No, no piercings, circumcisions or any other body mutilations unless it's medically necessary. Let them get their ears pierced when they're older if they wish. 

No, I think doing it to a baby is unjustified.  What happens if they don't want earrings or cannot tolerate them?  Scar tissue is a lot to deal with in a 3-6 month old rather than a kid that can choose whether or not that want them.

My mother took me to get my ears pierced when I was four months old. 
I would honestly wait until my child is old enough to decide for themselves if he/she wanted to get that sort of thing done. It should be a personal choice, in my opinion. My mother decided to have mine done. She spent money through out my childhood on earrings I could actually wear without irritation, and now I don't even own a pair to wear. I simply don't like them. It was a waste, in my case.

@QuantumStorm@xanga - what you said...   my son (almost 5) asked me if he could get an earring like Daddy... I said sure, when he is old enough to care for it properly and understand what will happen if he doesn't look after it. I will give our little girl the same answer. I didn't get my ears pierced until grade 8, and now Ive got 5 pairs..
And about the pain.. He asked me if it hurt, and I said it did (because it did) but there are things you can do to avoid it. I just told him it felt like getting a needle.. and its actually the noise of the gun that makes you jump if you are not ready for it, and then it hurts.
BTW ice and that numbing cream do nothing. All is does it numb the outside and give you a false sense of security (the guy who did all 5 of my holes said its more to make the parents feel better about what they are going to do, and i believe him..).. My tips? Don't do it in the winter, and don't watch, and remember to breathe. Also make sure the place where you go lets you watch them take everything out of the sterile packaging and watch them clean the gun. Also make sure the individual with the gun is the one with the certificate, a "general" one posted in the store means nothing.

I personally wouldn't want to do it until my kid says something about wanting it. Which means they will be old enough to tell me if their ear hurts or something. I think I'd also prefer them being old enough to responsibly take care of the cleaning themselves. I guess it depends on how insistent they are. I wouldn't do it when they are a baby though. It might be cute, but it seems like I'm unnecessarily hurting my baby for the sake of beauty.  

Piercing a baby's ears is often a cultural thing. One of my old high school friends married a Hispanic man, and when their daughter was 6 weeks old, they took her to get her ears pierced. I have heard this is a common practice in Hispanic culture. I felt it was wrong, but I would never have told her so because who am I to put down someone else's traditions? 

 I have heard it's easier to pierce a baby's ears than it is to pierce an older child's ears because babies can't "play" with the earrings like an older child can, babies are less likely to lose their earrings and have the holes close up, etc, but I don't know how much of that is really true. Babies are always moving their hands and touching their faces, so I'm sure they could end up with infections and lose their earrings just as easily, right? I also heard someone say it doesn't hurt a baby to have their ears pierced! What a load of crap! Just because a baby isn't emotionally and mentally developed enough to "freak out" when it's time to face the ear gun doesn't mean it hurts them any less!

I chose not to pierce my daughter's ears when she was a baby because I truly feel having your ears pierced is a choice everyone should be able to make for themselves. My daughter started asking if she could get her ears pierced last year, and before we agreed to let her do it, we explained to her what it entails. She was informed that it hurts because, well, it does! I explained to her about the cleaning and rotating ritual, told her she'd have to wear the studs for a while, and instructed her to immediately let us know if her earlobes hurt so we could check for infections and/or allergies. She chose to sit on my lap holding my hands while the woman pierced her ears, and when it was all over, my daughter asked me when the lady was going to put her earrings in ha ha.

I got my ears pierced when I was 5 and my daughter was a few months shy of her 5th birthday when she had her's done. I'm glad I waited until she said she was ready, and I doubt I'll ever think it was a waste since she loves earrings just as much as I do.

I have a daughter and we're waiting until she tells me "I want my ears pierced" AND can prove that she can take care of them herself. My husband and I have debated on this topic a lot. He wanted to pierce her ears when she was a baby, I said no. My sister and I both had to wait until we were 10. Im really glad. My mom and aunt made a big deal out of it and it was so much fun.  Its a great memory that I will always cherish. Plus, my daughter was a high needs baby. I couldn't imagine taking care of ONE more thing. 

I, as a parent, don't see anything wrong with getting ear piercings for their babies. I had mine pierced when I was a baby, and I don't have any complaints. If they don't like them when they get older they can always remove it. It's just a poke.

I personally think it's wrong and that all unnecessary body modifications, especially painful ones, should be by choice, but I respect those who disagree :)

I got my daughter's ears pierced when she was three or four months old. I've been told several times that babies do not have feelings in their earlobes until later, although I can't find any info on this online. She screamed bloody murder because I held her head still, lol..before they even did anything. It was easy to clean and she doesn't even know they are there. We've had no problems.

My parents pierced my ears when I was three months old. They lived in Jordan, and it was the cultural norm there. When I was like 9 I decided I didn't want to wear earrings anymore, so I just stopped...no big deal. Then in junior high I wanted to wear them again, and I did...again no big deal. I honestly don't really see what the huge deal is either way. If the kid doesn't like them, they don't have to wear them. But at some point, most women in America pierce their ears, so it's not like you're altering them in some odd way that will make them stand out later.

I'm having a little girl in October, and we plan to pierce her ears around 4 months. If you wait longer, they will play with them. And I'd rather care for a 4 month olds' ears then expect my 3 or 4 year old to care for her own (the age that most of my cousins started begging for it). My husband is Mexican, and for him it's just the norm for baby girls. I think it looks cute. *shrug*

Mine were pierced when I was six months old.  As it turns out, I can't even wear the damn things.  I'm allergic to pretty much every kind of earring you can buy ~ stainless steel, nickel-free, hypoallergenic, plastic, gold, sterling silver ~ you name it, my ears will be a nasty infected mess and I'll have a rash down my neck and across my face within 30 minutes after putting them in.  

It's a step short of abuse.  Taking away a child's choice when she gets older by sticking holes in her ears as an infant.  Not every woman makes that choice, and it angers me that people think so little of their children that they would not give them important choices to make in life.  And I agree with the post about it being a cultural thing, but it still doesn't make it any easier.  Some children are allergic to almost any kind of metal put in their ears, me for one, and insistent mothers just don't seem to get it.  I have pus and drainage build up in my ears probably twice a year, and it could have been prevented, so I wholeheartedly say this is a little short of child abuse.  Leave your baby alone!!!