Getting Kayleigh's ears pierced.

I knew i wanted to get Kayleigh's ears pierced while she was still really young. But, I wanted to make sure I was educated on the different ways to go about it and which way was the safest. It was something that I took a lot of time researching and doing my homework on.

While I got my ears pierced at 5 months with a piercing gun and my ears turned out totally fine, I wasn't sure if that is the route I wanted to take with my own daughter. 

I've never liked the idea of the piercing gun. I mean, even the name sounds scary! Not only does it look scary, but next to a child ear, the sound is terrifying as well. The piercing gun itself is actually really bad. Here's why:

The piercing gun will damage the tissue of the ear. Unlike using a piercing needle, the piecing gun uses blunt force to create the hole in the ear. Instead of a sharp needle creating a slit in your skin, the earring stud itself is forced through the skin, damaging the tissue in the ear. The blunt trauma can also increase chances of infection. Which I didn't want to chance with my baby girl. 

Also, guns are NOT sterile! Which makes it easier to get Hepatitis B or HIV. Rubbing alcohol or boiling water doesn't 100% sterilize things. If you do your research, you may be able to find a shop that has disposable piercing guns. But a few places, like in the malls for examples don't have disposable guns. So when they pierce someone and they get blood on the gun and then wipe it down with some rubbing alcohol then pierce your kid! Um, no thanks! How could you live with yourself after putting your innocent child through that because you didn't do your research. 

Most times, getting your ears pierced with piercing guns it can come out crooked. I've seen so many girls with that same story. 

And lastly, studs from piercing guns are not proper jewelry for healing. The one thing I always hated was those butterfly clip backings. They were so hard to clean behind while they were healing. I couldn't get back there good enough to clean out all the gunk while it was healing. Plus, those little butterfly backs are like little bacteria traps. It pushes the bacteria on or into the piercing. But with a surgical steel barbell, you don't have to worry about not being able to clean both sides well. Especially with a little baby, it makes it 100% easier to clean not only the front but the back as well. 

I got Kayleigh's ears pierced at my local tattoo shop. I personally had two piercings and a tattoo done at this shop. I knew the piercer and she was fantastic. She was very patient with Kayleigh. Also, everything she used was sterile. She opened all the packaging right in front of me and explained the process before she did it. She used a hollowed out needle to do the piercing. Kayleigh did cry, like I expected her to. But she did a great job. She is going onto her 3rd week with them in and they have healed beautifully. No signs of redness, or infection and she hasn't tried pulling them out. The great thing about piercing with a needle versus with a piercing gun is, the piercing done with the needle also heals a lot faster than that done with a piercing gun. I can change the barbells out this week to a pair of pretty studs. 

I was given a lot of crap for doing it the way I did it. But, I am her mother and I wouldn't do anything to hurt my daughter. That's why I did my research and did it the way I did it. She's still a happy, healthy, lovable baby girl with a pair of cute, stylin' earlobes! :)

      Her ears the day I got them pierced. She did bleed a bit when she got them pierced, but that common. I gave her some baby Tylenol before I took her and 4 hours after to help with the pain. She did great though. Didn't seem to have a problem with it after it was all done. She is such a brave girl! 

             Her ears 2 1/2 weeks later. The barbells are still in her ears, it's just pushed up in the back. But they are healing beautifully!