Call it fashion or culture, ear piercings have been a very common thing for a girl child. There are some traditions where the boy child’s ears are pierced as well however that is as well a personal choice. Trust me the trend has changed over the years so much so that grown-up men love piercing their ears too for fashion sake and flaunt their amazing studs. In all, it is a very personal decision if a parent wants to pierce their child’s ear.
Let’s see various aspects of Ear Piercing for Kids: Thing you need to know. As a parent, it could be a weird feeling that your kid’s ears are to be pierced? I can totally get it. Of course, you might have yours pierced at a very early stage as well and have no memory of it literally. Me neither, all I keep hearing my mom saying that I was just 5 years old when they did this piercing thing again due to the culture more than fashion really. Oh, I had a big grin on my face day we went to pierce my ears. Evidently, because I was absolutely unaware of the proceedings, happily gazing at different sparkling jewelry on display. So yes, my parents took me to a jewelry shop directly where there are experts who pierce the ears as though it is just a cottage cheese ready to be barbecued! However, the smiles turned into a shriek when they did “the thing”. But my mom, who was holding me tight, was pretty composed because she knew it is not a big deal and rightly to prove her, I forgot what happened 5 minutes ago and got back to my flaky business all over again smiling to strangers and getting distracted with the cars on the street. My ear is doing absolutely well, I can hear well and the hole is cute letting me wear all fancy earrings and flaunt it. So yes – this is to say that do not worry if you want to pierce your kid’s ears. We will help you out with some great ear piercing tips and also mention the appropriate age for ear piercing for kids.
1. Appropriate age for ear piercing :
“Mom! Mom, mom listen please – can I get my ears pierced, please? Can I, can I? Pleaseeeee”!
What would you do at this point in time? My answer would be to not wake the monster in you but just relax and take your time to understand if this is the right age for her? Let me tell you that there are various opinion that the experts share and let’s talk about different views and why it is said so. There are multiple views to know the appropriate age for ear piercing
- Few experts say that appropriate age to pierce the ear for a kid should be 6 months and above. The reason they say it is because, when the kid’s ears are punctured, it is susceptible to infection. Kid’s ears are very sensitive and since their immunity is just still developing, you need to take some time before trying to test it. It will be a menace if you have to feed the baby with antibiotics due to any sort of infection. Hence the 6 months to let them develop a level of immune system and then get the ears pierced.
- Another logic goes this way – There are a lot of parents who would want their kid to say whether she wants the piercing or not. In this case, which looks like a best-case scenario, wait until she is 9 or 10 years old. By this age, the kids are pretty smarter and also know what they want whether or not to have a pierced ear. They are old enough to feel and understand that this piercing might have a slight pain and might understand the procedure as well. By this age, your worry will be lesser as the kid knows to take care of the opening and is responsible to take care of herself. Also, there will be very meager possibility of an infection if the aftercare is done properly. They feel pretty and confident too. Girls are a blessing, aren’t they?
Kids these days know what they really want and when. They grow up pretty sooner than we can even imagine or look back that they were just a toddler some time ago! Age plays indeed a major role here for ear piercing be it just one each ear or multiple.
2. Let’s now talk about things you need to know for Ear Piercing for Kids
Choose a piercing method
You need to first think about where do you want to go to get the piercing done and by whom. There are mall boutiques and salons using a piercing gun. Both of them use pre-sterilized studs and if you are lucky the piercing often turns to be free with the purchase of the earring. Ear piercing at an exclusive studio or tattoo shops could be expensive as they might have an additive piercing fee after the purchase of the ear jewelry.
There is a varied opinion on the safety or hygiene point of view as the piercing professionals think that a studio or a tattoo parlor is better and safer since they use the sterile needle instead of the piercing gun that the rest of the outlets use. The difference it makes is that the needle is sterilized personally for each customer but the gun is made of plastic which cannot be sterilized. However, it is said that when the jewelry is used instead of the piercing needle is the safest as it has a flat back which will not poke the child’s neck, unlike the needle which has a sharper tip. The earrings for piercing sake are usually made of a high-quality material like 18-karat gold or platinum, stainless steel, silver etc. which reduces the risk of allergic reaction.
Also, consult your dermatologist or pediatrician if they do piercings. May be not but it’s worth inquiring since they will use sterile equipment and follow the basic safety procedures and the after care will be sorted too.
Chose the place of piercing
Some pierce both the earlobes to make sure the kids do not go back home piercing just one after experiencing the pain. Trust me, whatever it takes, try to complete both the ears before leaving that place because the next time never ever comes really.
Fashion has taken a crazy turn. Would you believe if I said there are more than 10 places in an ear where you can pierce? Standard lobe, upper lobe, auricle, conch, rook etc. etc.
For a kid as the complete ear has not grown, it is recommended that you pierce only the standard lobe of the ear and let go the rest for her to grow up and decide. Once the ears are full grown, it is easier to pierce the other areas.
Post earring care
Ear piercings heal in about 6 weeks and it is very vital that we take good care of them during this duration to make sure they are clean and do not catch any infection. For a kid, see to it that she does not touch the ear much and always keep the hands clean while in contact with the ear.
Use a cotton and dip it in a rubbing alcohol or a cleaning solution provided by the piercing locale. Clean the front and the back of the ear with this dipped cotton twice a day. Allow the hole to maintain its shape by gently rotating the earrings back and forth a couple of times in a day. The earring should not be too tight- this is the foremost thing that hampers the ear piercing healing. Let the earring be fixed to the ears until the first 6-7 weeks so that the hole does not close of its own. Make sure your daughter wears it constantly during this duration so that the hole becomes permanent.
Infection or allergy?
An infection due to the ear piercing is pretty common though. An infected piercing becomes sore soon and turns out red and swollen with pus discharge if it grows severe. If there is an allergic reaction to the er due to the metal then it causes the sides of the hole to go dry and cracked, peeling and itchy skin around. Thus rule one for your kid is to keep the hands off the ear!
In case of infection, piercings should be cleaned with soap and water. If the infection seems to heal then it means there isn’t a major problem and cleaning is working out well. If otherwise, you should take your kid to a doctor or a pediatrician and use the prescribed antibiotic cream or ointment as recommended. In case of fever please remember to specifically mention it to the doctor so that he prescribes the right oral medications too. The infection should clear within 3-4 days of the antibiotics dosage.
Try to understand the problem of infection if it is because of the metal allergy. In such cases, try to remove the earring and let the infection heal and wait for 6 months before re-piercing with a sterilized metal as the hole will be closed while healing the infection.
While your child changes her clothes or help her to do it slowly to not tamper the earring or get it stuck.
You can put a small bandage on the earring to close the hole if the kid wants to go play in the mud outside just for protection for at least 6 months.
We hope you found these tips useful. Please write to us, we love to hear from you. Refer some more articles on how the ear piercing benefits here
