Infant Ear Piercing…Is It Worth It To Prove The Bean Is A Girl?
A fellow blogger over at the Parenting Patch brought up Infant Ear Piercing this week as her Hot Topic Tuesday and well since I have been a negligent blogger as of late, I decided that this is as good of a place to jump in as any. You see I am in favor of infant ear piercing and absolutely swoon over tiny baby girls with those little diamond studs in their earlobes. Not only do I think it is Adorable with a capital A, it also helps little bald baby girls like my Bean to say “I am a girl”!!
The Bean is constantly called a boy, constantly. Perhaps it is because she is a bit of a tomboy and plays a little rough, perhaps it is because I think navy blue is a gender neutral color and I don’t think that dresses are suitable “play” clothing. There are a lot of variables but with her hair only now beginning to sprout , she is generally assumed to be male and I think two little ear studs could make all the difference. So why are her ears still empty?
For one thing, I don’t care that people assume she is a boy. The other day a father at her baby gym watched her playing with three other boys and turned to me saying, “It’s so nice to see four boys playing together so nicely. How did I respond? I shook my head, smiled and said, “Oh I know, it’s great. I didn’t want to make him feel bad about calling Bean a boy and he had just said my child was well behaved, which is all that I heard! Perhaps little earrings would have made him realize those boys were playing so nicely because they were trying to impress my little lady, but she has no idea that people think she is a boy.
I was able to pierce my ears at 13 and it was a coming of age milestone. I paid for it with my saved up allowance and I waited approximately one full week before breaking my father’s rule about no earrings longer that a ½” below the earlobe. I felt so grown up and I remember cleaning and turning my earrings with pride. I want the Bean to have that moment. I want her to feel that pride of making a decision like an adult. I don’t know if I will make her wait to thirteen but I will make her wait till she can take care of her ears on her own.
Until then I will continue to swoon when I see babies with studs in their ears. I will also continue to smile when Bean is called a well behaved little boy because while I love the idea of infant ear piercing, I love the idea of a grown-up lunch and trip to the mall to get a piercing when she is ready.
How sweet! I love the idea of making a special day out of ear piercing!
ReplyDeleteJessica,
ReplyDeleteWas searching for my GF's blog and came across your interesting one. Came across your post smiling about " ...I am in favor of infant ear piercing and absolutely swoon over tiny baby girls with those little diamond studs in their earlobes. Not only do I think it is Adorable with a capital A, it also helps little bald baby girls like my Bean to say “I am a girl!!" I had a similar experience in deciding when to have my dd's ears pierced too. I was a bit nervous to pull the trigger and a chicken too, but changed my mind after seeing so many babies and little girls with cute earrings.
First, I'd say if you're thinking about it, then your mommy intuition is telling earlier is better. I was like you, really wanting it done, but didn't know when best to do it. However, seeing so many babies and little girls with cute earrings kept me coming back to having it done as an infant. I asked our ped who encouraged me to have it done early when mommy could care for them.
Second, admittedly, I know a lot of people have strong feelings when to pierce a child's ear. "Let them decide" is being replaced by parental decision when mommy intuition knows, "earlier is better" from either personal or friend's experiences of unpleasant childhood ear piercing. I think it just depends on your own personal choice whether or not you wish your baby or little girl to have pierced ears. However, I think you've made the decision and just waiting for the right time. I was uncertain too and kept going back and forth. However, my ped had her dd's ears pierced at 8 wks and when I found the right person, I was at ease and went ahead and was glad I did!
Third, some feel perceived gender of their child is important while others find it a cultural tradition where all infant girls have pierced ears. I pierced our oldest daughter's ears when she was two months old and our youngest at just days old. We found an experienced individual where they specialized in infant piercing.
Fourth, my advice is to do them one at a time to insure they are perfectly centered. This may take 15 seconds longer, but will make sure they are not crooked later in life.
Firth, if you don't know how she'd look at any age, then hold up a pair of your studs to each ear and decide for yourself. Many moms including myself like the look of earrings on babies and little girls for no specific reason, but like how light plays off a simple gold ball on a bald baby girl or small gold hoop poking through the hair of a toddler.
Sixth, cerebrally, as mothers of girls of all ages, we know it celebrates their femaleness and femininity. After all, they are little girls, right?
Growing up I remember many of my little girlfriends were not allowed to get their ears pierced. I could never understand it...but when their parents did finally let them, it always seemed they'd get infected because they were constantly touching them or trying to change out the earrings before they were supposed too. Many said it was painful, but all cried having a great deal of angst leading up to and including the actual ear piercing.
Lastly, just when is the best time to pierce your daughter's ears? It is when you are ready to care for them during the healing phase. They are very easy to care for. If you decide to do it as a newborn or infant, then I promise she'll thank you later!
Jessica, maybe it is time to give Bean the "gift of pierced ears." Sounds like your ready for sure when you said, "..I will continue to swoon when I see babies with studs in their ears." Place a pair of your studs up to Bean's ears and see if she looks feminine or not?
If you or any moms would like our ped's tips, then don't hesitate to write me an e-mail.
Angie
angietune@hotmail.com