You can consult with your pediatrician on whether to pierce your baby's ears, but many recommend that your baby is at least three months old. Some people pierce their kids' ears during infancy while others will wait until the child is mature enough to take care of the piercing site.
Some families pierce their newborn's ears as a cultural tradition. Others prefer to wait until their child expresses an interest in ear piercing, which usually occurs around the age of 7-10 years.
It is considered safe to pierce your baby's ears after the 2-month mark, although some parents choose to wait since babies' ears can change shape as they get older. It may be less painful to pierce a baby's ears earlier, while some parents may choose to wait to ask their child if they would like their ears pierced.
The American Academy of Pediatric (AAP) recommends that if you choose to pierce your baby's ears, then you should wait until she's at least two months old and that she has received her first round of shots. However, the AAP's recommendation is to wait until children are four years old.
"At the age of 10 she's probably old enough to know what she wants, and realistically be in charge of keeping the piercing and the earrings clean – this could be a good opportunity to teach responsibility. "Remember that age 10 is just the average age that children have their ears pierced, it's not a rule.
Once a child reaches age 5, he or she is usually able to understand giving consent to the procedure and the after-care commitment of getting a piercing, Goode says, however she recommends waiting until a child is about 8 or 9 years old for ear piercings.
If you decide to let your child get their ears pierced, it's necessary to let them know that it's going to be quite painful. While some parents allow their children to get an earlobe piercing as their first — which is usually less painful than other types of ear piercings — it's still a painful event.
Piercing gun
It is quick and puts the stud in your ear right away. It is relatively less painful and has the same aftercare as a needle piercing. However, if you have sensitive ears, the trauma to your skin or an incompetent piercer can lead to an infection or a slow healing process.
The recommended age for children to get their ears pierced varies from doctor to doctor; there is no exact “rule” for when it's appropriate. However, most doctors will recommend that your child is at least six months old before receiving a piercing.
Infants lack the immune strength necessary to fight off an infection, and by puncturing the skin you open up an opportunity for infection. It is generally advised that parents wait until their child is at least 6 months of age before taking them to get their ears pierced.
Infant Ear Piercing Culture & History
In Australia, there is no age limit when it comes to ear piercing for babies as long as there's parental permission involved. However, practitioners can set up their own rules and regulations on age, with most setting the minimum age of six months.
Pain and swelling at the site- usually lasts for 1-2 days. Pain medications should help ease the baby.
Sentimental Value: For many, it's a rite of passage or family tradition. Less Maintenance: Young babies are less likely to fiddle with their earrings.
When a girl's ears are pierced, the left ear is pierced first. On the other hand, when a boy's ear is pierced, the right ear is pierced first. This is because these specific points coincide with the masculine and feminine halves of a person.
Between 80-90 percent of American women have their ears pierced, and men are also joining the ear-piercing ranks. Body modifications have been trendy for centuries, first discovered in Otzi, the famous “Iceman” mummy that lived between 3400-3100 BCE. In earlier centuries, ear piercing was a sign of nobility.
Pierced body parts of Americans in 2017, by gender
84 percent of the female respondents said they have their earlobe pierced.
Your Body Is Still Changing When You're Young, Even Your Earlobes. One of the reasons why we don't like to pierce younger than 5 years old, is because your child is still growing, yes, even their earlobes! What might be the correct placement on their ears now, might not be the correct placement later on in life.
Getting your ears pierced is a very personal decision, one which cannot and should not be taken lightly. Not only are their potential risks to this procedure, but it is also a matter of consent. Many physicians and piercing experts agree: Children should not be pierced before they are ready.
Beyond these medical reasons, there is a very moral reason to not pierce a child's ears: bodily autonomy. An infant's body, once born, is their own and that infant can do with it what they want.
Needle Piercing is Less Painful
When you get pierced with a piercing gun the studs used to pierce your ear are fairly blunt, which makes them more difficult to pierce your skin. Gun piercings on ear cartilage can even shatter the cartilage with the force of a blunt stud.
Standard Lobe Piercing
Therefore, it should not be surprising that it ranks low on the pain scale – the general rating seems to be 3/10. A standard lobe piercing can hurt for a moment or just feel like a pinch when the needle goes through.
Pair of Earlobe Piercings, 10-17
1 piercing on each lobe (pair), or 2 piercings on one earlobe/side. This could be a first set of piercings, or higher up the lobe. Jewelry priced separately.
AVOID beer, alcohol, yogurt, cheese and spicy or citrus foods for the first 2 weeks. AFTER 3 WEEKS we recommend that you come back to the studio to purchase a shorter barbell for your new piercing. REMEMBER your new piercing is considered an open wound. Be extremely mindful of any oral contact for 6 weeks.
Prepare Your Child Ahead of Time
Walking them through what to expect during the piercing process and answering any questions they may have, plus reassuring them that you'll be with them the entire time, can do wonders for anxious kiddos.