Prev 0 What is Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate? 12 February 2020 Next 0 Look at Me! I Can Scribble What I See! A Snapshot of Month 28 14 February 2020
Deciding whether or not to pierce a baby’s ears is different for every family. Some choose to go for it while others prefer to wait until their little one can make the choice themselves. Neither opinion is right or wrong, and your choice will ultimately be what you feel is best.
Religion or culture. Some cultures and religions support ear piercing in babies. In many Latin American cultures, for example, piercing babies’ ears is very common. Ear piercing also has deep roots in Hindu culture, with ceremonies taking place to celebrate the event.
Baby Ear Piercing: When And Where Babies Can Get Their Ears Pierced
Choice. Your baby won’t get a say in getting her ears pierced. However, if she chooses not to wear earrings when she’s older, taking them out is always an option. Some parents and caregivers do, however, want to wait until a child is old enough to make the decision herself.
Allergic reactions or infections. You may not know your baby has a sensitivity or allergy to earring metals until after you’ve pierced her ears. She can also develop an infection the piercing itself, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends diligently caring for the piercings as directed.
Pediatrician advice. If you’re on the fence about piercing your baby’s ears, pediatricians may be able to offer advice based on their opinion. If they’re neutral on the subject, they may still have helpful tips on caring for piercings. They may even offer in-office piercing to ensure that it happens in a sterile, safe environment.
Baby Piercings: What You Need To Know
Wait until at least three months, if possible. Some medical experts believe that skipping the newborn phase and waiting until your baby is at least three to six months old is the best course of action. An infection from piercing, while rare, can still happen, and could cause a fever in your baby. Fevers can quickly become serious in babies under three months of age.
Be mindful of choking risks. Earrings can be a choking hazard for babies and toddlers (as can any jewelry) if they become loose. Check frequently to make sure her earrings are securely in place with backs fastened. You can also purchase earrings with locking backs that lower the risk of your baby getting a hold of them.
Use real gold earrings. The AAP suggests using only gold earrings on your baby. They are a bit pricier than others, but they also carry a much lower risk of inflammation and infection than other metals, like nickel.
Ear Piercing For Kids: Right Age, Effects & Safety Tips
Follow care instructions to a T. After you get your baby’s ears pierced, make sure you’re clear on all after-care instructions. You should understand how and when to turn them, how to clean them, and how long to keep them in before switching pairs. Being diligent about after-care can prevent infection.
Ultimately, the choice to pierce or not to pierce is yours. Ear piercing carries low risks for any age, but risks do exist. The best course of action is to learn as much as you can about the process.A medical expert answers questions about the right age to pierce an infant's ears. How young should you pierce your baby's ears and where do you bring a baby for ear piercing?
Thomas Woodsum RMA, a Clinical Tech/Manager at Universal Pediatric Associates in Wellesley, Massachusetts, who does ear piercings on-site, answers all your questions regarding piercing your baby's ears.
Is My Baby Too Young To Get Their Ears Pierced?
As a mother of two young girls with pierced ears, I figured there’s no time like the present to outline what ear piercing entails when it comes to babies, toddlers, and older kids. Thinking about piercing your child’s ears? Here’s an A-Z guide on what to expect, what you should look for in a piercer, and why the decision to pierce a baby’s ears (or not) isn’t anyone’s business but your own.
Thomas Woodsum RMA is the Clinical Tech/Manager at Universal Pediatric Associates in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Woodsum does ear piercings on-site and has pierced the ears of numerous young patients and non-patients (meaning children who see a different pediatrician but were brought in by a parent solely for ear piercing.) He shares his thoughts about ear piercing.
On average, we do about 35 to 40 piercings per month, with the youngest being two months of age. We require the first set of immunizations to be administered as well. (Meaning: Woodsum and team pierce the ears of vaccinated kids; so bring in your kid’s immunization card if it’s requested. The doctor who pierced my daughter’s ears requested this as well.)
When Can I Change My Baby's Earrings?
We use medical earrings sold only to medical offices and our earrings are made of both plastic and titanium. (The company is called Blomdahl.) It’s important to avoid low-cost earrings; they often have cheaper metals and can cause allergy issues and prolonged heal times. Quality matters with earrings. Plastic earrings have no metal and are great for people with metal sensitivity.
Do you recommend parents bring their kids to a nurse, doctor, or place like Claire's for their first earrings? Why or why not?
The popularity of mall-centered piercing seems to be diminishing. I often hear moms say they would never go to the mall to have their child's ears pierced. The statement I hear the most is: I don't want somebody who is 18 piercing my child's ears.” The piercing/tattoo parlors often have age restrictions (no one under 12 years old), and most doctors offices only pierce their own population (patients). It can be a challenge to find a doctor’s office to pierce your child's ears, but I believe that a doctor's office is the safest.
Ear Piercing For Kids: What To Know
Tattoo/piercing parlors are regulated in my state (Massachusetts) so they need to pass inspection every so often, so I’m sure most parlors are fine. People should read reviews and make sure customers have generally been happy with the service at any given establishment.
Parents should consult their pediatrician about ear piercing and should do some reading on what is involved with caring for a child's ears.
I think some people feel it’s a choice that should be left up to the individual; done at a time where the person getting pierced is also old enough to consent to the procedure. Piercing is not always but often done for cultural reasons. In countries like Venezuela it’s done in the hospital at one or two days old unless you tell them ‘no.’ Some of the mothers tell me stories about how their mother-in-law says things like, Why are the child's ears not pierced yet?”
Why I Don't Want My Daughter To Pierce Her Ears
There are plenty of parents out there who think a child should be old enough to make their own decisions about earrings, and I completely understand that point of view.
However, it’s important to note that for some families, ear piercing is cultural. For example, I am half Puerto Rican and grew up in an extended family where baby girls had their ears pierced within days of their birth. (Next time you find yourself in the Caribbean, check out the ears of baby girls you see. I can guarantee you, most of these cuties sport earrings.)
In fact, my own mother had her ears pierced as a baby, so it’s no shock that she pierced the baby ears of her three daughters. For many cultures, especially Latin ones, ear-piercing baby girls are the norm.
What To Expect When Getting Your Ears Pierced
So, when my daughters, S and A, were both 11 months old, I took them to a local pediatrician who pierces ears. I easily could have gone to a jewelry store, but decided I felt more comfortable going to a medical pro. The doctor used numbing cream, and a special piercing gun from a kid’s piercing company called Blomdahl (mentioned by Woodsum) that didn’t make any loud noise, and we were in-and-out of the office within 30 minutes with cute plastic earrings.
Do you want to pierce your baby’s ears? Go for it. Do your research on where to go: to a pediatrician, a nurse, a local jewelry store...you have tons of options. Just make sure the venue is sanitary and safe.
On the flip side, if you think it’s a decision a child should make on their own when they’re older, that’s totally fine. There is indeed something really special about taking your older child to select earrings for say, their 8th birthday. It’s really bonding and special.
Ear Piercing For Babies In India
My sisters and I agree on this: we never felt like our mother took something away from us, independence so to say, by piercing us as babies. We just accepted it (I never really thought about it until I had kids of my own) and as we aged we still bonded with our mom by the ritual of picking out fun earrings together.
I wear earrings every single day, as does my youngest sister, but our middle sister isn’t really into earrings and only wears them on special occasions. I do hope my daughters aren’t upset with me when they are older for piercing them as babies. Right now, they don’t pay much attention to their earrings and both wear
0 Komentar