Are you a mom looking to get your child’s ears pierced this year? Here is why you should avoid the mall and hire a nurse instead! Let’s break down the who, what, where, when, and why about ear piercing to give your child the best experience possible. Here are 5 things you should know before getting your child’s ears pierced.
Experience
Is your child afraid of needles or perhaps embarrassed to get pierced in public? Maybe your kid is tough as nails but a tattoo shop isn’t the most family-friendly environment. The place you choose to get a piercing is just as important as the actual piercing itself. The pain that comes with piercing can be daunting and certainly anxiety provoking for some children. It’s important to create a safe and comfortable experience for them. This is why at-home ear piercing can be the best of both worlds — the environment is familiar to the child and parent but also provides the privacy to take all the time needed to get the piercing done right.
Education
Did you know in the state of Massachusetts there is no standardized education or training requirement for body piercers? This often means teenagers working minimum wage at the mall are given a piercing gun and are taught to pierce ears with no formal training. This can be problematic for a variety of reasons, but most importantly it is dangerous for the risks of spreading infections, causing damage to the ear, and contamination of blood borne pathogens. Are the tools and equipment being properly sterilized and sanitized after each client? Does the piercer have an education on how open wounds should properly heal to prevent infection? This is why you should trust a nurse with your child’s ears!
Jewelry
This is a huge topic that often gets overlooked! Jewelry store owners and mall kiosks often do not have an understanding of which jewelry is suitable for a fresh piercing. The human body was not designed to have holes punctured and metal kept in the tissue. Many ear piercing shops will offer sterling silver, gold, and steel as options for first earrings. All of those jewelry options are mixed with other metals such as copper, aluminum, and nickel, which cause skin irritation. A knowledgeable piercer can tell you that the safest options for a brand new piercing are medical grade titanium or plastic.
Age
There is no such thing as the perfect age to pierce your child’s ears, but there are some important things to consider. If you pierce the ears as an infant, your child will most likely not notice the earrings once they’re in and won’t touch or play with them; however, as they grow over time the placement might not be as centered as they were as a baby. If your child is old enough to ask to have their ears pierced, it is vital to make sure they are old enough to understand that they cannot touch their ears with dirty hands and they must follow the aftercare instructions until the piercing is healed.
Aftercare
Once your child’s ears are pierced you are faced with the task of keeping them clean to prevent infection. Twice a day for six weeks you will need to clean the piercing with sterile saline. DO NOT use rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, as it will dry out the skin and prevent it from healing. If you pierce ears as an infant, the responsibility will be on you as the parent. However, if your child is old enough to clean the piercings themselves, you will have to make sure they stick with it. Choosing the right time and place to get your child’s ears pierced can be stressful and overwhelming! Thankfully there is a safe, stress free, convenient option for Boston Moms: The Nurse Piercer, LLC.
Karissa Richtmyer, BSN, RN, CCRN, is a critical care registered nurse, mom of a 14-month-old daughter, and a traveling in-home ear piercer. She is based out of Walpole, MA, and started her business after finding few safe options for her daughter’s ear piercings.
