As Stella approached her fifth birthday, she began talking about wanting to get her ears pierced. I was open to the idea, and started showing her videos of the process so she could wrap her head around it. When she turned five, she said, “I’m going to wait until I’m six.” But in the last month or two, she started bringing it up again, and didn’t seem spooked by the idea anymore.
I knew that no matter when we ended up taking her to get her ears pierced, we would be going to a professional piercer. It seems like a strange juxtaposition, a young girl and a tattoo and piercing studio; but in doing my research, there were so many reasons why this decision made the most sense. This is a great read from TIME, and here’s another one from Scary Mommy.
Tattoo and piercing studios go to great lengths to make sure everything is done in a safe, clean, and informative environment. For piercings, a needle is used instead of the piercing gun commonly found at places at the mall. One big problem about those piercing guns: they can’t actually be sterilized. And there is also the question of piercing experience.
Now look, I have five holes in my ears that came from Claire’s at the mall, just like almost any other person my age with pierced ears. That even includes my upper cartilage on one ear. It was the norm, and seemed safe and easy. I was fortunate to not have any complications with my ear piercings. I have also heard enough horror stories about the piercing guns that it was important to me to choose the safest option for our daughter.
And that was a tattoo shop.
I went to Splash of Color in East Lansing to get my nose pierced my senior year at MSU, and I also got a star tattooed on my foot that fall. I was always very impressed by their professionalism and cleanliness. Because of my familiarity with the shop, and piercer Renee McKeith, I decided to call them about getting Stella’s ears pierced.
When I called, the shop explained that due to Stella’s age, we would need to schedule a consultation appointment with Renee to discuss the process. We met with Renee late last month, where she went over everything from how the piercing would happen to showing Stella the tools she uses and the aftercare.
The aftercare process is much different from when I was a kid. Instead of twisting the earrings a couple of times a day and using a solution with a cotton pad, there is a saline spray solution sold at the studio. You spray the solution, let it sit for 30 seconds, and then carefully wipe the areas around the earrings with gauze.
We also looked at the jewelry options. One thing I love about the jewelry is that there isn’t a pointy back with a post; instead, it’s a flat circle on the back, making them a lot more comfortable and less likely to come out.
Renee could not have been more informative or nicer with Stella.
One key thing Renee told us was that due to the healing process, Stella would need to refrain from swimming and/or being submerged in water for a few months. She did recommend a type of waterproof hospital tape that could be applied to her ears to protect the piercings if she planned to be in the water.
This forced us to talk over the timing of when we’d be getting her ears pierced. It is the summertime after all. But with Stella’s understanding that she wouldn’t be able to swim with her head under water for some time, and not being totally freaked out by the process, we scheduled her appointment for the end of June.
Another key thing about getting her ears pierced at Splash of Color was that the appointment needed to be on a Friday or Saturday, and two piercers needed to be available for her appointment.
Today was the big day, and Stella was excited and prepared.
We had some paperwork to complete prior to her appointment. Here’s Stella signing off on the release:
We also needed to bring Stella’s birth certificate and a photo that showed her name with her face. I brought her class photo from preschool. We looked at the jewelry in the case and chose the color and shape Stella liked. The staff was very helpful in guiding us toward a style without prongs so that her hair wouldn’t get caught easily.
Renee then brought us back into her room and talked to Stella about the process once more and asked if she had any questions. She also gave Stella a cute little stuffed cat as a prize.
Renee marked dots on Stella’s ears and used a measuring tool to make sure they were even. She showed me a couple of options before the placement looked just right.
Then the time came to have her ears pierced! Renee was joined by a piercer named Andy; they would be piercing her ears at the same exact time.
This was such a relief! My mom had joked that Stella would be coming home with only one earring because she’d be too freaked out to get the other one done. I love that Splash of Color does it this way.
I could tell Stella was getting nervous, so fortunately the process was going to go very quickly.
All done! It went so fast and Stella was so brave. There were some tears, but once she had the chance to sit up and look at herself in the mirror, all of the tears went away:
We had my sister in law Morgan and father in law Scott with us for some moral support. Margot was snoozing at home, so Zack stayed back with her.
I’m so proud of my girl! She keeps saying “I’m so glad I got my ears pierced.”
I cannot say enough wonderful things about our piercer Renee and our experience at Splash of Color. They did a fantastic job making us feel comfortable and informed.
And, of course, we got some celebratory ice cream at Tasty Twist because it was a very big (and super hot) day!
If you’re in the mid-Michigan area and thinking of getting your child’s ear(s) pierced, Splash of Color is an absolutely wonderful option.