Hey guys, today I’m sharing about the experience of the ear-piercing process of my little daughter. First-time ear-piercing is a ritual at some places and is performed at a specific time and with celebrations. But, on our side, it is just a procedure which can be done at any time and without much fanfare.
I was aware that in the western countries ear-piercing is done within one year of the birth as it is less painful due to the too delicate skin. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has mentioned that there is no fixed age for piercing ears, but it should be done carefully and hygienically(the primary concern of ear-piercing is an infection). But, I was not ready to let my little one go through the procedure that early. I was preparing myself to be emotionally strong and decided that we will get done it when our daughter is of around two years of age. So, a month before her 2nd birthday, we went to a jewelry shop and got my baby’s ears pierced.
We decided to go to our regular jewelry shop, Tanishq, at our local mall. But, as suspected, they do not perform this procedure. They recommended another shop in the same mall which had this service. We had shopped earlier at that shop too.
Generally, there are Ear Piercing Systems or a Gun-shaped piercing tool. But, since there are not many regular customers for this service at a single shop(due to too many jewelry shops), the jewelers keep a “Personal Piercer” which is an easy to use and allergy-free all-inclusive home piercing kit. It is sterilized and disposable.
Our jeweler used the “Studex Personal Ear Piercing Kit“. Studex is a US-based company with a worldwide presence. This is a home piercing kit, but it will be better if you get it done by an expert in case of baby ear piercing.
The kit comes with an alcohol-based skin cleansing pads, a surgical marking pen, one pair of sterilized hypoallergenic earrings, one bottle after-piercing ear care antiseptic lotion for successful healing, a disposable ear piercer, disposable gloves, and an instructions booklet.
The whole process has three steps:
- Cleanse – Clean the location with the included alcohol prep pads
- Mark – Mark the exact piercing locations keeping in mind the symmetry in both ears
- Pierce – Use the disposable ear-piercer in each ear and pierce at the marked points
Earrings: The disposable ear-piercer comes with sterilized hypoallergenic earrings. These are gold-plated earrings and have to be replaced after one week with gold/silver earrings. You will have to purchase the silver earrings after one week.
Pain in Baby Ear-piercing process
Of course, it is a painful process, but it seemed that the pain is bearable. The first ear-piercing will have not much issue, and you will have just to keep the child distracted. But, after the one ear piercing, the baby will feel the pain, and you will have to carry some chocolates/candies or use a smartphone to divert her attention so that she let complete the second ear-piercing. Please do not panic in the process and the baby will be fine soon. The whole process takes a maximum of 2-3 minutes.
After-care
The ear-piercing kit comes with an after-piercing lotion which can be applied for better healing of the ear and to prevent any infection. We did not use it as the jeweler told us that it is not much required for the babies and all tools were already sterilized. Instead, we used coconut oil as an ointment and also rotated the earring once in 2-3 days. The ear redness went away in 2-3 days and the ear healed before the earring-replacement visit. There was no restriction on taking a bath or washing ears, but we were gentle and cautious.
Ear-piercing Price in India:
The ear-piercing cost was Rs.1100, including disposable earrings. The replacement earrings can be chosen from various options of gold/silver earrings, and the price will depend accordingly. The jeweler suggested us silver earrings as “they are more gentle on the newly pierced ears” in comparison to gold earrings.