Are there any benefits to piercing your kids ears when they are a baby?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My parents had a rule for my sisters and I that we had to wait until 13 to get our ears pierced.

Of the three of us, only one got her ears pierced, my older sister and I both don't have pierced ears. I've loved not having pierced ears. I never had to worry about having earrings pulled at during sports or activities, etc.

Why not give your daughters the option to decide for themselves if they want to have their ears pierced.

What a weird reason to "love" not having your ears pierced. You know you can just remove the earrings before playing, right?

How many kids remove them every day for recess?

Who pulls at studded earings during sports? I played basketball and this was never a concern. How many kids wear large hoop earrings at recess or school? Almost none so the need to take them out for recess would be negligible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our DD ears pierced at 4 months because her father gets keloids and the risk of keloids increases with age. If she were to "opt" for earrings at 9 or older it would increase her chance of getting keloids. Coupled with the fact that culturally it is the norm for babies to have earrings I saw it as a no brainer. Those who would look down on me for that choice would probably look down on me regardless so I'm not going to not do what I see fit because of them.

OP, as soon as I opened this thread I knew where the posters were going to go. It is a bit sad but no unexpected.

WOW, I cannot believe you would pierce your child's ears when keloids run in the family.

WOW, I cannot believe you would be such a judgmental bitch. Does that run in YOUR family?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our DD ears pierced at 4 months because her father gets keloids and the risk of keloids increases with age. If she were to "opt" for earrings at 9 or older it would increase her chance of getting keloids. Coupled with the fact that culturally it is the norm for babies to have earrings I saw it as a no brainer. Those who would look down on me for that choice would probably look down on me regardless so I'm not going to not do what I see fit because of them.

OP, as soon as I opened this thread I knew where the posters were going to go. It is a bit sad but no unexpected.

One person was rude and maybe racist. No one else was. I think baby ears with earrings look a little trashy. I also think white girls who tan too much look trashy. Neither opinion is racist.

I note with some bemusement that I never ever mentioned race. We'll add you in the +1 for rudeness then for your need to call people "trashy".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to work for a pediatrician, and we would see a lot of infections in little girls who got their ears pierced as babies. It's very important to keep pierced ears clean, especially in kids that are active and get dirty (ie, most kids!) They also pull on their earrings and, over time, it makes the holes bigger.

It's an individual choice, but I am going to wait until my DD is 10-11 and let her decide. She has to live with her pierced ears, and I think it's important that she be part of that decision-making process. I also want her to take some responsibiltiy for cleaning her ears and appreciating the need to keep her pierced ears free from infection.

She doesn't "have to live" with pierced ears. If she doesn't like them she can not wear earrings. I had mine pierced as a baby and frequently forget to wear earrings. I don't see it as a big deal no to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Wow, did not mean for this to get so... heated... and racist. We're South Asian, and yes it is quite common for very young babies to have it done. I was on the fence about it for my own DD but thought it would be nice for when she gets a bit older to make it a fun thing to do together if she wants it. The more rational/ non racist/ normal folks on here, would 8 be a good age to take her to have them done?

I have the same attitude-- save it for the future, when she asks, as a special thing or a birthday present. Go the mall, get ice cream cones after. That kind of thing.

I do have to say about people with cultural arguments, and people who think it's racist to say these cultural arguments are silly: my family is South Asian too, and the adults who live in India and had their noses pierced as babies absolutely regret it and are embarrassed about it. These days in parts of urban India, nose rings are a sign of non-modernity, something backward and country. It's no longer typical for the urban middle class, at least in the part of India I'm familiar with, to pierce daughter's noses as a matter of course, but it used to be. So "culture" is constantly changing; we cannot predict what our kids will find attractive or embarrassing; and holes are permanent changes in the body-- even if they do close eventually, they leave scars.

Besides, there are many other aspects of the "traditional" "cultural" treatment of gender in India that I'm not comfortable with...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Wow, did not mean for this to get so... heated... and racist. We're South Asian, and yes it is quite common for very young babies to have it done. I was on the fence about it for my own DD but thought it would be nice for when she gets a bit older to make it a fun thing to do together if she wants it. The more rational/ non racist/ normal folks on here, would 8 be a good age to take her to have them done?

I have the same attitude-- save it for the future, when she asks, as a special thing or a birthday present. Go the mall, get ice cream cones after. That kind of thing.

I do have to say about people with cultural arguments, and people who think it's racist to say these cultural arguments are silly: my family is South Asian too, and the adults who live in India and had their noses pierced as babies absolutely regret it and are embarrassed about it. These days in parts of urban India, nose rings are a sign of non-modernity, something backward and country. It's no longer typical for the urban middle class, at least in the part of India I'm familiar with, to pierce daughter's noses as a matter of course, but it used to be. So "culture" is constantly changing; we cannot predict what our kids will find attractive or embarrassing; and holes are permanent changes in the body-- even if they do close eventually, they leave scars.

Besides, there are many other aspects of the "traditional" "cultural" treatment of gender in India that I'm not comfortable with...

This is not true for everyone. I had a nose ring when I was younger and it has closed with no scar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our DD ears pierced at 4 months because her father gets keloids and the risk of keloids increases with age. If she were to "opt" for earrings at 9 or older it would increase her chance of getting keloids. Coupled with the fact that culturally it is the norm for babies to have earrings I saw it as a no brainer. Those who would look down on me for that choice would probably look down on me regardless so I'm not going to not do what I see fit because of them.

OP, as soon as I opened this thread I knew where the posters were going to go. It is a bit sad but no unexpected.

WOW, I cannot believe you would pierce your child's ears when keloids run in the family.

WOW, I cannot believe you would be such a judgmental bitch. Does that run in YOUR family?

Yes it does. So does avoiding things that could aggravate a serious medical condition. I'm shocked someone would perform piercings when there's any risk at all. It's a cosmetic procedure and not worth the risk of disfigurement.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our DD ears pierced at 4 months because her father gets keloids and the risk of keloids increases with age. If she were to "opt" for earrings at 9 or older it would increase her chance of getting keloids. Coupled with the fact that culturally it is the norm for babies to have earrings I saw it as a no brainer. Those who would look down on me for that choice would probably look down on me regardless so I'm not going to not do what I see fit because of them.

OP, as soon as I opened this thread I knew where the posters were going to go. It is a bit sad but no unexpected.

WOW, I cannot believe you would pierce your child's ears when keloids run in the family.

WOW, I cannot believe you would be such a judgmental bitch. Does that run in YOUR family?

Yes it does. So does avoiding things that could aggravate a serious medical condition. I'm shocked someone would perform piercings when there's any risk at all. It's a cosmetic procedure and not worth the risk of disfigurement.

The risk in my daughter's case was almost nonexistent but I am always overly cautious. You do realize the keliods are rare in people that have fair complexions right? Do you even know what a Keloid is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our DD ears pierced at 4 months because her father gets keloids and the risk of keloids increases with age. If she were to "opt" for earrings at 9 or older it would increase her chance of getting keloids. Coupled with the fact that culturally it is the norm for babies to have earrings I saw it as a no brainer. Those who would look down on me for that choice would probably look down on me regardless so I'm not going to not do what I see fit because of them.

OP, as soon as I opened this thread I knew where the posters were going to go. It is a bit sad but no unexpected.

WOW, I cannot believe you would pierce your child's ears when keloids run in the family.

WOW, I cannot believe you would be such a judgmental bitch. Does that run in YOUR family?

Yes it does. So does avoiding things that could aggravate a serious medical condition. I'm shocked someone would perform piercings when there's any risk at all. It's a cosmetic procedure and not worth the risk of disfigurement.

To each his own and I am glad I don't have to know you in real life. You sound unbearable.

[Anonymous]

My dd is in 1st grade and she only has a friend or two with pierced ears. But I have noticed that the majority of girls from her school who are a couple of years older (3rd grade) do have their ears pierced. I wonder if that is a common time to get them pierced.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to work for a pediatrician, and we would see a lot of infections in little girls who got their ears pierced as babies. It's very important to keep pierced ears clean, especially in kids that are active and get dirty (ie, most kids!) They also pull on their earrings and, over time, it makes the holes bigger.

It's an individual choice, but I am going to wait until my DD is 10-11 and let her decide. She has to live with her pierced ears, and I think it's important that she be part of that decision-making process. I also want her to take some responsibiltiy for cleaning her ears and appreciating the need to keep her pierced ears free from infection.

She doesn't "have to live" with pierced ears. If she doesn't like them she can not wear earrings. I had mine pierced as a baby and frequently forget to wear earrings. I don't see it as a big deal no to.

Oh, so much better . . . if she doesn't want to wear earrings then she will still "have to live with" holes in her ears. I think this is a decision she should make for herself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to work for a pediatrician, and we would see a lot of infections in little girls who got their ears pierced as babies. It's very important to keep pierced ears clean, especially in kids that are active and get dirty (ie, most kids!) They also pull on their earrings and, over time, it makes the holes bigger.

It's an individual choice, but I am going to wait until my DD is 10-11 and let her decide. She has to live with her pierced ears, and I think it's important that she be part of that decision-making process. I also want her to take some responsibiltiy for cleaning her ears and appreciating the need to keep her pierced ears free from infection.

She doesn't "have to live" with pierced ears. If she doesn't like them she can not wear earrings. I had mine pierced as a baby and frequently forget to wear earrings. I don't see it as a big deal no to.

Oh, so much better . . . if she doesn't want to wear earrings then she will still "have to live with" holes in her ears. I think this is a decision she should make for herself.

You are so over the top dramatic. Live with holes in her ears? You probably can't even see if someone has piercings since the "holes" are so small. I am sure you are the same type of mother that decides for her kid to put makeup on her and put nail polish on her because you think it is "cute" without for a second finding your decision hypocritical. Wait, let me guess your response is "but it won"t be HOLES IN her ears.!!!"

[Anonymous]

Tacky/trashy no matter the "culture".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got our DD ears pierced at 4 months because her father gets keloids and the risk of keloids increases with age. If she were to "opt" for earrings at 9 or older it would increase her chance of getting keloids. Coupled with the fact that culturally it is the norm for babies to have earrings I saw it as a no brainer. Those who would look down on me for that choice would probably look down on me regardless so I'm not going to not do what I see fit because of them.

OP, as soon as I opened this thread I knew where the posters were going to go. It is a bit sad but no unexpected.

One person was rude and maybe racist. No one else was. I think baby ears with earrings look a little trashy. I also think white girls who tan too much look trashy. Neither opinion is racist.

Um - do you not understand that by calling people trashy, you are one of the posters that the PP is talking about. You may not be racist, but you are definitely a classist who think you're better than other people. That's almost the same thing.

That's right, because "trashy" is a word only used by wealthy white women. No, no, I haven't heard women of all races and incomes use that word at various times. Not at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tacky/trashy no matter the "culture".

According to you, but who appointed you King or Queen? Trashy is a value judgment and it is very much dependent on the cultural values of people. SO if for most of the world it is considered culturally acceptable and prefereable regardless of educational level/ class level/ income level, then how does it become trashy just because you deem it so?