While you may have some apprehensions about getting your child’s ears pierced, keep in mind that it is a tradition in quite a few cultures around the world. There are many questions you may feel like asking before getting this deed done. You may be concerned about the right age or right time for your child.

6 Safety Tips Before Piercing your Baby’s Ears

Piercing is a personal decision and thus such questions may have different answers in different cases. However, if you keep a few tips in mind, you can make this whole process a lot more fun for yourself and your child.

• Suitable Age: As with many subjective questions, the answer to this question varies. In most of the cases, doctors advise parents to wait till the child is at least six months old. The main reason behind this is that in many cases piercing may lead to infection. Infants below the age of six months do not have a full blown immune system to fight such infections. So, it is advisable to delay the process until the age of six months. Alternatively, you may want to wait until your child is able to make a decision about whether they want to have piercing or not.
• Consult your Pediatrician: It is highly advisable to consult your pediatrician before getting your child’s ears pierced. The doctor prescribes vaccines, which be required before the piercing is done. Your pediatrician is also in the right position to determine whether the child’s ears are ready for piercing or not. In many cases, pediatricians also offer piercing services. This additional assistance may prove to be very helpful, if you are worried about the safety factor of piercing procedure.
• Buddy Up Your Child: Although modern piercing procedures are virtually pain free, but the process is still associated with agony. In order to keep your child calm, you can try to fix the appointment when their friends are getting piercings too. This will help in distracting the attention. You can also ask the piercing professional to carry out piercing in both the ears simultaneously.
• Choose the Right Piercing Place: Ideally, you should go to your pediatrician, if they provide piercing services. This option is not only much safer, but is also more soothing for the child as they are already used to their caregiver and the place. Even if your pediatrician does not offer such services, you can go to another pediatrician, even if they are not your child’s primary caregiver. Barring these options, look for reviews or ask for advice from your family and friends. Go to the piercing place beforehand to check their hygiene measures as well as their experience in carrying out the procedure.
• Pre-piercing Precautions: There are some measures you can undertake to make this procedure more endurable for your child. You can ask your doctor for some topical ointments which can make ear lobes numb for some time. This will help in reducing the pain. You should also decide about the right kind of metal. Surgical stainless steel earrings are your best bet. However, if you are willing to experiment with other metals, then make sure that these metals do not contain any cobalt, nickel or other allergy causing alloys. Titanium, gold and platinum are generally considered safe options.
• Precautions During the Procedure: You should also pay attention to see that the piercing professional performs basic safety protocol. This includes that they wash their hands and use antibacterial gel. The process should be performed with gloved hands. The child’s earlobes should be cleaned with alcohol pad. Further, you should pay attention to see that the professional gets individual sterile earrings piercer right in front of you. Such piercers should come out of previously unopened packaging. Once the piercing is done, the piercers should be disposed of in a specialized container so as to eliminate the risk of them getting in touch with anyone else.

You should also be careful to see that your child’s cartilage is not pierced as it is a highly sensitive area and may cause infections.

• Post Piercing Care: Once the piercing is done, your responsibility is not over yet. For the first two weeks, do not let your child swim in a lake or pond. You should also clean the back and front of the earrings twice a day. This can be done by using cotton balls dipped in a cleaning solution. The first pair of earrings should not be removed before six week period as this may cause the hole to close. If you see any sign of infection, immediately consult a doctor.