'I pierced my 2-month-old baby's ears. Then came the first slap of “parental judgement."'

Let’s be clear, I made the decision to pierce my baby’s ears at two months old and I have no regrets.

I have been a mother for three months now, so obviously I am an expert. No, of course not. I do know that I researched this subject extensively, found a bit of contradictory advice and eventually came to my informed decision.

Upon proudly sharing photos of my beautiful daughter with her newly pierced ears, I soon experienced my first slap of “parental judgement”. And wow was it a doozy! I received a harsh comment from someone I barely knew. They questioned “why” I would do this to my child and I almost responded with my list of reasons and justifications with links to articles and doctor’s quotes. In the end, I just deleted the comment and moved on with my life.

Mia Freedman gets her ears pierced. Post continues after the video.

So why did I pierce my daughter’s ears at such a young age? The short answer is, that’s when I had my ears pierced.

Does it hurt? Yes, it does. For about one second per earlobe. The difference between having it now versus when she’s older, is simply that she wasn’t scared. She was calm and happy and had no idea what was going on. There was no fear, no anxiety, no tears. She cried less than a minute, then was back to her smiling self. In fact, both of the piercing professionals made a point of sharing their own opinion that this was the best age, as older children cry so hysterically, they sometimes have to return multiple times before they go through with it. Some children are so scared, it makes the experience borderline traumatising for them.

Is it safe? In short, yes. There is a small risk of possible infection, as with any piercing at any age. The difference being that a baby who hasn’t developed their motor skills yet, won’t be able to touch their earrings with dirty fingers, as older children would. Doctor’s also recommend this age because it coincides with their first round of vaccinations.

Obviously, going to a reputable piercing specialist who’s experienced with babies, would be the ideal choice. The best option to avoid any skin reaction is 24k gold earrings but they’re unlikely to have these there. They do generally offer titanium, which also has a lower risk of possible reaction.

You could argue that by piercing her ears I am pushing my standards of beauty on her, or societies expectations of what a girl should and shouldn’t look it. Perhaps that is true and a deeper conversation for another day. Ultimately, I felt informed and confident in my decision and believe she will be grateful in the future, as I was.

How young is ‘too young’ when it comes to getting your child’s ears pierced? Tell us what you think in a comment below.