Pros/ DO IT!
- It's Cute. Duh! [Pretty earrings to match pretty little outfits! :) ]
- Chances are she will choose to get her ears' pierced later in life. Why not do it now and get it over with?
- It is less painful for a baby because their ear lobes are thinner. (So I hear).) Baby will forget about the pain quickly... an older child will remember this memory. I personally am happy to not have this memory, even though it's not that painful.
- This is not an abnormal thing for a parent to do... people have been piercing their ears for thousands of years. It's not like you are piercing your baby's belly button!
- It's socially acceptable to have ear piercings.
- The internet causes so much room for dramatizing every and any issue you never considered to be an issue in the first place. Do what you want as a parent. I've never heard of a girl complaining and irate about their mother piercing their ears when they were a baby. Just saying!
- You as a parent have to provide daily ear care to make sure it doesn't get infected. Baby can't take care of it. (Obviously)
- Baby might pull on the earrings or get it snagged on something and rip it out.
- Baby does not choose to get a hole in their ear. Violation of baby's body???
- Baby could swallow the piercing.
- Doctor might not like the idea... though you can ask. (Update: Miss A's doctor is fine with it.)
- You could hold off the excitement until she is older, when she asks to have her ears pierced. It will be a special occasion for her.
However, I need people to convince me that it is okay to do it. This is mainly because of my baby's paternal grandmother and maternal great-grandmother who are strongly opposed to the idea. My mom is PRO ear piercings... but that is because she did mine and my sisters at a very young age.
Let me know what you think. I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions!
xx Monica xx
Update: My baby's ears are pierced now... Here is her ear piercing story! =)
Monica,
ReplyDeleteHope you don't mind me writing you an e-mail, but I had a similar experience in deciding when to have my dd's ears pierced too. I was a bit nervous to pull the trigger and a chicken too, but changed my mind after seeing so many babies and little girls with cute earrings.
First, I'd say if you're thinking about it, then your mommy intuition is telling earlier is better. I was like you, really wanting it done, but didn't want to hurt Sandi, our dd. However, seeing so many babies and little girls with cute earrings kept me coming back to having it done as an infant. I asked our ped who encouraged me to have it done early when mommy could care for them and said anytime after her first DPT was fine. She gave some suggestions for moms having their dd's ears pierced since she had so moms ask her about it. They included topical meds to minimize any discomfort and how to find the right person and place to have it done. I don't know if you already had her ears pierced, but if you're worried about your mom, don't be. She'll love how she looks with sweet little earrings. We did Sandi at six weeks.
Second, 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. However, I think you've made the decision and just waiting for the right time. I was uncertain too and kept going back and forth. However, my ped had her dd's ears pierced at 8 wks and when I found the right person, I was at ease and went ahead and was glad I did!
Third, some feel perceived gender of their child is important while others find it a cultural tradition where all infant girls have pierced ears. I pierced our oldest daughter's ears when she was two months old and our youngest at just days old. We found an experienced individual where they specialized in infant piercing.
Fourth, my advice is to do them one at a time to insure they are perfectly centered. This may take 15 seconds longer, but will make sure they are not crooked later in life.
Firth, if you don't know how she'd look at any age, then hold up a pair of your studs to each ear and decide for yourself. Many moms including myself like the look of earrings on babies and little girls for no specific reason, but like how light plays off a simple gold ball on a bald baby girl or small gold hoop poking through the hair of a toddler.
Sixth, cerebrally, as mothers of girls of all ages, we know it celebrates their femaleness and femininity. After all, they are little girls, right? Growing up I remember many of my little girlfriends were not allowed to get their ears pierced. I could never understand it...but when their parents did finally let them, it always seemed they'd get infected because they were constantly touching them or trying to change out the earrings before they were supposed to. Many said it was painful, but all cried having a great deal of angst leading up to and including the actual ear piercing.
Lastly, just when is the best time to pierce your daughter's ears? It is when you are ready to care for them during the healing phase. They are very easy to care for. If you decide to do it as a newborn or infant, then I promise she'll thank you later!
If you or any moms would like our ped's tips, then don't hesitate to write me an e-mail.
Angie
angietune@hotmail.com
Wow thank you for the great advice! I really appreciate it. You are right, I have decided that I want to do it. On Twitter and Reddit, I've received a lot of negative feedback regarding piercing her ears so I was kind of hesitant. Also my husband's mom does not like the idea... but since my mom wants to do I don't realllly care. It's ultimately our decision as parents and my husband is okay with it. Adding one more thing, such as ear care is not a big deal to me because I am currently a stay-at-home mom. Actually right now would be an ideal time to pierce her ears because I'm home. I'm hoping for a full time job in the near future. Well THANKS AGAIN for the advice. :)
DeleteMonica,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response. Sounds like you've made the decision so the only thing left is where and who to do it. Our ped recommended Piercing Pagoda due to their level of professional training and experience with infant ear piercing.
Think you're a smart mommy for doing it now. Do offer an olive branch to your MIL by asking her if she'd like to go with you and your mother. I've found those who were opposed as some you noticed on Twitter were the first to tell me how adorable Sandi was with little pierced ears.
Don't hesitate to write me if you'd like our ped's tips for moms having their dd's ears pierced.
Angie
angietune@hotmail.com