There are rites of passage in many cultures that are sure to raise eyebrows, and even judgmental comments, from others. Many are justified for being inhumane and even torturous, but I refuse to believe that piercing my daughter’s ears when she was an infant falls within that spectrum.
If I sound defensive right off the bat, I might be just a tiny bit. This week I wrote an article over at my Babble Voices blog – Besos – titled “How Young is Too Young for Pierced Ears?” The point I make in the article is that, just like bilingualism, the younger your girl is when she gets her ears pierced, the “easier” it will be overall. I list all the reasons in that post , but the main one I want to point out here is that when babies are younger than 4 months, they won’t interfere with the natural healing process of the piercing by touching the hole with their little hands because they just can´t yet. Once children are older, they will definitely want to touch it, thus increasing the risk for infections. Plus, I can’t even get my girl to let me brush her hair in the mornings without some sort of battle, can’t imagine trying to turn the studs and clean her piercing every day at this age!
I then shared my Babble article on the SpanglishBaby Facebook wall and the responses blew me away.
As I expected, the responses from most Latinas and other cultures who pierce their infants’ ears were pro getting it done early, with the vast majority mentioned they had gotten them done as babies and loved it. In fact, I also argue that I have yet to meet a Latina or a woman who had her ears pierced as a baby that has told me they regret having pinholes in their ears and blame their parents for doing that to them.
“In Argentina and Uruguay, when you are born, you don’t get out of the hospital unless you get your ears pierced”
“The same traditions for South Asians as well. I don’t understand the concern & controversy either. My earlobes are just fine & I’m glad I don’t remember whatever pain I may have experienced!”
“The younger the better because it’s less stressful and heals really easier and quick. After their 2 months shots should be great.”
“I am not Latina but I had my ears pierced at 6 months and took my daughter to ENT at 3 months – I have no regrets and think to call it mutilation is ridiculous.”
In the other extreme, we had some mothers and fathers claiming that it’s basically mutilation and disrespect to the baby since they don’t have a say in the matter. They have all decided to let their girls ask them when they are ready.
At the same time, others shared stories of regret their girl didn’t get pierced as a baby because they either got infections or were just too scared of the procedure, even though they really wanted earrings.
Of course, there’s always the fear of hurting our kids and that’s so understandable. But most report, myself included, that the babies cry more when getting shots than when getting their ears pierced. I don’t have hard facts for that, but it’s logical that there’s an actual perception of fear that kids develop as they grow older.
Some shared that they want to experience the milestone of doing it together as a mother-daughter moment that they can cherish forever. I can totally relate to that!
In the end, what I keep reiterating in this debate is that it’s a personal parenting choice and judgments don’t belong here. If you really feel ear piercing a baby is mutilation, then you shouldn’t be doing it, but don’t judge me for my choice because no mother sets out to hurt her child. And, no, it’s not vanity and wanting my girl to be prettier (she’s already perfect, of course! Ha!), but more a reason-based decision that I knew she’d one day want them and I could give her one more gift without her asking for it. Now we enjoy finding beautiful age-appropiate earrings together to splurge in. After all, it’s her only form of bling!
Tell me in the comments below: How do you feel about baby ear piercings? Did you get them done? Did/will your daughter(s)? Let’s continue this conversation.
Don’t forget to check out my post on Babble Voices to get tips on best practices on baby ear piercings and reasons why it’s really okay. Oh, yeah, and a fun slideshow of celebrities who have pierced their baby’s ears. Not surprisingly, the majority are Latinas!
I’m glad you shared this! I faced much surprise when my family went down to visit family in Ecuador and they saw she didn’t have earrings! I had to explain my refusal as a cultural issue, and they accepted that, but it was very bizarre to them, it seemed!
I can totally see that on the other extreme. I had two pair of baby earrings given to me by family before my girl was born. It was expected they go on as soon as she was born!
My only concern is that of allergies. I had my ear pierced when I was a teenager (and I very very rarely wear earrings now), but I didn’t know that I had metal allergies, something one definitely wouldn’t know about for an infant and my reaction was quite horrible. I should have gone for a purer gold (I have to use 18k or better), but I guess if you’re willing to pay a little more and be certain not to run into that problem, then go for it. The gender identification issues are another issue altogether.
Yes, allergies are a huge concern. Most people are allergic to nickel, but not so to gold or surgical steel, that’s why I recommend using those.
I was very interested in this discussion and I am not from a Latino background but a white middle class mother living in England. I took both my daughters to have their ears pierced when they were six weeks old. They are now five and three years old and love wearing earrings and choosing which ones to wear. I wanted them to grow up used to wearing earrings and for their studs to become part of them. Having them done early gets it out of the way and as their mother, I was able to look after them, clean them etc. I came under some criticism from family and ‘friends’ for making this decision for them but fortunately my partner was very supportive and he loves the fact that his little girls have worn earrings all the time since they were tiny. If in doubt, I say ‘go for it ! You won’t regret it !
We think the same way! And, yes it should definitely be up to you, no matter what you decide.
I don’t regret it a single bit and neither does my daughter
OK, I am going to be the way out there data point in this “poll”. I did not pierce my daughter’s ears, and I’d preferred if my parents didn’t do it to me.
On the first point: It’s complicated. It’s hard to explain in a paragraph, but I want my daughter to find herself, whatever she is. I have tried to give her as neutral an upbringing as possible. As it is she has decided that she is a very girly girl, which is fine by me. She knows that once she’s 12 she can pierce her ears, if she wants.
On the second point: I have really bad reactions to metals in my ears, to the point that my holes are scarred, I need earrings to cover the ugly holes, but wearing most earrings will make things painful and worse. Luckily some time ago I discovered plastic earrings. Of course I might be putting BPA and and who knows what into my body, but that’s my cross to bear. Plus they are not the most elegant earrings in the world.
I do not consider ear-piercing to be a form of mutilation, in fact, it is much less serious a procedure than circumcision. I will leave it to parents to chose. There are more serious matters on which to judge parents than two little holes in their baby’s ears.
And you win the prize as the first woman who’s told me they preferred if their parents hadn’t pierced her ears. Thanks so much for sharing that!
I completely understand you wanting to allow your daughter to make her own decisions and “find herself.” I have to admit that I never thought of it that way because I had no regrets of my own piercings, nor have I ever felt it was disrespect from my parents for “doing” that to me. I honestly never thought twice about it.
Now I feel lucky that my girl actually adores her pierced ears and, so far, there are no regrets or problems from it. Let’s hope it stays that way!
Plastic earrings?? I had no idea!
I think there is something beautiful and unique about the few adult woman I have seen that don’t have their ears pierced. This is why I didn’t pierce my girls ears when they were infants. Certain people in my family think I am nuts and were afraid people were going to think they were little boys. I also didn’t have a baptism for my girls so I have broken several family traditions
Honestly I am kinda shocked by the comments and really wish everyone would stop pushing their beliefs on other parents. Then again I guess I do that when it comes to bilingualism
By the way, I did get grief from people when my daughter was a baby. People couldn’t tell whether she was a boy or a girl and I guess they found that disconcerting and troubling. Who knows? My daughter didn’t seem to care.
Well, people really shouldn’t judge either way. Cada loco con su tema, no??
My opinion is similar to Aunt Clara’s. In Costa Rica, where I live, girls (and women) are oversexualized from a very young age; it’s not uncommon for a 6 year old to have “Juicy” emblazoned across her backside or the Playboy on her skin-tight jeans.
If I ever have a little girl — I only have one son at the moment — I will not pierce her ears as a newborn. I may be overthinking this, but to me, ear-piercing is about [culturally conceived notions of] beauty. To me, piercing my newborn’s ears would be the equivalent of saying, hey, you’re not pretty enough on your own, so let’s add a few enhancements. That is not a message I want to send to my daughter. Ideally, I would want to teach her from the very youngest age that true beauty comes from within, and all the rest is just fancy wrapping.
That said, I have my ears pierced and wouldn’t have a problem with piercing my daughter’s, were she to want to have it done. However, my parents made me wait until I was 13 and I will do the same for my daughter, if I ever have one. I think that by 13, a girl has had a chance to really consider whether she wants earrings, and is mature enough to make that decision on her own. By then, I would hopefully have taught her about self worth and all that jazz.
Thanks for being honest and sharing your thoughts so well. I agree that our culture, as well as that in LatAm, can oversexualize little girls. It’s getting worse thanks to horrid reality TV shows featuring little girls that I can’t stand to watch.
I honestly never thought of ear piercing in that sense at all. And, like I replied to Aunt Clara, I’m lucky that my girl loves her earrings, but doesn’t really give it much thought either. They are just a part of her.
Our *job* of teaching our girls what true beauty is will last our whole lifetime. I love that you mention that and are so conscious about it
I didn’t pierce my daughter’s ears when she was a baby, not for any particular reason. I just figured if she wanted to do it when she was older, we would. She decided last year, at 6 years old, she wanted her ears pierced.
The cleaning was a hastle, and she kept touching them. I was always worried they would get infected. She pushed the back on too tight (she was messing with them of course) and got an infection from that when the earring pushed into her ear.
I think it would have been much easier if I just did it when she was younger. Anyway, to each his own. If I had a dollar for everytime someone gave me parenting advice (don’t let your kids sleep with you, don’t feed them that, etc) I wouldn’t have to work!
Thank you, Erin, for explaining my thoughts better than I did.
Kathleen, it would never occur to me to give parents advice on whether to pierce their daughter’s ears, unless I was asked my opinion. And even then I would explain the reasons why *I* didn’t do it. They might find my argument is not convincing and I’d be fine with that. We’re not talking child abuse after all.
I wish I had been extended the same courtesy, specially by complete strangers at the supermarket line.
Ana– Finalmente–something we disagree on;)
Listen, I don’t think you mutilated your sweet girl. It’s unlikely she’ll ever take issue with it at all. However, as the mom whose baby HAD to have surgery before age one and a whole bunch of other medical procedures, I really believe in respecting a child’s bodily integrity. If it’s not a safety issue (wearing clothes out of the house) or a matter of family values (not wearing sexualized clothes), I try to respect their choices about their bodies. That includes things like hair, dress, and body modifications, such as piercings, etc.
You say your daughter will want pierced ears when she gets older–maybe. I pierced my ears a bunch of times as a teenager (and as an infant) but now all my holes are closed because, eh, too much trouble! But I don’t presume to know that my girls will have gender identities that fit the cultural femme girl norm. They may very much NOT want to wear earrings. I don’t know yet.
In the meantime, yeah, they wear pink and skirts, but also some clothes from the “boys” section. So, I’m really progressive on this issue, AND I respect your choice. I know you are a good mom and this is a small issue. But I thought you might want to hear the opposing view in a non-attacking manner.
I am also really careful not to force physical contact, whether for a hug, kiss, or other unless they want the touch. This to me is more important as a safety issue than adhering to the cultural norm or hugging and kissing everyone everytime we see them.
Anyhow, that’s my two cents fwiw:)
Ah, thanks for chiming in!! Yes, I totally get it now why it’s a big *issue* for some parents and I realize how little thought I had even given to it before I became a mom.
For now, she loves her pierced ears and they are just a part of who she is. I would do it all over again because I do believe it’s better at that age, but I totally respect those who don’t even want to because it’s a parenting choice.
I’m so interested to read more about you not forcing physical contact like hugging or kissing. i do remember your post about body language and it was great!
I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was about 13. My parents try when I was 9 but they kept getting infected and would not heal so we let them completely heal and they closed off. I always wanted to wear the pretty earrings all of my friends had but I had to settle for clip on which were not nearly as cute as the real ones. I always said I would pierce my daughter’s ears as a baby (whenever I had one) so she didn’t have to go through that. After all, this is common practice where I am from. Fast forward 15+ years, I had a boy. I learned about the circumcision controversy and I became as opposed to it as you could get. Although I would not go as far as comparing ear piercing to mutilation, I do firmly believe that every person has the right to decide when to make any permanent alterations to their body.
I have a baby daughter now and would let her decide when and if she wants to get hers done. I think it would be a great daughter and mom moment that we will forever cherish.
I am getting my baby girl’s ears pierced next week and I was feeling a little worried about it. I couldn’t believe that you then posted this article talking about the exact thing I was debating in my head. I am Latina and of course we all know that in our culture we pierce our baby girl’s ears very early for the many reasons you explained in your article. My reservations come from my husband’s family who do not pierce any of their girl’s ears until they are way into their teens. I haven’t even told them that I am piercing my daughter’s ears in fear of hearing their opinions and judgement. I figured once it is done and they find out, there is nothing they can say about it. It is probably not the best way to handle the matter and honestly, I’m not even sure if they would even care if I pierce my daughter’s ears but I would rather find out after the fact then before. I am so happy you touched on this topic because it was exactly what I needed to read to remind me again that this is part of who we are as Latinas and I shouldn’t feel guilty or ashamed because others do not agree. Thank you again for creating this site! The sense of community and sisterhood celebrating who we are as Latinas and hearing the stories of many just like me,trying to raise our children to embrace their culture, is exactly what I needed and I commend you.
Jackie, your comment made my day..week…month!
Never feel ashamed of who you are or what you value of your traditions unless they cause real damage to someone else. If this is something you really want to do, then noone should judge you, especially if they don’t know where you’re coming from.
We’re thrilled SpanglishBaby means this to you — seriously thrilled.
My wife sent me the link. I didn’t read the previous posts so my apologies if I am being redundant on someone else’s previous posting. I don’t have a daughter. I have two sons so my perspective may be different. I wouldn’t want to pierce her ears as I find it as an act of sexualization equivalent to buying pink clothes, etc. Of course, there is nothing wrong with pink clothes, but it’s in the manner in which a color, for example, is sexualized. Please, I do not mean to offend, just provide a perspective as I am simply making a respectful observation as I found the article most interesting.
So earrings, it seems, have a similar effect, suggesting that the baby’s charm (particularly a little girl’s charm) requires accessories. I suspect what this does is that it sends the subconscious message that “your beauty mija requires external accessories”. True, most parents don’t truly believe that, yet still act out that statement by actually piercing and accessorized their daughters. So, there is a bit of a paradox in the matter and not so clear cut on the motivations behind it. I sense that piercing symbolizes the self identification of girls more through external things (like found in beauty pageants), rather than internal ones. Yeah, they’re just earings one would say, but we live in a world of symbols and metaphors too that effect our sense of being, importance, or beauty. So earrings are no exception because they carry more than just their weight on little ear lobes. They have metaphorical and symbolic implications too. They potentially send a message that external decorations have more (or equal) value as that of internal decorations – the intellect, the mind, a noble heart, generosity, empathy, a good soul, wisdom. It is these latter decorations I strive to pierce in my sons, and I would hope to do the same if I had a daughter. Thank you for this article. I think I just started a long conversation between my wife and I over dinner tonight… 
In my family, girls had their ears done by my great aunt Socorro when they turned 6 days old. I had mine done andI had my oldest daughter’s done at 6 days. Wish I could have gotten my younger daughter’s done then but she has small ear lobes so she got hers at 7 months. She cried so much. Now I understand why they do it so early.
I had my daughter’s ears pierced at 7 months. Not necessarily because I wanted it, but because we were heading to Puerto Rico for her first visit with her bisaabuelitos. Had I made the visit without having them pierced, the issue would have been forced and I preferred her doctor pierce her ears versus some unknown lady at Walmart. Maybe I violated my daughter’s right to do what she wants with her body, but since I had mine done as a baby as well, I didn’t think much of it.
Do I think it’s pretty to see a little baby girl with pierced ears? Yes. Guilty as charged! Would I have pierced my daughter’s ears by her first birthday anyhow? Probably. Does she wear them now? No. Turns out she discovered her earlobes and pulls on them when she’s sleepy. It’s how she pulled out her first pair of earrings… and then her second. And since I haven’t found a pair of earrings that screw in well enough to stop her from pulling them out, I haven’t bought a third pair.
Wow, what an interesting post Ana and I think I tend to agree partially with Elsie. I don’t believe it’s child bodily mutilation (Really? Is that what some people called it?), but as a girly, fashion forward Latina myself, I just couldn’t bring myself to pierce my girl’s pristine little ears when she was a baby. I didn’t feel any cultural pressure to do it from relatives (and haven’t received slack from them for not doing it to this day), and I certainly don’t resent my Mom for piercing mine when I was a baby. I love to wear earrings! However, I do always wistfully long for her to wear earrings when I see all of the precious little girl styles out there, but I’ve resigned myself to my decision of letting her ask me to do it when she’s older and make the decision for herself. Just my two cents on the topic.
Ana,
Admittedly, I know a lot of people have strong feelings when to pierce a child’s ear. “Let them decide”
is being replaced by parental decision when mommy intuition knows, “earlier is better” from either
personal or friend’s experiences of unpleasant childhood ear piercing. I think it just depends on your
own personal choice whether or not you wish your baby or little girl to have pierced ears.
When your new baby girl is lying in your arms, you start to imagine her future. They are beautiful, kind little people with dreams of changing the world for the better. You want your precious angel to have gems hanging off of her ears but you know do not know when the right time is. The best time to pierce your baby’s ears is with in the first few months because a baby’s senses are not yet fully developed so they will not be aware of the pain for a long period of time. Some babies do not
feel the ear piercing at all. You can get your baby’s ears pierced the week you take her out of the
hospital with her first DPT, so it is not the time to pierce a child’s ears that you want to worry about. What’s more important is where you get it done.
Initially, I was unsure just when to do it. I was also worried what others would say if I was “one of those moms who pierced their baby’s ears.” Our ped said when mommy could care for them was the best time including as newborns just days old. She gave me a list of suggestions to make things go smoothly. I was relieved, and no longer worrying what others would say and took her the next day to have them pierced after calling around:) According to my mom, mine were done as a baby by my aunt with a needle and thread leaving it in for about a week before putting little gold hoops in each ear. The piercing instrument used now is much safer and uses disposable sterile earrings according to our ped and the shops in my phone interview to find the right person and place.
My ped emphasized the importance of finding the most experienced person to pierce your baby’s
ears. How do you find out how long they have been piercing ears? You ask them! Asking the manager or asst manager at places like Claire’s, Piercing Pagoda or Merle Norman will usually lead you immediately to the right person. I found a nice older lady at Merle Norman who has done baby ear piercing for 15 years. When I spoke with her on the phone, she exudited confidence in her ability and experience with all age groups. How to judge once you’ve arrived with your baby to have her ears pierced? Three things on your list should be 1) sanitation, 2)experience, 3)and patience are the most important things to look for in the shop and ear-piercer themselves.
If any moms are on the fence and would like more info from our ped, don’t hesitate to write me an e-mail.
amyswor@hotmail.com
I didn’t pierce my first daughter’s ear nor will I pierce my second’s when she is born out of fear of infection, allergies, and, my biggest fear, choking. I am afraid that an earring will somehow come out of the baby’s ears and make it into her mouth. There are probably very few documented cases of this happening, but for me it’s not worth the risk. When my daughters are old enough to ask I will gladly take them to have them pierced.
I know I’m getting in on this very late but I just read the article and I was so excited to hear the input because I went through the issue of “to pierce or not to pierce” this year with my baby girl. I hadn’t given it much thought until we went to Puerto Rico to introduce her to her familia. Almost as soon as we arrived my suegra and cuñadas asked me why I hadn’t pierced my daughter’s ears yet (she was 3 months old at the time). I replied that I just was planning to wait until she asked for earrings, and I would take her then. They said “No, no, no” and offered all the explanations and reasons that have been mentioned in this conversation. I still was not convinced, because we live in a rural area where there are few Latinos and I could just see the looks of disapproval on the faces if I deliberately “hurt” my baby by piercing her ears. Aside from my question of would she really WANT earrings later? And the fact that I did NOT want to see her cry for something unnecessary. I told them I would seriously consider it but that I needed some time to think. I agonized slightly over the issue and went back and forth many times in trying to make a decision… But as our time in PR drew to a close, I knew the right thing to do. I would get her ears pierced, and her Abuela would be the one to take her. Then she could always know, every time she looked at her earrings or changed them, that they are there because the first time she went to Puerto Rico, her home away from home, she had a special experience with her abuela. It may sound silly but to me, it was a way of identifying and protecting her Latino side, which is so important to me, as we sometimes feel isolated in our area and it would be easy to just assimilate entirely to anglo culture. Here, they don’t pierce their babies ears!
I am seeing and adding to this post very late. But today was the first time I’ve looked online for information on this topic. Last night, my 3 month old daughter’s father and I had her ears pierced. Before I had a child, and immediately after, I was completely against the idea of piercing a baby’s ears. The reasons range from thinking it’s cruel to worrying about how others would perceive me as a mother who chose to do that. Her father is from Argentina and he expressed a desire to pierce them very quickly. After giving it some thought, I decided that as parents, we will parent together. And that means being respectful of his culture, knowing that it’s special and meaningful for him to observe traditions like this. And in the end, she barely cried and she looks beautiful, earrings or not. She can later choose to wear earrings or not wear them. It will be up to her. And while it will take a bit of time for me to adjust to the idea, I feel good about my choice and I know that we are starting early in exposing her to both cultures. Speaking Spanish is next!
Jennifer,
Like you, I never pictured myself piercing my baby’s ears. I grew up with a “white bread” WASP mother who didn’t pierce her ears until she was well into her 30s, having been told by my grandmother that only gypsies had pierced ears.
Like your husband (mine was from Spain). There they pierce the ears of female infants in the
hospital as a matter of course, much the way the circumcision of male infants is handled in the United
States. It is traditional for a baby girl’s godparents and relatives to give her earrings as a symbol of
how loved and adored she is. And there, a baby can be dressed up in pink butterflies, but if she’s earring-less, people will still call her a beautiful baby boy.
Dh also wanted his little girls ears pierced early too. But what I soon came to realize cultural camaraderie is important and mutual respect a sign of love. Our dd barely whimpered having them pierced early at four weeks. In addition, after having our dd’s ears pierced, I realized that piercing a baby’s ears is not at all wrong or uncommon; however, criticizing and openly casting doubt on another’s cultural norms is wrong and unfortunately not that uncommon.
Our daughter with little pearl earrings has drawn so many favorable comments from dh’s friends and family. Many of my GF’s, some who were uncertain about my decision to pierce my baby girl’s ears as a newborn have expressed their opinion how cute and adorable she looks with little pierced ears. A few have followed my lead and had their dd’s ears pierced too
I’m very happy with my decision and hope others will realize that family, tradition and diversity are between two blinged-out earlobes of our daughter. For those still unsure about our decision, I hope they can keep an open mind.
Any moms on the fence whether or not to have their dd’s ears pierced, drop me an e-mail.
Angie@hotmail.com
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When I was little I loved asking my mom to tell the story again of how she took me at 2 months old to get my ears pierced by the same doctor who pierced my older sisters, and hers! An old, trusted family doctor. Not a day in my life did it occur to me that she had done something cruel against my will. I love my baby photos with those delicate little earrings.
That said, I grew up to be one of those mothers who chose to let her child decide and now I’m looking for a place here in Costa Rica to get them done for my 9 year old. That’s how I stumbled upon this article.
I’ll preface my comment with this, I don’t fall on either side of the argument. I was just interested in the topic and came across this article. That said, what exactly is the “Rite of Passage” being discussed? If I’m not mistaken, a Rite of Passage marks the movement from one stage to another in a persons life. The one thing I’ve gathered throughout most of the articles on the subject is that that is indeed not the case for most instances of piercing in children. I do see what you’re saying about Latina mothers. Is this about the passage from womb to world? I would assume there has to be more to it than that, as that isn’t technically any right of passage. Just curious!
Too much trouble for nothing. I am from Peru. I had my ears pierced when I was born and I don`t use earings ( except in weddings, birthdays and special events).
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I came across this series of postings while looking for information about ear piercing customs in latin America to post to my FB business site. I’m an RN and owner of a business in SoHo-NYC that specializes in baby and children’s ear piercing so I have daily contact with parents from all over the world who bring their daughters in for their first earrings. First of all, I’d like to say that every single baby i’ve ever pierced (and I’ve done many!) is either smiling or back in a relaxed state within minutes of the piercing. They cry for a couple of minutes, just as if they’re getting a vaccination. This is purely a cultural and personal choice and there is absolutely nothing harmful or cruel going on here. On the contrary, I often have entire families that come into my office because this is such a special day of celebration.
There is no right or wrong age for ear piercing. In fact, there is no medical research available that indicates a perfect age for ear piercing. I only discourage parents if their child is approx 15 months- 4 yrs old because the child is old enough to touch their ears, but not old enough to understand why they shouldn’t touch a newly formed wound.
The most important thing parents need to understand is that they need to use a professional piercer or a medical professional who has a lot of experience specifically in children’s ear piercing. I get a lot of “re-do’s” –uneven placement, prior infections from other piercers who don’t use hypoallergenic studs or disposable equipment, etc. I advise parents to always ask what type of equipment the piercer is going to use. If they’re using a medical piercing gun as I do, it must be a Blomdahl gun, which is the only gun on the market that is considered completely safe because all of its crucial parts, including the part that squeezes the ear, are completely disposable. (I will also add that this particular gun is only sold to medical professionals.) I’ve heard many stories where parents go to the mall and are told that the earrings are sterile but what they don’t realize is that those sterile earrings are going to be loaded into a gun with permanent parts. For example, the part that squeezes the ear on a regular gun is NOT disposable, which means it touches everyone! Remember, a traditional piercing gun can’t be autoclaved because it is plastic, and plastic melts. The rule i have in my business is that “if it touches one client, it can’t touch another”. I even use sterile, one-time use marking pens. I also use earrings that do NOT need to be rotated which dramatically cuts the infection rates down. If you’re not touching your ears 3x a day, you’re far less likely to get an infection. So, in a nutshell, my advice to parents is to either see a professional body piercer at a reputable shop OR to see a medical professional who uses Blomdahl equipment and earrings. If you must have gold, it should only be 18-22k yellow gold. Remember, the lower the karat, the more likely you are to have exposure to nickel, the higher the karat (18-22k), the less likely. Avoiding exposure to nickel during the first year of a piercing can dramatically decrease the chances of developing a nickel allergy. Hope this information helps. Happy Piercing!
I found it very interesting reading all these posts and the difficulties some parents have in deciding whether or not to have their baby girl’s ears pierced. I was unsure while I was pregnant and knew I was having a little girl if I would have my daughter’s ears pierced or not. However, reading these posts from the moms who did decide that they wanted their little girls ears pierced (including you own experience, Ana) convinced me that I would have my own little girls done too. Emily was born on 20th February and yesterday, my boyfriend and I took her to have her ears pierced. She now has a small gold stud in each ear and looks adorable. Already, we are so glad that we made this decision for her, especially as she only cried for a few seconds. She had stopped by the time we had left the shop. Thank you again for the discussion on this board. it has really made a difference and helped me to make up my mind to have Emily’s ears pierced when she was very little.