Fuming mum slams parents who got toddler’s ears pierced as it’s ‘unnecessary pain’

When your child is pestering you to get their ears pierced, it can be really difficult to say no, but when one mum asked for advice about piercings, she got more than she bargained for

Working out an appropriate age to get your child’s ears pierced can be really tough – some parents will stick by the fact they want to ‘get it out of the way’ whilst their little one is young and won’t remember it, but others want to ensure that having their ears pierced is something their child actually wants to have done and give them the choice when they’re older.

One parent headed to Mumsnet to explain that her six-year-old daughter has been ‘asking for months’ to get her ears pierced as her cousin got them done at five. But many local piercing salons ‘don’t deal with customers under 14’.

She was merely asking for advice about where to get them done, but unwittingly sparked a fierce debate about how young is too young to get your child’s ears pierced – with one woman becoming livid and branding it ‘unnecessary pain’.

The original poster wrote: “My six-year-old has been asking for months for ear piercings (her cousin got them at five). I have talked to her about the importance of daily cleaning, that there is always a risk of infection etc and haven’t brought it up myself until she asks if I have made an appointment yet and when could I make one.

“I talked to local piercing salons, of course, needle piercings are the best but they don’t deal with customers under 14. This brings me to Claire’s (or does anyone know another better place perhaps?).

“I had gun piercings myself at seen and luckily had no problems, must say I am in my 30s and would still let no one near me with a needle. Was I lucky because I read a lot of negative things about gun piercings, does anyone have any good/bad experiences with a younger child, any regrets, or all went well?”

Other mums took to the comments to explain when they let their children get their ears pierced, with some trying to dissuade the mum as they thought six is rather young.

One wrote: “My daughter was 10. She said it hurt a lot more than she expected (and she’s quite brave). They took a year to heal properly (to be able to leave earrings out and put them back in easily). I’d be worried a six-year-old may refuse the second ear if the first hurt a lot!”

Another commented: “Personally I’d say she could wait until she was 15 and then take the decision for herself. The thought of allowing a piercing on a small child makes me feel sick.”

Someone else said: “I’d wait too. She’s pestering because her cousin has pierced ears, maybe? Can you still get clip-on earrings? I’d get those for now!”

One mum suggested that telling her ‘no’ would be good practice for when ‘the teen years hit’, writing: “I’d wait until she’s old enough to make a properly informed decision, so at least 11. I know you’ve explained stuff to her, but you also know she doesn’t really understand the possible consequences.

“It’s good practice for you to say ‘no’ and meaning it, and good for her to hear ‘no’ and accept it. You’ll both need those skills when the teen years hit!”

Another defended the mum, however, commenting: “I got my daughter’s done a couple of weeks ago. She’s three”, but they received backlash for doing so to a toddler, with one Mumsnetter asking: “Why would you inflict unnecessary pain on your child?”

Someone took to the thread to explain the bad experience they had with a piercing, saying they wouldn’t put a six-year-old through that. They wrote: “I got mine done with a gun (because I didn’t know better at the time) at 16. It hurt, made it hard to get comfortable at night because my earlobes felt so tender, and it turned out I have very sensitive earlobes so they got infected despite being very careful with cleaning etc.

“It took well over a year to heal properly and to this day they still get sore if I don’t use the right earrings. I definitely wouldn’t inflict that on a six-year-old!”

What age do you think is appropriate for a child to get a piercing? Let us know in the comments.