By Jennifer A | Leave A Comment
Little girls always seem to look cuter with pierced ears. In some cultures, its tradition to pierce newborn girl’s ears. Since the child who had their ears pierced will not be participating in the care, extra time and care needs to be taken to make sure that they do not get infected or cause other problems.
Find a reputable piercer. Ask friends and family members who they used for their infants and young children. The place at the mall may be fine for an older child, but for an infant, I recommend your pediatrician. I would strongly recommend against an untrained family member doing it.
Make sure to follow directions given from the piercer. Clean as recommended with the recommended products and for the time set. Keep earrings in at all times for the period stated.
Use only gold, sterling silver or hypoallergenic earrings in children. Many cheaper earrings use nickel, which can cause allergic reactions in some people.
If your child wears earrings all the time, make sure earrings and backs are rotated daily. The skin can grow over the earring backing, which can cause pain, bleeding and may need to be removed surgically. Make sure earrings are not too tight on ears. Do not press the backing on tight to the ear, use the notch in the post as a guide.
If there is any sign of infection, call your child’s doctor IMMEDIATELY! If there is pain, redness or oozing from the piercing, treatment is needed. The sooner the better.
With simple care, earrings are not a pain, and they can be beautiful.
When she’s not explaining again to her in-laws why her daughter got her ears pierced at 5 years, not 5 days, Jennifer writes at Toast on the Ceiling.
ABOUT Jennifer A
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I don’t do newborn’s ears, but I did allow our first dd to have her ears done at 7yo. It was a major pain in the neck, as she really was not old enough to care for them. She ended up with an infection and we eventually let them grow in.
When she was 13yo, I said she could have them done again. This time, however, we actually went to a (nice, clean) tattoo parlour where there was a professional piercer, as opposed to the person at the mall with the ‘gun’. What I liked about the tattoo place is that it is highly regulated by the health department and uses a hollow needle technique, which is more gentle than the gun. In addition, they use surgical stainless steel or titanium earrings and provide excellent follow-up care and instruction for home care. (The follow-up visit was included.)