Is it really that bad to get ears pierced at Claire’s?

[Anonymous]

It’s not about being snobby. It is body modification. You wouldn’t have the local butcher perform your circumcision.

[Anonymous]

Claire's was the spot for my daughter's initial piercings when she was younger, she did well and there were no issues. (But she was careful with caring for them afterward too).

Now 17, she has advanced to a local tattoo parlor for additional piercings. They are very mindful and careful in avoiding infection. I think it's hysterical that my daughter and me, both "girl next door" types go to the tattoo parlor in frederick, but no one gives it a second thought, they've been great. Down the road it may be an option when she gets older if she wants more piercings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Claire's was the spot for my daughter's initial piercings when she was younger, she did well and there were no issues. (But she was careful with caring for them afterward too).

Now 17, she has advanced to a local tattoo parlor for additional piercings. They are very mindful and careful in avoiding infection. I think it's hysterical that my daughter and me, both "girl next door" types go to the tattoo parlor in frederick, but no one gives it a second thought, they've been great. Down the road it may be an option when she gets older if she wants more piercings.

Poster above...all ear piercings.

[Anonymous]

Wait...so it's snobby to go to a tattoo parlor instead of Claire's? That's a stretch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Of course it's not "bad" - the vast majority of us 90s kids got our ears pierced at Claire's and we're generally fine. In the grand scheme of things, I think you can cross this worry of your list.

That being said - not sure how getting your ears pierced at Claire's is easier than just going to a tattoo/piercing parlor. A quick google search of "DC piercing parlor" and clicking on the first link got me a place that has pricing and info on piercing for minors, and makes appointments online. Why not just do that? You could have done that it less time than writing this post.

I’ve seen two tattoo places routinely recommended for kids: one is far from us and the other requires an ID we don’t have. But do go off on my relatively lighthearted question if it makes you feel better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was more concerned about the holes being placed correctly than the healing process TBH. So that's why we went with a tattoo shop. It was also easier for the kids to be lying down on a table.

This is how I feel. As I got older, the holes stayed right smack in the middle of my lobe making additional piercings tough to place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait...so it's snobby to go to a tattoo parlor instead of Claire's? That's a stretch.

Sure, it's a "boutique" service vs a mass market solution that makes a thing safe and accessible for people at all levels of society. It's just more "I have a nanny and would never send my kids to daycare" attitude. But I have tattoos, so clearly my opinion is trashy from the very start!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter’s friends who got their ears pierced there got infections.

Their machines can't be effectively disinfected

[Anonymous]

We had an excellent experience with my 7 year old at Claire's (Tysons location). She was the only person in the store at the time, we had an appt, they did both ears at the same time, clearly marked the location and had us double check, they had my daughter clutch a squishy stuffed animal for support (and then gave it to her for free at the end). They had a ton of different earring options and the only shady "upsell" was my falling for some "quicker" method solution to clean the ears 2x/day for a few weeks. I'm sure that was a scam. Her holes are perfect, easy to get the earrings in and out and no infection or problems many months out. It also wasn't *that cheap* so I'm not sure why it's considered so declasse. I'd much rather my small children be looking around at glittery tutus and accessories designed for a child than being at a tattoo parlor and asking me a zillion questions about that!

[Anonymous]

Pediatricians have lower income than most specialists so give them extra business. Its also safer for the child and less expensive than piercing shops. You wouldn't want to show your kids path to the tattoo shop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pediatricians have lower income than most specialists so give them extra business. Its also safer for the child and less expensive than piercing shops. You wouldn't want to show your kids path to the tattoo shop.

Op here and I’m confident this child will find her own way to the tattoo shop.

[Anonymous]

Had it done in the doctor's office - they used a gun

Later had it done at Claire's - they used a gun

both experiences were the same, no infections, no issues

[Anonymous]

It's not about cleanliness--the risk of infection even at Claire's is very very low. And while the guns aren't great, it gets the job done fine. It's about experience. Do you want a teenager who did an online training and has been at it for a few months to pierce your kid, or a pediatrician who does it every couple of weeks at most, or a piercing specialist who apprenticed for years and pierces day in and day out?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait...so it's snobby to go to a tattoo parlor instead of Claire's? That's a stretch.

Sure, it's a "boutique" service vs a mass market solution that makes a thing safe and accessible for people at all levels of society. It's just more "I have a nanny and would never send my kids to daycare" attitude. But I have tattoos, so clearly my opinion is trashy from the very start!

For me it had nothing to do with snobbery, her friends had good experiences with certain tattoo parlors for additional ear piercings when they outgrew Claire's and they shared their recommendations. That was it basically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Of course it's not "bad" - the vast majority of us 90s kids got our ears pierced at Claire's and we're generally fine. In the grand scheme of things, I think you can cross this worry of your list.

That being said - not sure how getting your ears pierced at Claire's is easier than just going to a tattoo/piercing parlor. A quick google search of "DC piercing parlor" and clicking on the first link got me a place that has pricing and info on piercing for minors, and makes appointments online. Why not just do that? You could have done that it less time than writing this post.

I’ve seen two tattoo places routinely recommended for kids: one is far from us and the other requires an ID we don’t have. But do go off on my relatively lighthearted question if it makes you feel better.

Whoa. PP here. I'm sorry, I really did not intend my post to be snarky or to go off on you. I was really saying, you can cross this worry off your list, it's not a big deal, I was trying to be reassuring. But it also didn't seem like a big deal to just go to a piercing parlor. If you've already done some research and realized that's a PITA, then yeah, just go to Claire's, I don't think that's bad enough to warrant increasing your stress level. Claire's is fine. I was honestly trying to be helpful.