It’s not unusual to see photos of celebrities’ babies wearing pretty little earrings, sometimes from a very young age. But is it really advisable to have your baby’s ears pierced?
Can a baby’s ears be pierced without any consequences for the development of the lobes? We tell you all about it.
When and why do we pierce our children’s ears?
Before going any further, it’s important to understand where negative thoughts about ear piercing come from. Just ask friends and random people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds: when and why did you pierce your daughter’s ears? The answers are varied and essentially boil down to familiar and/or cultural traditions.
When asked at what age, the answers were “at birth”, “shortly after birth”, “after her vaccinations”, “when she asked for it”, “when she reached a certain age/school level/maturity”.
To the question “why did you pierce your daughter’s ears”, the most common answers included: “it’s what my family does”, “it’s my culture”, “it’s a sort of rite of passage”, “I think she’ll want it”, “I think she should be ready for it”.
So we see that there are different beliefs that we don’t necessarily think about at first. Some arguments are valid, reasonable and well-founded.
Are ear piercings harmful to babies?
The next step is to examine the scientific evidence concerning earlobe piercing. There is no evidence to support one argument against the other. Complications of earlobe piercing include bleeding, contact allergies, post-traumatic tears, embedded brackets and infections. These can occur at any age.
Apart from tetanus, vaccines do not cover the most common organisms associated with earlobe piercing infections, and tetanus infections are not very common. With good care of the pierced earlobe, complications can be avoided.
Can earrings lead to ear detachment?
As we’ve discussed in previous articles, the earlobe is very malleable in the early years. Some parents may therefore wonder whether earrings could increase the risk of protruding ears.
In fact, it all depends on the type of earrings chosen. It’s essential to choose earrings specially designed for babies and toddlers. These jewels generally have a secure screw-on clasp that doesn’t interfere with ear positioning when baby is asleep. So forget about big, dangling earrings. Finally, remember to check and clean your baby’s ears regularly to prevent infection.
