One of the reasons that ear scalpeling first started getting done, is that when someone has their lobes pierced as a baby, it can grow up to be sitting quite low on the lobe both because it’s harder to do perfect placement on a tiny lobe and because the ear changes a little as it grows. As well as the issue of placement, there’s also the issue of consent — is it morally acceptable to modify someone else’s body without their permission, be it circumcision, piercing baby ears, or even coming of age tattooing and ritual ceremonies?
Then there’s also the counter-concern that many professionals face of “well, if I don’t do it, they’ll just go to the mall and have it done badly”… Personally I fall on the “don’t do it” side of the fence, but I can definitely understand why someone would come to the other conclusion. For example, Karla “Pinky” Grimes at No Regrets in Champaign, IL pierced the five week old baby on the left, and the little fellow on the right was done by Tarzan at Edu Tattoo Studio in Rio de Janeiro.
Comments
113 responses to “Piercing Babies”
I just don’t understand the need for some parents to pierce their child’s ears when they are so young. It just doesn’t make sense!
I’m not for it personally. Other people can do it, and that’s fine, I’m just not into it. I am really big on the whole personal freedoms and decisions and such, something that is superficial and not necessary for health (ie. ear piercings) is something I will wait for my children to make that decision on their own, and I would take them to a professional for that…instead of germ infested mall punching.
My mother pierced my ears herself when i was only 9 months old and her mother pierced her and her sisters’ ears as soon as she could hold herself steady after giving birth. In the country my mother’s from it’s not uncommon for the nurses in the hospital to pierce the ears of the baby girls before they go home. My ears have been pierced three times and between going to a mall for the second holes and a tattoo parlor for the third set, the ones my mom did still have the best placement.
It happens. I had my ears pierced as a baby overseas, and now the holes are not symmetrical. It bothered me for a while, but with stretching them, I notice it less and less. Growing up, NOT having pierced ears was unusual, because almost every family, in my culture, takes their baby girls to get their ears pierced.
Now that I’m more educated about the matter, when my sister in law took my year old nieces to the doctor’s office to get them pierced (with a gun), I sat her down and schooled her.
as long as a kid can’t say “mommy, I want to have my ear’s pierced” I don’t think you should do it. Give them at least the time to learn to speak and express what they want. and then you can still discuss the pros and cons with them.
as a parent what do you get from piercing your babies ears? personal gratification that your baby has fashionable ears? a baby doesn’t understand why it’s ears hurt, why they itch orwy suddenly they’re not allowed to touch them or pull at them (as babies do). and howdo you explain to a baby whats goingon,if they happen to pull one out???
so why not wait a few years for thm to ask to get them done? then they can be done with needles, (not a gun *shudder*) and can understand why they are in discomfort.
I wouldn’t have dreamed of having my kids pierced that young. Not sure if I’d want it banned per se, it just saddens me that someone would. I do think it’s odd that age limits are suddenly out the door because it’s a lobe – I’m not thinking any other piercing would be done by anyone, mall or no, on someone still mostly in the eat/crap/sleep stage. It’s a hazy line where consent can be given, but you’d imagine it’d be past infant. Again, I figure it’s more of a parental issue – it makes good sense to wait and see what they want and when you are convinced they’d consider it a good idea.
I agree with #5 and #6. I don’t see any reason to pierce a baby’s ears other than to make your baby look “cute” and “fashionable”.
The infant doesn’t know what’s going on, other than something painful being done to their ears. I think it’s better to wait until the kid is old enough to decide for themselves if they want their ears pierced or not.
My mom had my ears done when I was 5-6 months old. I let them heal up until I was 5, when I decided I wanted them done again. She told me no since I had let them heal up, so I told her “Just redo them in my sleep.”
…well, the next morning, I woke up with a sore ear and my little sister on my chest, watching. Mom had gotten one through the old hole and was working on the second. By the time I fully woke up, she had them redone and looking great with some sparkly pink gemstone studs. VERY mom-core! XD
My 9 year old god-son got his ears pierced a year ago when he made his own choice. I was very proud of him when he took great care of them. On the other hand, my niece got her’s done when she was 4 and almost ripped a hoop right out of her little lobe while playing.
I don’t see the need to pierce a baby’s ears, as the aftercare then falls on the parent. Sure, it can definitely look cute, but it just seems more of a risk and hassle with babies/young kids. Though I’d never condemn anyone for getting their kid’s ears pierced.
my grandma pierced my ears when i was five…i whish she done it earlier,it wouldnt hurt that bad 😡
On principle, I disagree with modifying children in any way (including piercing and circumcisions). I’m glad my mother let me wait until I was ready to get my ears pierced. But getting an infant’s ears pierced by a professional is much more preferable to the alternative. Last time I was in a mall, I passed a “piercing pagoda” where a mother was holding a screaming, squirming infant as a teenager pierced its ears with a gun. Child abuse much?
five weeks old!?
that seems a little early.
I can understand when they are 3/4 years olds but piercing babies just seems so unnecessary, they cant get much cuter.
I had my ears pierced at 3 months old, my mom had it done because everyone mistook me for a boy… I had them in until I was about 5, then i did not wear jewelry in them again until I was 12 (they were still open). Now my ears are at 3/4….
I’m indifferent to the argument of it’s “appropriate” but i honestly, I lean more towards it being fine to pierce an infants ears…
if the kid doesn’t like them, they will take them out… I guess i don’t see what the big deal is, i never grew up WITHOUT having my ears pierced…
#6 – It’s tradition. It’s done for the same reason that many kids are circumcised in America, etc…
I first had my ears pierced when I was 5. I can’t remember weather or not I asked for them (my guess is my mother asked if I wanted my ears pierced like my big sisters and wanting to be like them I said yes) and had a second set done when I was 7 that i know I asked for.
Well now I’m 20 and I just had my ears done properly at an 8 gage and I love them. Do i hate my mother for piercing me before? no not really, she didn’t know about the dangers of guns and neither did I until I was 15. (but mind you when she decied to have her ears redone I showed her the article on the dangers of guns and she still went and had them done with a gun)
I won’t be piercing my child’s ears until they are ready.
Wow… five weeks old is kinda… odd.
And I see completely where you’re coming from on this one Shannon. Modifying without consent is somewhat unacceptible, but it’s being done…. sometimes illegally.
My mom got my ears pierced at a hair salon when I was little too… only I was way older than five weeks. And I looked like a boy because I didn’t have hair until I was THREE.
haha I dunno.
personally, I think this is a “devil’s advocate” situation.
I remember desperately wanting my ears pierced when I was about eight, and my mom not letting me get them done until I was twelve… as I approached twelve that age changed to sixteen…
I ended up getting them done at eleven (with a gun :S), but I don’t think children should not get their ears pierced until they can ask for it and do the research into pros and cons themselves. Once they can understand the dangers they are old enough to make the decision. I wish this had been my mom’s rule. It would have meant that perhaps I wouldn’t have gotten my ears pierced with a gun, and I wouldn’t have been told what I could or could not do to my body.
I you get pierced as a baby/child you’ll be used to it and probably like it. But I really think mod stuff should wait until the person is in the teens at least.
So stuff like this I’m really against.
i got my ears done when i was barely a few days old. its uncommon to see little girls in countries like the one i grew up in WITHOUT their ears pierced.
but even wheny ou talk about more northern countires without such customs, still i dont understand the huge fuss. i dont see whats wrong with that, the kid wont remember, theyll cry but they cry about a million things anyway, its not a lengthy process and its done quickly.
i dont even see it as a huge deal if the girl grows up thinking ‘i wish i didnt have them done’. its barely a hole. i have never met anyone who hated having their ears pierced so badly that they hated their parents for it. if they did, they’d be the ones with issues.
My mother tried to have my ears pierced at the mall when I was about 1… I screamed and kicked the woman with the piercing gun and caused quite a commotion :).
So my mom let it go after that, and I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was 14 years old. I just felt like I wasn’t ready before that.
I’m not going to get my child’s ears pierced until they feel like they’re ready for it… sure, it’s just an ear piercing, but it’s the principal of the thing, you know? To each their own, I guess, whichever way you look at it.
I had my ears pierced when I was just a few months old. I still have them pierced today and have not been adversely affected in any way. My friend has a 6 month old little girl and was talking about getting her ears pierced by the doctor. . .who uses a gun. You would think that being a medical professional would cause them to use a more sanitary method for performing the procedure, but I guess not. She does not want to pierce her child herself, but instead asked me if I could do it. I of course told her sure, when she is ready. I am not a professional piercer, but have had enough piercings to know proper procedure and am also a pre-med student and have been educated on cross contamination and blood borne pathogens. I will be ordering the jewelry from my local (Very well respected) piercing studio as well. I figure, it’s going to be done. . .might as well offer my knowledge on the subject so it’s not done with a gun or safety pin and cheap, potentially hazardous jewelry. Not for everyone though and I respect that.
i just don’t think i could get past a child crying after the first prick, to get the other lobe done…i’d just cave…and i think an infants immune system is so delicate-why give it other challenges to deal with??? as for crossing lines…piercing should be a personal choice in my eyes…i know when i was a kid you had to pin me down to get my ear rings in…even with parental consent (minors in louisianna can be pierced with parental consent at any age)-i won’t touch anyone under 16-and its at my discreation what i choose to do…
I had mine done when I was 4 at the mall. I wish I had waited until I was older to have them done (my grandma had them done). I also don’t agree with circumcision. I just think it’s mean and shouldn’t be done unless the person is old enough to make and understand the decision being made.
Couldn’t this fall under child abuse?
I don’t know much about that sort of law, but it seems quite a bit like child abuse to me. Someone said that if a child can’t articulate their desire for piercings, they shouldn’t have them–and I completely agree. CONSENT is the name of the game, no matter what. Sex, body mod, privacy…if the receiver is not consenting, it seems like a pretty fucked up thing to do.
As per mall piercers…maybe we should have a day of protest…kind of like anonymous and Scientology. Not violent, simply standing outside your local ear-butchery-shop with signs and pamphlets explaining why they shouldn’t let some 16 year old ditz mangle their child’s body.
Extremist?
In most of White America, it isn’t a “ritual”, it’s fashion. I didn’t have my ears pierced until I was 10, and even then my mother wasn’t keen on it because she wasn’t sure if, at that age, I truly understood what I wanted. I have since pierced my ears myself several times, and have stretched my lobes.
Unless a child can stand there and tell you WHY they want to get their ears (or anything) pierced, I am not for taking Choice out of another person’s hands.
Those babies are beautiful without any adornment.
I do not feel, like so many others have also expressed, that it is ethical to have a child modified when they are so young that they obviously cannot yet make educated decisions concerning their bodies.
That being said, let me play the devil’s advocate for a minute.
Some modifications, such as ear piercings and circumcision, are very deeply embedded in certain cultures. One may go so far as saying that in particular cultural backgrounds, it would be considered unethical NOT to have your child modified to conform with particular norms.
Still I stress that this doesn’t mean that what they are doing is necessarily right, but perhaps a pair of earrings has a deeper meaning to some than simply trying to make their baby look cute.
I was born in Venezuela and it’s pretty much typical, or tradition to have your ears pierced as a newborn.
My sister got her ears pierced when she was still in the hospital, and my grandma pierced mine.
I really see no problem with it because it’s part of our culture, and I would have gotten them pierced when I was older, regardless.
In Spain we’re pierced just the day we’re born, it’s natural for us to see pierced babies…
I didn’t have my ears pierced for the first time until I was 13, when I asked to have them done, I’d never been interested in it until then. Loads of my friends had their ears done by the time we had started school at 4/5 years old and i didn’t think that they looked good.
I will say that it is really “each to one’s own”, that is my personal opinion. A lot of my friends childrens have them done and I still don’t think they look good but, hey, as i said, I’m not one to preach at anyone about it. 🙂
My ears were pierced at roughly the same age (same with my younger sister’s) again because of family tradition. My ears are now at 7/16ths and I’ve never had a single problem – neither has my sister (though hers are not stretched). My mom got them done properly and as a baby I didn’t touch them/play with and they healed fine.
Like Gabriel already said, its a much deeper meaning the “my baby looks cute”. I wore my mom’s earrings that were passed down from generations (real gold) that coming to Canada as a refugee was incredible meaning to her.
Humm. As much as I’d love to call it child abuse, I’d have to sort of agree with everyone that called it tradition. I had my ears pierced with a gun at age 12, and in my area I was way behind most other girls in getting earrings!
Interestingly, most girls I talked to at school were at this time getting a second set of holes, and almost all that had their first set done as an infant wouldn’t have had it any other way because they couldn’t remember that it hurt 😉
Personally, if I ever have a little girl, I’d probably wait till they could prove they could look after them, or until they were done with playing games where they could potentially injure themselves through their earrings.
I understand the argument for tradition but I think the child really needs to understand what’s going on. I’m a student teacher and did one placement in reception class (age 4/5) and a few girls had their ears pierced. The problem here was they weren’t allowed earring in for PE, they couldn’t take them out and teachers aren’t allowed to take them out for them. I really think children need to be at an age where they can be responsible for the whole process.
I do not understand why a little baby needs their ears pierced! I am in two minds on this subject in general, and not having kids yet it will probably be a while before I had to think about it for my own family..however I did have my ears pierced when I was a toddler, and even though I have numerous piercings (some retired) and am building up my tattoos, I hardly ever wear earrings in my ears. But really-that baby is toooo young to have a piercing-but thats just my humble opinion!
i had my ears pierced when i was fairly young, 2 or 3, but i was quite happy to have it done, as young as five months (in my opinion) is inappropriate, my holes are suprisingly too high and doing ear piercing that young is inflicting pain onto a baby unecessariliy, my mum said she had my ears pierced so people would know i was a girl because i had short hair lol. But if the parent wants to pierce the babies ears, its better to have them done properly!
Hmm I guess I don’t really care one way or the other. I had my ears pierced when I was only a few days old and I had my second set when I was around 7. I learned at a very young age how to take care of piercings. And I must say have having my ears done at an early age built up my excitement to have more piercings done. By the time I was 13 I had 10 holes in each ear. I’ve never had a single problem with any of my piercings and the ones that were done when I was a few days aren’t sitting low or anything. I actually have less problems with those ones than any of my others.
Where I live it’s extremely common in Hispanic culture to have babies ears pierced. Personally, I think a kid should be old enough to want and ask for the piercings. But it’s been done forever here. First with a needle and potato and red string tied thru the holes. Now with guns in the mall.
I don’t believe I’ve heard of a baby (here) getting ears pierced at a studio with a needle but I’m sure it happens…
“my grandma pierced my ears when i was five…i whish she done it earlier,it wouldnt hurt that bad :x”
Can anyone explain the theory there? that younger children have less pain receptors?
Pain is pain- it hurts as much- just because you can’t remember it doesn’t mean in the moment it hurts *less* a small child just can’t comprehend why those they rely on for comfort and support are causing them pain.
same reason we try not to drop our babies.. they might not remember- but I tend to think it is our job to protect them from pain.
I am fine with children being pierced as long as they can-
1- consent
2- take care of the piercing to allow proper healing
3- it is done by a professional piercer.
I am not a big fan of cosmetically altering other people without their consent really.
is the baby in the picture wearing studs?..that seems scary to me as well- having sharp pointy metal bits often sized for adults on a child’s body.
I have seen newborns getting their ears pierced at Clairs I actually got into an argument with one mom I saw getting her babys ears done. I asked her why she thought it the baby needed her ears pierced she said beacuse she had it done so her child would to.
I think its cruel and stupid to put your child through needless pain. Unless the child can tell me they want it, understand that it is going to hurt and be able to properly take care of the piercing then I would never even consider it.
I would never do that to my kid. My older daughter had her ears pierced about 9 months after she started asking for them, we made her wait until we were sure it wasn’t a passing fancy and until we thought she could handle caring for them. She was 8 when we let her get them done. My younger daughter hasn’t asked yet. If and when she does ask, she’ll have to wait a while too.
Piercing children’s ears is a very common thing here (I live in Puerto Rico); culturally we’re just piercing-freaks. Hell, every baby I know has them pierced. I’ve never seen any problems with it later on. I had mine pierced when I was 9 months old.
left baby would look good with a madonna
right baby needs an industrial
I pierce babies as long as they have ID….and all the info perfectly matches their parents info…..rarely happens though….
Tradition does not negate abuse…lest wise we could buy and sell girls (not women, girls) as “wives”. After all, numerous cultures throughout the world have “rich traditions” of child abuse and rape.
Now, I don’t mean to say that piercing a babies ears is the same as giving your daughter to an ally so as to cement your alliance. Or letting a 50 year old man have his way with a 13 year old girl. My only point is that tradition is not (and should not) be used as an excuse. In fact…it would be a logical fallacy.
Five weeks seems a little young to pierce an infant’s ears. Their immune system is still developing, they can’t get all of the necessary antibodies from breast alone and it seems like the parent is risking infection for no reason.
I understand parents getting their children’s ears peirced at 4 and 5, but piercing the ears of a baby who isn’t even two months old yet seems like flawed parenting to me.
I also don’t support circumcision unless medically necessary, so go figure.
i didn’t get my ears pierced until i was about 6 or 7 and asked. actually there was a book i did a book report on when i was in elementary school that i remember, basically narrated by a girl who was trying desperately to get her parents to agree to getting her ears pierced (i’ve since forgotten the title of the book and can’t find it anywhere). the first time they were pierced they were crooked, because they were done by some teenager with a gun in a mall store. but since i asked for them it was fine by me.
I never remember getting my first set done but I do remember having them from my first memories and being devestated when one fell out and closed up when I was 5.
My foster parents wouldn’t allow me to get it re-done but my mum did with a gun eww.
I also remember my little sister having hers in when she was 2 odd.
Yes young babies feel pain but they don’t remember it.
I mean heck if we’re worried about the pain a young baby feels (which is important yes) then all children should be born by cesarian.
Cause surely being squeezed out and practically having your skull crushed hurts a lot more?
Hence why babies cry when they’re born.
Being born has to be a hell of a lot more painfull.
I’d wait till my child knew just so they were old enough to understand how to look after them.
But I certainly wouldn’t put tiny cheese grater hoops in my child when they are old enough to ask!
If they’re getting it done its properly with appropriate jewllrey.
my local piercers doesnt pierce anyone no matter where it is, consent or not if their under 14, and to be honest i think thats what it should be like everywhere, no matter what the method or the part of the body.
#44.
And I agree. Just because female genital mutilation is tradition doesn’t make it right, correct?
However, I don’t think an ear piercing is that big of a deal.
I don’t justify the action using tradition as an excuse, though.
I don’t think parents should go to a mall and have their baby’s ears pierced.
If I ever had girls, I probably wouldn’t have them pierce their ears, unless my grandma was around to do it. It’s got a whole lot more of sentimental value that way.
my mother had my ears pierced when i was about nine months old. out of all my piercings, they have kept the best, and im actually quite happy she did it. im not planning on doing it to any children i have, im just saying i had an okay experience having had my ears pierced so young.