Ear piercing in babies is always an issue of concern, as many people have different views about piercing their babies ears at a tender age. As good as it looks, piercing takes a lot of care and medication, so it is commonly advised by pediatricians to wait for at least 5 to 6 months after the birth of the baby. Some people think it is better to get a piercing at a younger age as older babies will refrain from it and the pain will be more at that age, whereas younger babies forget about the pain easily. Take a look at some baby ear piercing aspects which will help you decide, when you should get your baby's ears pierced and how to take care of it.
Ideal Piercing Age
When you decide to get your baby's ears pierced, the first thing you need to do is inquire about the right age for it. Consult your pediatrician about the right age and then discuss it together. As the baby is new to its surrounding and completely dependent on you, the way its body will respond to a piercing is also uncertain. Hence it is always better to get a piercing done when the baby is 7 months old and more. Even if the piercing hurts a little, at that age the baby's body is fit enough to heal the wound on its own.
Piercing Problems
The piercing can cause many problems, after all the piercing is an injury to the skin and it will take time to heal. During this time the baby can face a number of problems like infections and scars.
Infection: The piercing can cause infections to the wound even by the instruments used for piercing. This can cause bleeding and collection of abscess which can even lead to hospitalization. There can be allergic reactions, pain and irritation around the wound due to these infections.
Keloid scars: These are lumps of tissues that grow around the piercing. These can cause further infections and lead to abscesses around the wound. Keloid scars are usually hereditary and children in such families should not get their ear pierced at a young age.
Uneven placing: Most of the infections are caused due uneven placing of the piercing on the ear lobe. Babies are usually fidgety and a sudden unpredictable movement can cause the loss of judgment for the piercing. This may lead to over piercing at the same place and result into a bigger injury.
Piercing Care
Once you have decided to get the ear piercing done, take proper precautions before and during the piercing. Intensive care is also needed after the baby's ears are pierced. Take a look at the following tips.
- Make sure you get the piercing done from a specialist in pediatric piercing and don't visit a place where they give a gunshot.
- Give your child a dose of Baby Tylenol before the piercing as this will eliminate discomfort during the piercing.
- Ask the specialist to use a 14 carat gold wire as that will prevent infection.
- After piercing, clean the wound immediately with alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.
- Maintain hygienic conditions around the wound for at least 7 weeks after the piercing by cleaning it daily with a good antiseptic.
- Turn the earrings once or twice daily for at least a period of 6 weeks after piercing.
- Make sure the baby wears the earrings for the first few months constantly.
- Clean the back and the front side of the ear with a ear bud dipped in alcohol or sanitizer.
- Avoid changing the baby's earrings for at least a year.
