Health Concerns With Regard to Ear Piercing

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

13 Apr 2006 03:00 PM

Okay, you've decided to go ahead and get your daughter's ears pierced. Medical experts agree that you should:

• Wait till after the second set of immunizations
• Be sure the piercing instruments are sterile

Once the ears are pierced, you need to make sure that the earrings are kept in a sterile environment. That means you should twist the earrings once or a twice a day during the first few weeks after the piercing. Be sure to clean the back and front of the ear with a q-tip and some alcohol. You should remove the earrings once a week, at least and soak them thoroughly in alcohol.

You may also use antibiotic ointment in conjunction with the alcohol solution. Neosporin is safe to use with infants and it also has a mild pain reliever formula that can reduce pain or irritation in the ear holes. Be sure that you have chosen anti-allergenic posts in case your child has a metallurgic allergy that you are not aware of.

If your baby's ear lobe becomes infected, you will need to take the earring out. You should consult with a pediatrician about oral antibiotics as well as local antibiotic creams. If you cannot clear the infection, you may end up having the ear hole close and if that is the case, you will be advised to wait quite some time before repeating the ear piercing.

Be aware that earrings do pose a choking danger. Babies can get ear posts out of their ears and they may swallow them. You should never put hoops on a young baby or toddler. If you've ever had a baby tug on of your earrings experimentally, you can imagine the damage they can inflict on themselves.

Never share earrings amongst your children. Even if you have twins, be sure that each baby has their own earrings and don't swap them back and forth. The two worst health infections related to ear piercing are bacterial infections and staph infections. Waiting until after a baby is 4 to 6 months of age gives them a better chance of fighting infections and coping with high fevers related to infections.

If at any time you suspect or are worried about an infection related to ear piercing, seek out medical advice.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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Aimee Amodio (11995) 13 Apr 2006 11:14 PM

Having never been a mother myself, I can never understand why a person would get their baby's ears pierced! Baby bling... *shaking head* :)

Andrea M (2525) 14 Apr 2006 07:17 PM

I am a mother of 3. 2 boys and now a girl! I can't imagine getting her ears pierced, I know friends that have had it done to their children. But, I have enough to worry about with 3 children then to worry about a possible chocking hazard on earrings!

Heather Long (16954) 14 Apr 2006 10:15 PM

Same here. My daughter is five and most of her friends have pierced ears and have for years. She doesn't get why I haven't done it to her yet, but then she doesn't really want them yet either. I think, if she really wants them, now that she is older I am more inclined to say yes. But we haven't crossed that bridge yet.