by Dawn Allcot

Created on: June 28, 2009   Last Updated: July 02, 2009

I grew up hearing my father say, "If God wanted you to have holes in your ears, he would have put them there."

As a teen, I begged, pleaded and bargained with my mom to permit me to get my ears pierced. Finally, when I turned 16, my older sister took me to the mall (without my mom's knowledge) to get my ears pierced. My mom noticed the gold studs in my ears hours later, during lunch. My sister and I "got away with it," suffering only a minor scolding.

Now, as a new mom of a little girl, I look at my daughter's perfect little ears and wonder when - if ever - will be the right time to put holes in them.

Of course, the question of the ideal age to pierce your child's ears is a personal decision, related to family culture, personal beliefs and your own tolerance for pain. It may be influenced by the age at which you got your own ears pierced. Here are my thoughts on the matter.

*Piercing a newborns ears

When children undergo several inoculations every few months, what's two more "shots? Piercing an infant's ears also makes care easy - no struggling with a toddler or fighting with a teenager to keep the holes clean, apply bacitracin and rotate the earrings.

Many parents want to pierce their baby's girls ears because they don't want to dress the baby in pink constantly to identify her gender, especially if the little girl doesn't have a lot of hair from birth. Finally, many parents just think tiny earrings look cute in little baby ears, and can't wait to get their daughter's ears pierced as a fashion statement. Some pediatricians will pierce an infant's ears on their first well-baby visit, at just a few days old.

*Piercing an infant or toddler's ears*

Some parents can't bear the thought of subjecting their tiny baby to yet another needle prick or two, and especially not for vanity's sake. However, around six to nine months, parents of little girls may finally grow tired of their baby being mistaken for a little boy, especially if she still doesn't have a lot of hair.

At this time, too, pressure from friends and relatives may cause parents to second guess their choice of foregoing earrings. New parents may give in and ask the pediatrician to pierce their daughter's ears.

As the mother of a very active eight month old, I feel like I may have missed the window of opportunity for ear-piercing. She's still young enough that she won't remember the pain, which is a good thing, but there would be lots of other hassles. No longer a docile newborn, my daughter would

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