Should You Pierce Baby's Ears? Yay or Nay?

My daughter is almost two and a half, and her ears are still not pierced. I haven't really given it much thought, actually, but then I saw Salma Hayek talk about it on Regis and Kelly yesterday. The actress dished that her three-year old daughter, Valentina, doesn't have her ears pierced yet and it's partly because Hayek's mother is paranoid about the needles and how they might be harmful to Valentina's health. Um, yeah, a needle is a needle. But what's ironic is that she had Salma's ears pierced when she was a baby.

I'm in the same boat. My ears were pierced before I was walking, and although I don't remember ever having any problems with my ears or earrings--I even remember wearing gold dangling earrings when I was really little--I can't imagine doing the same with my daughter. Don't get me wrong. Eventually, I'd like her to get her ears pierced, but what's the rush? I can't imagine having to worry about keeping the earrings and piercings clean when there are so many other things to worry about. And the whole choking hazard thing? Forget it!

I'm perfectly fine waiting until my daughter is old enough to make the decision herself. I mean, what if she doesn't even want her ears pierced? Scratch that. Knowing my little girl, she'll definitely want it done sooner or later since she's already doing this. I'm just hoping that when she does ask for it, she'll be old enough to be able to take care of her pierced ears herself.

What about you? When did you think is a good time to pierce your daughter's ears? Yes to baby ear piercings or wait until she's older? Sound off in the comments below.

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