I would say don't do a baby's ears. If they decide they want them when they're a teenager or older, then, by all means, take them to get them done. But let them choose.

I had a friend who was really really screwed up about her ears, and part of that was that she had pierced ears she didn't want.

I have often thought the same. I have never been into taking a baby to get pierced lobes. Let the child get pierced ears when she is old enough to ask to have it done.

I agree ^

To me, it's cruel and unnecessary. She can't even give her opinion about her own body yet!

My mom had my ears pierced at the doctor's office when I was like 2 because I still didn't have any hair and she was tired of people thinking I was a boy, haha. But, if I was to ever have kids, I would wait and let them decide when they were older. I don't mind that I had mine done when I was so young, but that's because I like them. I know someone who hates having her ears pierced, but she's had them for so long that the holes won't close.

If they want to get her ears pierced go with the gun. Thats what it's designed for, baby ears. Plus, most piercers aren't comfortable piercing babies ears. Most piercers prefer them to be about 5 or so...old enough for them to tell the piercer that they want their ears pierced.

Yeah if you want the poor kid to get a bad infection and hepatitis.

I agree with pretty much everyone else here - wait until the child is old enough to ask to get them done. The baby can't go up to the parents and say "Wow that persons earrings look really cool! I want that!"

Actually, I believe they were made to tag livestock's ears.

Guns cannot be sterilized properly, who wants that on their ears? I made the mistake a few times before I learnt the truth. Guns are NO GOOD.

Absolutely incorrect. They were designed for tagging cattle, not for people. Regardless of the determined use of the instrument, being a professional you should recognize that the instrument cannot be sterilized properly and thus is a very significant hazard to the health of anyone it is being used on, particularly an infant with a developing immune system.

Back to the OP-

You should never pierce an infants ears. They are not old enough to decide if they want that aesthetic option. I have heard tons of excuses "its cute" "people think she is a boy" "I wanted her to have diamonds"...all of which are silly. They make headbands for infants and toddlers. I didn't have as much hair as Josho's little angel until I was in my late 2's. I am very happy my parents made me wait until I asked and begged and pleaded. Pierced ears should be a special family event - like to mark a milestone of sorts, not to please someone else. Babies ears grow a lot and many times the holes end up crooked once the child is older. It is a silly thing to do and why can't people just be happy to have a healthy baby without worrying about puncturing holes in her ears? Piercing studios will not pierce infants.

And yes, I also know a couple of ladies that were pierced as babies/toddlers and to this day are very self conscious about their ears because they never wanted holes in them. Its sad.s

whoa, this thread carries a striking resemblance to the circumcision thread in off-topic.

that being said, i'm not even touching this with a 10 foot pole.

One difference though, Josho, the instruments used for circumsision were not origionally designed for use on cattle. I just can't get over that.

I will never understand an idea of getting pierced a few month old baby. I think that no one under 16 should have piercings (sorry guys who have under 16, but that's my opinion). I think after 16 you are mature enough to make that decision. And I think that everyone must decide for himself that he/she wants piercing (not your parents, relatives, etc.)

I agree with BadKiTtY

that's why i said it carried a resemblance.. i didn't say it was the same.

my stance on it, as it is with circumcision, is do what you want with your kids and leave other people (and their business) alone. I've already debated it to death, and don't have the energy nor desire to discuss it further.

I've walked past the Claire's in my town countless times to see a screaming baby with bleeding ears.

People only ever seem to mention the child wanting it, and whether guns are safe..

The other thing to consider is that babies don't KNOW how to take care of a piercing. They don't know not to touch it, they can't help but mess with it, causing infections and all manner of other horrible things.

Guns aren't safe, they're slowly being outlawed, thank god. I cannot comprehend how someone who works in a studio can RECOMMEND one?! What are you, a cleaner or receptionist or something? Jeese....

I disagree Talena, I see where you're coming from though, but MOST kids under 16 aren't responsible, not all of them.

I was 12 when I got my first piercing. Just my lobes. I begged, I pleaded, I asked around, I got prices, I did work, I did well in exams etc to get them. I took better care of them when I was 12-15 than I do now (I generally stick with LITHA other than cleaning off some crusties once or twice a day).

But yeah, puncturing a hole in a babies ears, specifically with a relatively blunt object such as a gun stud, it's sick and utterly barbaric. Tell them no.

Hmmm... classic example of someone giving advice that shouldn't be giving advice in the first place.

As for the original topic, I think that having a baby's ears pierced is merely to satisfy the vanity of the parents. 'Nuff said.

I know Not trying to get into the debate either, I'm sick to death of having the conversation with friends who've had babies. I just can't believe someone actually took something that's used for an animal and thought "Hey, maybe I can do this to myself! What a good idea!"

Regardless of whether people "should" pierce baby's ears (and I have my own thoughts on that), I want to point another problem with this issue: there's a serious gap in piercing philosophy and practice here.

There will be parents who pierce their babies' ears. There will be--the determined will find a way, whether it's gunned at the mall or done at home. The dilemma is this: we deplore those methods, but most professional piercers won't do infants, for some of the reasons mentioned above, and for liability reasons. So what do parents do?

Part of the response to this question is an ethical one. Oh no, that's cruel the babies, unsanitary, the parents are stupid . . . but who are we to say such things? We don't want people saying similar things of us, with our piercings.

It's a cultural thing, too. Just as the culture keeps people going to the mall for "clean" piercings with a gun, we encounter cultures in which piercing a female child's ears is done as a matter of course, through subtle or not-so subtle pressures from older female relatives.

There is no sensible alternative for parents who are determined. You either find a piercer who is willing to do it (and are these piercers reputable?), go to the mall (and we know what happens there, don't we?) or they do it themselves with a needle (no self-piercing!). I say there's a problem here, because its a need that can't be fulfilled by our standards.

QFT

I'm sorry, I don't know what your comment means, exactly. (suspect he's telling me to shut up). Thanks for the smiley face, though.

Means Quoted For Truth, he's agreeing with everything you just said lol

Ah, I see. I thought it was quit f***** talking.

well. okay then.

LOL - that wouldn't be very nice of me! I use QFT a lot, as it saves me buttloads of typing - so at least now you know!

I live in a heavily Hispanic area. Just about 100% of female children's ears in my town are pierced. You would need some kind of massive publicity campaign to even begin to change people's minds about this; cultural changes to deeply ingrained practices are slow.

We can get up on our high horse, but the gap in service that our protestations leave us with (it's wrong, so just don't do it) reveals only dangerous alternatives to these parents.

Nobody has really offered any help to the OP. Mostly because there isn't a good solution.

Lol!

I've got my 1st piercing when I was 3 years old. It wasn't my decision, and I don't have a good memories about it.
With 14 I've done my 7 lobes and with 15 my navel piercing. Still, I don't think it's ok...

I would think that for a reputable piercer it would boil down to two issues.

Number one, you are piercing someone who can neither request it nor object to it. Number two, you are piercing someone who is not capable of following aftercare procedures. No matter how much the parents insist that they will take proper care of the fresh wounds, you cannot keep a baby from playing with its ears. My nephew is 3 and we still can't convince him to let go of his pecker! Kids are not good candidates for piercing.

We can scream and yell all we want, but people are still going to go to the mall or go to Walmart and have a teenager punch a hole in their head with a dirty poorly designed farm implement. There is certainly a place for outrage, but that does not always work well against something so ingrained in a culture. Although we would love everyone to come to our side of the issue immediately, some pages must be turned slowly. Put the information out there. Offer your concern without condescension. Most people will ignore it. Some will listen.