For thousands of years, women have been wearing earrings as a rite of passage into adulthood. Currently we are seeing younger and younger girls wearing earrings, including babies. While many parents will have no problem piercing the ears of a baby, others do. If you decide to take the route of piercing on a young child, there are several factors to consider before doing so. Read this article so you don't repeat mistakes others have made.



One of the major concerns with piercing an ear is infection. You should always have a professional do the piercing, using full aseptic techniques including wearing gloves and sterilizing equipment. To reduce the chances of an allergic reaction you should also make sure hypo-allergenic stainless steel or gold is used. You will also have to clean and use alcohol on the piercing several times a day to ward off infection.

Never have a baby's ears pierced before they have had the DPT shots, this is a very important point to remember.

Infants should never have dangling earrings as they could play with them, pull on them and swallow the earrings. Always make sure the stud earring is secure in the ear and there is no chance of it falling out and getting into the infant's mouth.

If there is a history of keloids in your family, do not pierce your daughter's ears until she is a young adult or teenager. Keloids are large, unsightly growths that are difficult to correct when the ear tissues is injured.

One of the best decisions you can make is to have your daughter's ears pierced when she is older so she can make the decision if she wants to pierce her ears or not. Some girls don't want to and that should be respected.

If you are thinking of piercing your daughter's ears at a young age, always consult a physician, no matter what. There is no excuse for risking a serious health problem for your daughter, simply for a cosmetic effect like an earring.

If your daughter is old enough, always discuss the possibility of ear piercing, complete with a list of the pros and cons of getting it done. Detail to them the risk of infection, keloids and possible damage to the ear.

If your daughter wants to get their ears pierced on the cartilage, talk them out of it. The cartilage is easily damaged and piercing there could lead to problems with the ear later in life.