When can I pierce a baby’s ears?

Many people pierce their children's ears when they are very young. This can be quite a contentious topic depending on where you're from. Some people see nothing wrong with this, while others disagree with the practice. Before you decide to pierce your child's ears, you should understand the risks involved and the safety precautions that need to be taken.

When can children get their ears pierced?

In fact, there are no specific recommendations for piercing a child's ears. It depends on what you want for your child. You can check with your pediatrician about whether or not to pierce your baby's ears, but many recommend that your baby be at least three months old.

Some people pierce their children's ears during infancy, while others wait until the child is old enough to care for the piercing site. Infant piercings are no more harmful than adult piercings, and any complications from ear piercings are not determined by age. They can happen to people of all ages.

It may be a good idea to wait until your child gets their tetanus shot to get their ears pierced. Other vaccines do not protect your child from ear piercing germs. Tetanus infections themselves are not common, and the risk of contracting tetanus from an earlobe piercing is low. However, it is still important to be proactive about your child's health.

Ear piercing safety for children

Here are some safety tips to keep in mind when sending your child in for an ear piercing:

Avoid piercing a newborn: if you pierce a newborn and he gets an infection with a fever, he needs to be hospitalized. To avoid this, it is wise to wait a little longer.
Use the right earrings: choose earrings that won't cause an allergic reaction. A good example of a hypoallergenic material is silver or gold.
Use sterilized equipment: Make sure the person doing the piercing is qualified and uses sterilized equipment.
Store new earrings for at least six weeks: do not change or remove earrings during this period. This allows the wound to heal first. Until the end of six weeks, you should clean the area regularly to prevent infestation.
Get advice: Ask your piercer how to care for your piercing and what to expect after the piercing process.
Watch for infections: Signs that may indicate an infection include pus, pain, redness, and swelling that persist for more than 24 hours after a piercing.
If you have already pierced your child's or toddler's ears, here are a few things to look out for:
Allergies: Some children are allergic to gold and nickel, which are often used to make earrings. Watch for signs of an allergic reaction. Remove your earrings immediately if you notice these signs.
Care and cleaning: You should always clean and disinfect the puncture site so that the wound heals faster.
Do not pierce the cartilage of the ear: piercing the cartilage can cause a more serious infection than piercing the lobe.
Avoid dangling jewelry: Dangling earrings can easily get caught on clothes and bedding. Also, your child may pull them out and end up swallowing them.
Pain Relief: Earlobe piercings can be painful. Some pain relievers may be recommended if there are too many for your child.

Possible complications of ear piercing in a child

If the piercing is done incorrectly, the piercing site may not heal and complications may develop. Some of the possible complications include:

Infection
Allergic reaction
Formation of keloids
Bleeding
Ear tearing
Auricle (visible part of the ear) deformation
Embedded backings

Causes of infections. Infections can occur at the puncture site shortly after the puncture or even long after the puncture has healed. The following factors can cause infections in a pierced ear:

Using unsterilized tools
Not keeping the piercing site clean
Touching the ears with dirty hands
Tight earrings
Changing or removing earrings before healing
Tearing or breaking of the skin of the ear channel
Not taking out the earrings when going to sleep
Entering an earring at the wrong angle
Posts made of nickel

What to look for when piercing a child's ears

While there is nothing wrong with piercing a child's ears in their early years, ideally it is best to wait until they can play an active role. A child under four years old is not able to take care of a piercing on their own.

Young children may touch their ears with dirty hands, which can lead to infection. The older child will have more discipline not to play with pierced ears because he understands better what is going on.