3 Tips For Piercing Your Daughters Ears

Last week my 7 year old daughter got her ears pierced for the first time. It was a very positive experience and she is super happy we did it. The truth is she had been asking to get them pierced for quite some time but my husband wasn’t quite ready. So, after some thorough research and a few guilt trips from our daughter that all her “other” friends had their ears pierced… we decided to take the plunge.

It’s no secret that The Mall is widely know for ear piercing (heck I even had my own ears pierced there) but I had heard some chatter from a local message board that The mall wasn’t always the best option. Instead, I read I should go to a tattoo/piercing shop. What I learned was that Tattoo/Piercing shops use sharp, hollow needles which make a perfect clean cut and is much safer and less painful than using a piercing gun.

The piercing guns puncture the skin with blunt force and can often times lead to scar tissue. The earring stud is what is used to pierce you when you use the gun method. The stud is not as sharp, and it actually displaces your tissue hence making it more likely for your piercing to develop scar tissue and infections. Guns are also not sterile, and the people operating them likely lack adequate training—the certification process might consist of a seminar, or even a video, and some target practice with a piece of cardboard or a teddy bear.

Get My Point Body Piercing

After scouring yelp reviews I settled on a place called “Get My Point” body piercing in Dana Point. I called ahead of time and asked for Travis since he was the guy everyone raved about. We spoke for a while and he answered all of my 10 billion questions and told me what hours he works. That Sunday I brought my daughter in to see him. Did you know it only costs $40 for everything? That includes the earrings!

Upon arriving Travis greeted us and had us fill out a waiver/medical history. Then he let my daughter pic out the earring that she liked. They use all surgical steel and she could choose from diamonds or Pearls.

After we picked our studs, Travis brought us back into a room that had a leather table (that desperately needs to be reupholstered) and asked my girl all kinds of questions like what her favorite color was, what grade she was in, what’s her favorite food, etc…I could tell she was really trusting him.

First he cleaned her ears with rubbing alcohol. Then, he took a sharpie and marked her ears. Travis told us that everyones ears are uneven so that the holes won’t match up exactly but they will be close. He had both myself and my husband check them to make sure we liked the placement and then he had her lay down. He told my daughter she would feel a few taps on the needle and then he pierced them. She cried for just a second because I think it startled her and that was it! Easy Peasy. He did the second ear no problem and then it was over!

There is hardly any upkeep at all. Just wash with regular soap and water for 6 weeks and no going in large bodies of water for 3 weeks. (i.e. pool, ocean or lake).  There is no need to turn/spin the earrings and she can change them out after 6 weeks.

Tips for Getting Your Daughter’s Ears Pierced

• Talk about the procedure with her ahead of time so she is not caught off-guard by some of the equipment. Be honest about how it feels.
• Bring a stuffed animal or blanket with you. Something she can clutch while she is there.
• Go to a body piercing/tattoo parlour instead of a place that uses a piercing gun.
• Consider doing a buddy system! Bringing a friend or buddy along when she gets her ears pierced might boost your daughter’s confidence. And then they can both do it together!
• Before you go, think of a last-minute bribery that will keep her from jumping ship. There is a market right next door to “Get My Point” that sells popsicles and ice cream.
• Bring Dad or S/O with you. They love being a part of it too!
• As soon as you get home, have her make something to tick off the days before she can change out her earrings. — a paper chain works great, as does a calendar where she can cross off the days, one by one.

Piercing Needles VS Piercing Gun

The moral of the story is get your daughter’s ears pierced at a body piercing/tatoo parlour. It’s safer, less painful and overall more sanitary. Be sure to call ahead and ask if they pierce children’s ears because some shops have an age limit.

 

Sharing is caring!