Ear piercing for a 20 month old....advice please!?

Question

I' want to get my 20 month old daughter's ears pierced but I'm very nervous how she will handle the pain (and how I'LL handle her!). Even the ride back seems daunting to me! Any advice from experienced mothers out there?

Answer 1

First I assume a professional will be doing the piercing. The pain is not really that bad and not worse than any of her vaccinations. (The second ear is worse cause she'll know what's coming - so do it quickly). Have a few items on hand to distract her and be ready to hold and comfort her. Later if needed you could give her some baby tylenol or advil if she remains cranky. Keep her ears clean and watch out for her car seat as you slip it over her head. My daughter's dad caught the webbing of her car seat on her earring and that was much worse than the piercing. Make sure you get the little posts that have screw on round balls for the backs so there is nothing to poke your daughter or to get caught on anything - especially seatbelt webbing! Good luck!

Answer 2

I think it will be fine. I had both my daughters ears pierced, one at 1 month old, and the other at 2 months, and my son was 19 months old at the time we did my oldest daughters ears. You should never leave a toddler alone with a baby anyway, so in the off chance that he would touch them, just tell him that they are sissy's pretties, and you don't want her to have any owies so please don't touch them, or some way to help him understand he can look but not touch. I did them when they were still really little because they don't move around much yet. We had to go back to get the one ear redone on my youngest daughter, at 2 months old, because she moved on the second ear.

Answer 3

I havent pierced my daughter's ears yet (she's a few mths older than yours) but I'm wondering when to do it. I actually dont think waiting until they can 'decide for themselves' is a great idea myself, as I was 6yrs old when I had mine done and remember very well going in to do it and how scared I was. Sure, it was my choice, but that doesnt mean anything. What little girl will say no, she doesnt want her ears pierced, unless it's because she's too scared?? My advice, do it young and if they decide when they are older they dont like the idea of earrings than they just dont wear any. The holes will close up, or they'll have little holes in them that no one will ever notice - least of all themselves.

Certainly something to distract her afterwards, like some ice-cream, is a great idea. The pain is only for a moment, it's just the fear of it coming if you ask me. Luckily she'll be too young to truly understand what's happening.

Answer 4

I got my daughter's ears pierced when she was 15 mo. old(she is now almost 6 yrs) I wasn't sure how she would handle the pain either, but she did great. She only cried when the lady got the piercing gun stuck on the back of the second earring and she decided to try to yank it off. She cried for about two minutes and then she was fine. Kids are so much stronger then we think. I hope this helped.

Answer 5

I had my daughters ears pierced at 16 weeks. it really was not as bad as i had expected it to be. She really handled it very well. I would make a suggestion though, sometimes ear piercing places will have two people one on each side of the child so they can pierce both ears at the same time so the pain is only there once. I do not recommend this because if one person pulls ther piercing gun before the other and the child moves the second hole could be in the wrong spot. so do them one at a time. best of luck to you.

Answer 6

I pierced my daughters ears when she was 3 months old. She cried for just a couple of minutes. Then it was fine. The problem that we had was after she turned 1 yrs old. She started pulling the earrings out. I had gotten her the earrings that the backs screw on & she jerked those out of her ear. That was the last time she wore earrings until just recently. She decided she wants to wear them off & on now. She likes to look pretty. Good Luck on the ear piercing.

Answer 7

I pierced my daughters ears when she was 7 months old. I know sounds horrible, but she didn't even realize what happened after my husband stuck some ice cream in her mouth. Though as far as a 20 month old she is more aware of what is going on and she might not take it as well as a younger infant.

Answer 8

I got my daughter's ears pierced when she was 5 months old. She cried for about 10 seconds. It was a good age to have it done because getting the ears pierced requires alot of care afterwards...turning them at least twice a day, and applying antibiotic ointment. You can do it easily without them fussing. Once they get older they may realize they're there and tug at them.
To wait until they ask for them is pointless to me...because every little girl wants them and will ask for them. My 7 year old asked for them and got them for her birthday and had more complications than the first child that had them done when they were a baby.

Answer 9

Maya has been asking to wear my earrings since about 18 months,but I have not gotten her ears pierced because I am afraid she will pull them out.

If I have another daughter, I will get them done at birth, so as to avoid the entire situation. Otherwise, I would wait until your daughter is 5 or 6 and wan understand why she cannot pull and yank on the earrings.

Answer 10

Do these people even have children who are judging how horrible and terrible it is?? Give me a break. I had my ear pierced later on in life and it doesnt hurt at all. Yet I was scared and too aware of the situation and wished my mom had done it sooner. I would of recommended doing it younger because a 20 month old is more aware and may try to tug them but its not even bad at all. Mom feels more than the child will. My god they feel more getting there shots done, is that cruel???? Come on..Why wait until they are older so they can think about pain and be afraid?? Doing it younger they will not even remember. People need to loosen up. I had my daughter's done at 4 1/2 months and she loves her earrings and calls them pretty. People are a bit too serious. They are not pulling out a tooth or anything, its a little prick