Pros And Cons About Earrings For Infants
It's not surprising that earrings for infants is a controversial subject. It was barely a generation ago that men started wearing earrings, and that certainly was not without some controversy and strong feelings, even though men have worn them on and off throughout the ages.
Part of the controversy surrounding earrings for infants is simply a matter of taste. Some think the little ones are even more adorable when wearing a little jewelry, while others feel quite the opposite. Some of us have a problem when a daughter (or son) starts with earrings, or body piercing in general, well before their high school years, and any thought of a baby with pierced ears borders on revulsion. Some even link infant ear piecing with giving an infant a tattoo. The difference of course is that a pierced ear will eventually close and heal in the absence of studs, while a tattoo is something a baby may no longer appreciate as it approaches its teen years. Aside from any issues of appearance, the issue is more appropriately one of doing something to the infant, the consequences of which it has no awareness of or control over.
Infection Is Always A Possibility - Pierced ears are in that sense not a life altering condition, and as an infant grows into childhood, or adulthood, if he or she no longer wishes to wear earrings, it's simply a matter of ceasing to do so. Ears can always be pierced again. The issue with earrings for infants really boils down to one of health and well being of the infant. Although rather uncommon, ear piercing, even when done by the most skillful hand and under the most carefully controlled conditions, does have a propensity to lead to infection from time to time, and for a small child this can be much more serious than is the case when an adult has the problem.
Tetanus, though not very common these days, still lingers, and is particularly a threat when a puncture wound is involved. As small as the puncture wound may be, and it is a wound, it takes time to heal, and a baby is usually not very good at being careful about keeping a wound clean. According to Murphy's Law, if there is any bacteria laden substance a baby can stick its finger in, it will do so, and then rub its ear. A simple rule of thumb regarding infection is, the older the baby, the easier time it will have of fighting off an infection should one develop. Infants often have diaper rash, thrush, and other things to contend with during the first few months of life, and don't need an infected earlobe added to its list of problems. A tetanus shot before the piercing happens is always recommended. A pediatrician should be consulted before having an infant's ears pierced, taking into account that some pediatricians may have an objection to earrings for infants that may be based more on cultural beliefs than on medical reasoning.
A Task For A Professional - The other thing to take into account is that piercing infant's ears isn't something that should be done at home. A professional who has had plenty of experience, hopefully including some with infants, needs to perform the piercing. It's all to easy to injure the ear, with resulting pain, discomfort, and scarring, to leave this procedure up to someone who doesn't know fully what he or she is doing. An infant isn't going to put up with having its ears messed with nearly as readily as will a teenager, and the use of a piercing gun, while seemingly quicker and easier, is not at all a good idea when an infant is involved.
Earrings for infants isn't a subject that is to be decided upon based on whether it is right or wrong. Whatever the decision that is finally arrived at, should however be based on long and very careful thought.