Why I Chose to Pierce My Daughters Ears

A few weeks ago, I got an email from a follower asking me about my decision to pierce my girls ears. She said she was toying with the idea of it, had some questions she wanted to ask and wanted my honest opinion on it.

After I wrote her back, she responded and was extremely grateful for me writing her back. Since I know this is something I have been asked before, I wanted to share my answers to her questions with you all.

Please don't bash me on my decision to pierce my girls ear and/or the age that I did it. I am not for that. I just wanted to share my experience and maybe help some of you out.

And if you have any other questions you want to ask me regarding ears piercing, please ask away.

1). How did you decide to have their ears pierced as an infant? What age were the girls when you did it? 

The girls were about 9 months old when we got their ears pierced. We had to wait until they were 6 months old in Nevada. Since I had identical twins, I needed a way of telling them apart. Not necessarily for me, but for their daycare teachers and family. When they were babies, it was VERY hard to tell them apart. So I got them different colored earrings. I held each of them in my lap while they got each ear pierced. After about 6 months, we got them new earrings from a high priced piercing shop that the balls thread into the backing and the back has a flat surface instead of the long stem. 

2) Was there a "tipping point" or person who influenced you to have Sutton and Avery's ears pierced young? Of course identical twins with different color earrings would be a easy way to tell them apart for sure. However, don't think this was your main idea in having them pierced early. 

It wasn't my main reason for getting their ears pierced, but it was a top 5 reason. I had my ears pierced when I was about 5 years old like others had suggested to you. I remember every bit of it. My girls don't even remember getting their ears pierced. That was another reason. Plus it is easier to care for their ears at that age than when they are 5 or 6. I was able to clean them two to three times a day and they didn't touch the earrings while they healed. Another reason that is farther down the line is they were always called boy girl twins or boys. Even when dressed in pink. That isn't a serious reason, but it did round out my reasons why. But the cleaning one is a huge one because at 5 years old they will touch that area more than you would like. As an infant, they don't touch it.

3)Where exactly did you take her to get her ears pierced? How did you chose exactly where to take her? Any specific recommendations? 

I took them to a local body piercing shop. Not the ones in the mall where they quickly turn out kids. I looked online and found the best place for their ears to be pierced. Plus I had went to this place when I was 16 and had my belly button pierced. So I knew the reputation and it was still just as good when I took my girls there. The place we got their other earrings at, you had to be older, so we did wait to get those earrings there. I would look to yelp and trip advisor for piercing shops where you live. Read the reviews, look at their websites and see the youngest that you can get your daughters ears pierced. 

4) How did you decide what earring to chose for them? 

When you get your ears pierced, you have to get a certain kind of earring put it. Those earrings have to stay in for at least 6 to 8 weeks. Then you can change them from there. So I chose pink and purple for my girls since one wore pink a lot and purple a lot for the other. When it came to choosing what I wanted for the girls, I went to a higher end piercing shop. I chose earrings that they couldn't take out themselves since Sutton kept losing the back of one earrings. I also made it so they had a flat back and a ball that threaded into the post. They were very expensive, but worth it. They have held up for years. I love the earrings you posted, but you have to wait for those to be put in until after the 6 to 8 weeks. 

5) Did they do them one at a time or at the same time?

Mine had them done one at a time. They wanted to make sure that they were even and one guy did the piercings. Even though you are inflicting "the pain" twice, it made it so they didn't have to do any corrections and that they are even.

6) Am sure both girls must have gotten lots of compliments on her earrings ?

They get tons of compliments and we get asked where we got their earrings at. My friend even asked a lot of these questions to me recently. She waited until her daughter was 4 and she cried a lot and had a harder time keeping them clean and untouched.

7) Have other moms asked you about getting their daughter's ears pierced also? Any moms inspired to go ahead and do it?

Haha, I think I answered that question above. Yes others have asked me and then gotten them done as well.

8) Any other thoughts, suggestions for convincing my mother that early is better?

The cleanliness is a huge one. Plus the pain factor. And remember that your daughter is YOUR daughter. Even if your mom doesn't approve, she will come around once she sees how adorable your daughter is with them in.

9) Have you ever thought about little gold hoops for your girls? Know she would look so ingenue with little gold hoops poking out of their hair. 

Oh I have definitely had thoughts about little gold hoops. I have even been approached to do that for my girls. But I do have to go to a piercing shop to get their earrings out and changed. I will, but I wanted to wait until they went into Kindergarten. 

10) If you had another little girl, would you pierce her ears early too? Any specific age? 

I would definitely pierce her ears. Even if I just had one girl. I would still get it done at 6 or so months. Probably before they were 2 at the latest due to the reasons I listed above: cleanliness, pain factor.