Wait, let me get this straight…you want me to take our sweet baby girl to a mall so a gum-snapping, hair-flipping 17-year-old named Kimberley can shoot spikes into her delicate ear lobes? No sir! Ain’t gonna happen! Baby’s don’t get tattoos, why should they get piercings?
My hubby wants to get our baby’s ears pierced, but I’m not convinced. I think it’s funny that he even has an opinion on the subject, yet it’s endearing at the same time. How could I put permanent holes in my daughter’s precious ears? My job is to protect her, not to inflict unnecessary pain for the sake of decoration. She’s not a Christmas tree, for Pete’s sake! What does she need embellishments for? She’s gorgeous, as is!
I feel terrible when she bonks her head on the side of her crib or face plants when attempting to crawl, so how would I feel when she’s screaming in agony from a piercing gun harpooning her miniature lobes? I’m guessing like the worst mom in the world!
My mom took me to get my ears pierced when I was 6 months old, a fact I often bragged about. She did it because I was bald and people would mistake me for a boy. To this day, I’m happy to have my ears pierced and no recollection of going through the painful process. So I wonder if I should go ahead and make the decision for my daughter, or just wait until the day she can ask me herself. What’s a mummy to do?
If her doctor’s office did the procedure, I’d be more inclined to get them done sooner than later, but they don’t. I asked. I just can’t bring myself to take her to a mall to have it done. How could I live with myself if something went wrong or they got infected. I look at her beautiful face and smooth skin and think nothing could be more perfect in this world…how could I mar her by putting metal studs in her ears? It seems insane!
The more I think about it, the more I want to wait until she comes to me and asks to have it done. Even then I’m making her daddy take her. Let him be the bad guy for once!
One Funny Mummy 
I’ve had that discussion many times with my friends. I have a boy so i don’t have to worry about that. But i would never pierce my baby’s ears. Not until they are big enough to ask for it, and understand whats happening. why do people pierce their baby’s ears? To please themselfes, the baby has no idea, nor did they ask for their parents to do it.
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Yeah, it is totally unnecessary. I guess parents do it cause it’s like anything else…we dress them how we like, cut their hair how we want, and ultimately teach them what we want them to know. My husband will just have to get over wanting her to wear earrings. : ) Thanks for reading!
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I agree with waiting for her to want to have her ears pierced. At this point in her young life, you don’t need one more physical aspect of her to care for. And by the time she’s a pre-teen and starts copping an attitude, you may not care if her perfect ear lobes are in jeopardy. : )
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Hehehe…thanks Dr. J! You’re right! We’ll wait till she is a sassy pre-teen and we’ll do it as punishment ; )
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Was searching for a GF’s blog and came across yours. Started reading and came across your post about agonizing about having your dd’s ears pierced, but having yours done at 6 mos. As you said, “…my mom took me to get my ears pierced when I was 6 months old, a fact I often bragged about. She did it because I was bald and people would mistake me for a boy. To this day, I’m happy to have my ears pierced and no recollection of going through the painful process.” Sounds like you had kudos for your mom having them pierced as an infant.
I think you’re a smart mommy for considering having your dd’s ears pierced now. I had similar anguish when I was considering whether or not to pierce my dd’s as an infant. Sounds like your in the same quandry with wondering if I should go ahead and make the decision for my daughter, or just wait until the day she can ask me herself. What’s a mummy to do?
Like you, dh wanted them done too. Still uncertain, I asked our ped who encouraged me to go ahead and do them when mommy could care for them. When I asked our ped for her opinion about having our dd’s ears pierced. She reached in her pocket and took out a picture of her six month little girl with gold balls in each ear, saying,” …this is what I think.” She encouraged me to go ahead and said it was best as an infant when mommy could care for them. She has never had a baby with a pierced ear infection, but has had quite a few older girls ages 2-5 who said they wanted it done, but failed to care for them. She gave me some ” Tips for moms having their dd’s ears pierced since she had so many moms ask about having their infants and little girls ears pierced.
I know 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.
Although you may be unsure whether or not to have her ears pierced now, your own experience having them early may confirm your own mommy intuition to have them done now. Promise she’ll thank you later for the “gift of pierced ears” as an infant like you did with your mom.
If you would like any of our ped’s tips for piercing, then don’t hesitate to write me an e-mail. They include OTC meds to minimize any discomfort as well as how to find the most experienced person to pierce her ears.
Amy
amyswor@hotmail.com
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Hi Amy! Thanks for reading my blog and your thoughtful response. : ) What I’ve learned from writing this post is that NOTHING in parenting is easy. I agonize over every little decision. I guess that’s part of being a mummy. : )
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