Ear piercing

[MissM]

Heya,

Does anyone know where I can get a baby's ears pierced at 2months?

I've checked with 3 pharmacies and they won't do it under 2 years old.

Tia!!

[Traveller]

I would go to a proper piercers. They will do a better job and most places will do them from 6 weeks.

[MissM]

Like a tattoo/piercing place?

[Traveller]

yes, I have been looking into it for my son and there is a local piercing studio that seems to be the best one, but lots of tattooists will have a reputable piercing studio attached. Shop around and find somewhere you are comfortable with but if you can avoid the gun then you are likely to get a better job.

[HotI]

My piercings that i had done with a needle were much less painful and traumatic than those down the gun.

[MissM]

Sorry if I seem weird but how else is it done without a gun? The gun seems quicker and less painful?

[MissM]

Oh hoti you just answered my question

[Traveller]

The gun can take skin and push it out of place, causing longer healing and lumps in the ear. It is also less exact so sometimes (and this happened to me) it has to be done twice to get it in the right spot. Without a gun it is done using a needle. Quick, exact, and less chance of complications.

[HotI]

The gun also makes a big nose, that can be scary for a little kid.

[MissM]

Makes sense thank you both

[Maruschke]

I MUCH prefer piercings with a needle to a gun! So much easier.

[Glamourcide]

Definitely seek out a qualified piercer (not one of those bodgy franchise places like Cosmetics Plus, either - their piercers are given basic sterilisation training and not a whole lot else, not to mention the quality of their jewellery is terrible - go for a tattooist/stand-alone piercing studio with a piercer who knows their stuff), and one that uses needles over guns.
The reason guns are not ideal, is because the back of the earring (which does the actual piercing) is blunt, causing trauma to the tissue, and the spring-loaded gun cannot be properly controlled by the person handling it, so there is the risk of it catching, not firing properly (leading to a half-pierced earlobe), and the guns cannot be properly sterilised so there IS a slight risk of infection. A piercing done with a needle is sharp (meaning a 'clean' piercing with less risk of infection or cysts caused by tissue trauma), able to be controlled and maneuvered properly by the piercer, and while it takes a little longer, it is definitely safer, less painful and there is less risk of infection or complication.

That being said, I had my DD1's ears pierced with guns in a hairdressing salon (she was 15 months old), and she did not have complications - still, on a baby so young, I would definitely be trying to eliminate as many risks as possible. You may be hard-pressed to find a piercer who is willing to work with a child so young (they may wriggle around and cry etc), so you might have to just wait until she's older

[YoYo]

I had my dd's done at 6 months, but that was the earliest they'd do it at the piercing place I went to.

It might have something to do with the size of the gun in relation to the size of the earlobe? They used two people, two guns.... Gawd, that sounds terrible, but it was over quickly and she's never touched them or had trouble.

[MissM]

Thanks glamourcide I never realized the piercings were done with a blunt object. Will definitely look at a tattooist/professional piercer. However we just found out we have to wait til dd2 is christened (Greek thing) thanks for all the useful info

[RhiChiChi]

I think most won't do it younger than 12 months now