Kid's EARLobe Piercing

We are delighted that you, as a parent, are seeking out proper information on Children’s Earlobe Piercing from experienced professionals. We have established our Child Earlobe Piercing process based on our experience as well as the experience of other APP member studios across the country.

We want to make getting your little one's ears pierced a safe and fun experience.  Here is a whole pile of information that we have found to be super helpful in making this happen.  Please read carefully and let us know if you have any questions!

1. How we pierce ears

Our piercers are all members of the Association of Professional Piercers which means that we use a completely sterile set up; this includes sterile, single-use piercing needles as well as sterile gloves. This is the cleanest and gentlest way to pierce ears.

There are many factors that go into a successful ear piercing; angle, depth, and accuracy are a few of the technical factors that we take into account. To ensure that the piercings are done correctly and skillfully the first time, we pierce ears one at a time.

Why don’t you use piercing guns?

The Association of Professional Piercers states, “While piercing guns may seem to be a quick, easy, and convenient way of creating holes, they have major drawbacks in terms of sterility, tissue damage, and inappropriate jewelry design.”

2. How old does my child have to be?

We will consider children 8 years or older for ear piercings (The American Academy of Pediatrics suggest waiting until your child can care for the piercings themselves). At this age they generally have a maturity to focus, communicate, and interact with the piercer as well as care for their new piercings responsibly.

However, every child is different and the age at which they become ready can vary greatly; which means your child may be ready when they are older. This is why we insist on letting them make that decision.

3. Consults lead to success!

We require consultations for children 12 years and younger. This can be scheduled a few days, weeks, months, or even years before they are ready for the piercing. This complementary visit is intended to build familiarity and confidence.

We will go over aftercare, jewelry, pain and how to deal with it, and show you the piercing room. We will go over all of the information you will need to make the actual piercing visit as smooth, comfortable, and positive as possible. Nervousness is totally normal and okay, but we want to do everything we can to make your experience awesome.

Please do not expect the piercer to pierce your child’s ears on the same day as the consultation. Typically, once the consultation is complete, we make a separate appointment for the piercing. This provides you and your child some time to practice breathing as well as go over everything you learn in the consultation.

4. jewelry we use for ear piercings

All of the piercing jewelry we use at Mom’s is made in the USA and will last a lifetime. We will show you how the jewelry functions in your consultation. The best option for healing ear piercings is an implant-grade titanium flat backed stud. The metal will not tarnish, and the Swarovski gemstones are guaranteed for life by the manufacturer.

Can I bring in my own jewelry?

Respectfully, no. One of the most common causes of a problematic piercing is jewelry quality. Most of the readily available jewelry options are cheaply made with low-standard materials. Plated metals, sterling silver, and lesser grade gemstones look fine initially, however degrade rapidly in a new piercing. The metals can corrode in your ear causing potentially major irritations and rejections, and gems can quickly dull or fall out of the setting.

Piercing with implant grade, quality jewelry from the onset will greatly increase the chances of your or your child’s piercing(s) healing beautifully. We have vetted out jewelry manufacturers and we know that the jewelry we use is best for a fresh ear piercing.

5. What are our prices?

Our piercing fee for both earlobes is $50 plus the cost of jewelry. Our titanium flat back studs start at $50, up to $100 per set. So, budget for $100 - $185 before tax, tip, and aftercare.

6. Notes for the parents

Can I bring my other children/friends/family to watch?

While we sometimes think the support of other people will help make a child more comfortable, it can actually have the opposite effect. The more people that are present, the more distraction there is for everyone involved. The piercer needs a quiet, well-lit environment to guide the experience for both you and your child, and this becomes increasingly difficult when more people are present. Ideally, you and your child are best in the piercing room.

Children are welcome in the studio but must be accompanied and supervised at all times. If you need to bring other children with you, please bring a responsible secondary adult who can watch them in the lobby, take them for a walk in Kendall Yards (or along the trail) or hang out in your car during the piercing.

What if my child becomes upset during the piercings?

This is totally okay and certainly happens sometimes. We highly encourage you to let the piercer handle the situation as they see fit. They are very skilled at working with children and are not new to this situation if it arises. They will do everything they can to help your child go through with the piercings, when possible.

Sometimes parents can unknowingly make the situation worse or more tense by stepping in and trying to manage it. You are obviously at liberty to communicate with your child, but sometimes your quiet and calm presence can be your greatest contribution. Our piercers will not force your child to do something they are not comfortable with.

It is very important for everyone that we approach these situations with the understanding that if the child is having trouble relaxing, the piercer or piercee may need to postpone the visit for a different day; potentially weeks or months down the road. Sometimes this will occur before any piercings have been performed, or even after one ear has been done.

It is far better to make another visit than to leave with a traumatic experience. It is super common for kids to be nervous about getting pierced and sometimes that becomes overwhelming. In some cases, taking away the option to get pierced for a while removes any pressure and will likely increase their resolve to follow through next time. Our piercers will be super clear about what they think is best.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What kind of documentation do I need to bring to the piercing APPOINTMENT?

• In accordance with the Washington State Law, to be pierced as a minor at Mom’s Custom Tattoo and Body Piercing, you must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

  8-12 years old: We require at least a birth certificate and the parents’ government-issued photo ID. If your last names do not match, please see the section below

  13-17 years old: For teenagers, you must bring one of the following current photo IDs plus your parents ID. If your last names please see the section below.

  • School ID partnered with a Birth Certificate

  • State ID

  • Driver’s permit (version with a photo)

  • Driver’s License (version with a photo)

  • Passport

  • Military ID

  • Tribal ID

  For your appointment, your parent/legal guardian must bring one of their following current IDs:

  • State ID

  • Driver’s License (version with a photo)

  • Passport

  • Military ID

  • Tribal ID

If the minor and parent/guardian do not have the same last names, then you MUST ALSO bring along documentation that reasonably establishes that the accompanying individual is the parent or legal guardian of the individual who is seeking the body piercing(s).

This documentation can include:

• A birth certificate

• Legal guardianship papers

• Adoption papers. 

How soon can they change the jewelry?

• We suggest that the initial jewelry be worn continuously at a minimum of four months. It is important to note that this can vary from piercing to piercing and could require continuing to be worn for up to six months to achieve full healing. It is vital that the piercings are fully healed before removing or changing the jewelry.

• Switching to other jewelry (especially common butterfly back styles) prematurely can take a piercing that is healing well to irritation or even infection. You are always welcome to visit us for a free consult to have us check the healing status of the piercing

How soon can they go swimming?

• We recommend waiting 8 weeks before swimming. While it’s not always a serious problem, swimming puts the healing piercings at an unnecessary higher risk for infection — even if they are cleaned immediately after swimming.

Can the jewelry be removed for sports?

• Removing the jewelry, even for short periods of time, while the piercings are healing puts them at a higher risk for irritation and infection. It can also result in difficulty re-inserting the jewelry because the tissue around the piercing has not had the necessary time to toughen enough to hold its structure and form without jewelry present.

• If jewelry must be removed, you are always welcome to stop by and have a piercer reinsert it. We also may be able to put in a clear retainer instead of taking it out. Again, coming in to see us before you have to remove the jewelry and speaking with the piercer about your options may be best.

Things that we have found to be unhelpful

• Encouraging your children to get their ears pierced before they are truly ready prevents them from making this big decision on their own. When they are ready, they will definitely let us know.

• Although it’s easy to focus on the fun parts of the process it’s super important that we’re also real with our kids about it.

Telling your child that getting their ears pierced doesn’t hurt may seem like a good idea so as to not scare them but it can actually be detrimental.

After that first lobe is pierced, they will quickly realize that there is a pinch involved. If we are not honest about the pain involved in getting pierced, your child can have a stronger reaction than if we had adequately prepared them.

We believe honesty is the best policy and we usually compare it to stubbing a toe or stepping on a Lego, as it is kind of a surprise, but the pain of it subsides quickly. This is why we go over breathing techniques and ways to deal with the potential anxiety and pain; giving them skills and empowering them to get through it.

• The internet is full of advice and videos. The best resource for learning about safe piercing is the Associate of Professional Piercers at safepiercing.org.

We do not sanction any other resource because we do not have time to vet every bit of information out there. Many times, a resource provides productive information mixed in with antiquated or potentially damaging information. You also may think if your child sees a video of someone getting pierced, they will be more ready for it; we get it. Unfortunately, our process may be different than what the practitioner in the video is doing and we do not want to set up any false expectations for your child.  

It is best to bring all your questions to your consultation and to let your child become familiar with the piercer and the environment. This can ensure that everyone has a fun and safe piercing experience.