you pierce a baby's tongue? Give it a tattoo? No, probably not.

    Let her decide when she's older.
  • Crystal3004
    Crystal3004 Posts: 50 Member
    I have a set of twin girls and I dont want to be the one who puts wholes in their bodies...what if they never wanted a piercing at all...i dont think its cool to do that...let some decisions be left up to your child
  • Fox_n_sox
    Fox_n_sox Posts: 283 Member
    I pierced my daughters ears at 7 months.

    1.) She kept being called a boy, she had SHORT SHORT hair.

    2.) My mom waited until I was 5. But I found out I was allergic to certain ear rings.

    It does not bother her now. I like her ear rings. So cute. Do what you want. If you won't want to wait then don't. But if you do then do it.
  • NinjaJinja
    NinjaJinja Posts: 147 Member
    The policy in my family is that you can get your ears pierced when you are 12 years old, if YOU WANT to. I feel that since its a body modification that it should be the child's choice whether or not to have that done to themselves. 12 years is an age where a fair amount of children can take care of their ear care for themselves.

    Personally, I couldn't. I had mine pierced at 12 and was far too squeamish to even take them in and put in new earrings. I kept them in for two years with constant infections and then removed them at 14 and let them close. Despite the fact that I am a total earring *kitten* - earrings are my favorite form of jewelry. When my sister turned 12 about seven years later she had hears pierced for her birthday and I went along and had mine re-pierced. I was much more mature and can handle removing and inserting new earrings. I did still struggle with infections, though not as bad as the first time they were pierced and I did get them to clear up once I bought fancy handmade ear pins.

    But regardless of all that, you need to trust your mother's instinct. If it tells you do not cause your baby pain by piercing her ears because some cultures expect that then you need to listen to it or you WILL feel guilty about it. My mother learned this the hard way when she followed a friend's advice on disciplining me when I was a baby. She did something she did feel right about and felt horrible about it later and vowed to never listen to their advice and trust her own instincts.
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
    I think it's just what you prefer. I got mine pierced when I was 5. And I pretty much NEVER wear earrings now. When I have a kid, if it's a girl, I won't be piercing her ears, she can wait, or wear those awesome stick on earrings I remember from way back lol
  • SlickFootAnna
    SlickFootAnna Posts: 611 Member
    I pierced them when she was little. My mom pierced mine when I was a baby. Her mom pierced hers... etc. I'm glad my mom got mine pierced when I was little. To each their own.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
    Let her get to an age where she can decide for herself if she wants her ears pierced or not.
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
    Should be illegal in my opinion. There's no valid argument for having it done to a child so young it can't make the decision itself.

    How many people think this go out and circumcise their boys? And that's permanent!

    Jeez, it's pierced EARS folks... as in, those tiny holes that close up automatically if you don't put anything in them.

    My daughter had them done as a baby, isn't scarred for life, and she loves them.
  • ladybird1771
    ladybird1771 Posts: 99 Member
    Wait til she wants them done :)
  • JessWolf1002
    JessWolf1002 Posts: 82 Member
    My mom got mine done when I was like 6 months old. I don't agree or disagree about doing it young, I personally don't care because it's not my kid. My daughter is almost 2 and hers are not pierced. Truthfully, that's one more thing that I have to take care of and clean and I just really don't want to. I'm waiting until she's old enough to take care of it herself.
  • IntoTheSky
    IntoTheSky Posts: 390 Member
    I didn't. The ears are not in the position that they will be once they get a little older. My daughter is now 7. Less of the little girls have it done now than did when I was young. If you have her wait until she is old enough to take good care of them, she will be less likely to have long slits from wearing earrings that are too heavy. I told my daughter that when she goes to middle school, she can get them pierced if she wants to.
  • abetterluke
    abetterluke Posts: 625 Member
    How many people think this go out and circumcise their boys? And that's permanent!

    Circumcision has health benefits. Ear piercing does not.

    There is no reason to pierce the ears of an infant. That's just causing unnecessary pain. Will it scar her for life? Probably not. But is there really a reason for it at all? Nope.
  • ashleab37
    ashleab37 Posts: 575 Member
    Mine were done when I was around 7-8 months. I personally wouldn't do it to a child that young (just don't see any reason to, except that it looks cute) but peoples reactions are a little extreme. It's not like you're going to mentally scar your child, and the way children heal, if they decide they don't want them, I doubt it would *physically* scar them either.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    You'd be making a permanent body modification to a person who is unable to consent to it.

    It's not permanent! I was 18months old when my dad got my ears pierced, he did it without my mum knowing, I can hardly remember it (and even then my "memories" come from being told the story loads) I never had any problems where as my sister was 10 when my parents let her get them done, she had constant problems because she messed while they were healing and had to have them redone as an adult.

    It's your choice but I'd rather go through a bit of pain that I won't remember than being aware of what's happening
  • IamOnMywayNow
    IamOnMywayNow Posts: 470 Member
    Should be illegal in my opinion. There's no valid argument for having it done to a child so young it can't make the decision itself.

    ^^ This! I also put circumcision in that category.
  • Iron_Duchess
    Iron_Duchess Posts: 429 Member
    Hummm, All I know is that is way better for them to have them pierced now rather than latter. She won't remember a thing and is easier for you to keep them clean and prevent infection. I had mine pierced when I was 8 yrs. old and I suffered. My ears got infected and took forever to heal because I touch them constantly. I decided to pierce my daughters ears when she was 5m old and no problems. My husband and I got her custom made earrings that she wears to this day (4 1/2 yrs old).
  • SlickFootAnna
    SlickFootAnna Posts: 611 Member
    This thread reminds me of the dumb broads over at babycenter.com. Those women are bat sh$t crazy! Fighting over car seats, baby showers, pierced ears.... basically it resembles an insane asylum.

    I suspect that at any second now, a fight will ensue because someone thinks that it is inhumane to get ears pierced or that it's torture to get ear pierced or some ridiculous argument.
  • plynn54
    plynn54 Posts: 912 Member
    I personaly do not like how it looks at all, I think it unnecessary pain to put a baby through
  • ashleab37
    ashleab37 Posts: 575 Member
    How many people think this go out and circumcise their boys? And that's permanent!

    Circumcision has health benefits. Ear piercing does not.

    There is no reason to pierce the ears of an infant. That's just causing unnecessary pain. Will it scar her for life? Probably not. But is there really a reason for it at all? Nope.
    Circumcision has health benefits? I don't think any developed country in the world other than America still believes that...

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