Julian’s best friend is a girl. She got her ears pierced during first grade which signaled to me that I needed to tune in to this event. In a couple of years, Scarlett may be asking for the same treatment as Maia, who is her idol.
Two things I learned from other moms (including Maia’s) about getting your child’s ears pierced:
- Q-tips are the optimal tool for keeping freshly pierced ears hygienically cleaned. Since we are currently Q-tips ambassadors, this seemed like an good time to tell you about their value. Maia’s mom, Cori said that they’re “better than cotton balls because it’s easier to get under the earring to clean the actual piercing. Also – cotton ball fiber gets stuck in the earrings but Q-tips don’t shred in the same way. Q-tips are also easier for Maia to use than cotton balls.”
- A tattoo parlor might just be the best place for a kid’s piercing. Brittany from MommyWords did research and landed on a tattoo parlor-slash-piercing studio as the best choice for having her daughters lobes pierced. Why? Because they have more hygienic practices than a mall store. The high standards for sterilization at this joint won her over. (Read the details on her blog.)

For more tips and tricks from Q-Tips, see their Facebook page.















Love the idea of getting a kid’s ears pierced at a tattoo parlor! I’m sure there are many places in Berkeley that would be totally tickled to do that… lots of cool women tattoo artists in this area. Sacred Rose Tattoo comes to mind – I think they have a new store on Solano.
I remember when I was a kid my dad’s family was kind of old-money snooty… neither my aunt or grandmother had pierced ears because that was for “gypsies.” Somehow that only-for-gypsies thing goes well with the tattoo parlor. [and yes, I know the term "gypsies" is offensive these days, this was like 40 years ago]
Also, some pediatricians will pierce ears. Our pediatrician did it for my daughter.
Yes, yes, I wholly agree! Tattoo parlors are not only state licensed the practitioners themselves hold many licenses just to be able to offer the service. The shopgirl at the mall who just got done texting her boyfriend? not so much. Congratulations to your lovely with her new pierced ears!
I’m Mexican…we got my daughter’s ears pierced when she was 4 months old. Sure, she cried, but she will never remember the pain.
Our pediatrician used to pierce ears but stopped a few years ago.