Last year, my daughter started asking about getting her ears pierced.  After many months had passed, we realized it was something that she really wanted to go through with.  We started doing some research and looking into different options.

Our Blomdahl Ear Piercing Experience

One option that our friends recommended to us along the way was the Blomdahl Ear Piercing method.  I have heard some disconcerting stories about going to places like the mall for ear piercing, so once I looked a little more into the Blomdahl method, we knew we wanted to go with that.  There are several reasons, one being that we liked knowing it was being done carefully in a medical setting.

My daughter also has food allergies and sensitive skin, so we wanted something with less chance of skin irritation or reaction to the piercing.

Medical Plastic contains no nickel which ensures zero nickel exposure. This eliminates the risk of developing nickel allergy. Medical Plastic is recommended for anyone who wants to avoid developing nickel allergy or for anyone that already has a nickel sensitivity.

We found a local pediatrician to do the ear piercing (I checked online, and friends referred me – you can call Blomdahl if you need to find a piercing location).  The appointment was booked a month out, and while that is a long wait, it also ensured that my daughter had time to make her final decision.

The day came and my daughter was ready!  She picked an extra family member to come with us for some extra support.

When we arrived, a nurse put some numbing cream on my daughter’s earlobes, which takes a while to work.  After a while, the doctor came in and used a marker to mark the location of the piercing.  She had us check to make sure that we were happy with the location.

The Blomdahl method involves using a piercing gun that inserts an earring that has a plastic post.  The doctor pierced one ear at a time, and although I could tell my daughter was braving it, she made it through both ears.

Her earlobes were quite pink for the day, but she did it!

Blomdahl Ear PIercing

It is recommended to keep the earrings in for 6-8 weeks.  My daughter was very insistent on taking out the earrings to change them at 6 weeks instead of 8, and I will tell you that I wish we had waited.  She did have some issues with her ears adjusting to new earrings, and had difficulty changing her earrings.  The posts on the Blomdahl earrings are large, and I think we should have given the ear piercing more time to rest before switching them out.

Another neat thing about the Blomdahl earrings is that the backing clips on to the tip of the stud, so that there is more room for air to circulate and the ear to heal – plus it keeps the backing on (which is great for littler kids).

After the 6 weeks..

While I wish I could say our ear piercing adventures were smooth, my daughter did go through over 6 months where her ears would get infected or irritated.  Lots of other moms told me that they went through the same too.  My daughter had a little bit of a phobia about changing her earrings after we had gone to switch them out and had trouble getting them back in.

I will say that when my daughter was on summer swim team, not once did her ears get infected.  So 5 days a week in the pool, and her earrings were not an issue.  My recommendation is to keep up with cleaning the piercing, and if your child can shower, that helps too.

One year later..

We persevered, and my daughter couldn’t be happier to have pierced ears!  The doctor told her not to wear dangly earrings for at least a year, so on her one year “pierce-a-versary”, my daughter insisted on dangly earrings.  We let her get a pair as a treat, and after showing us she could be responsible, she is allowed to wear dangly earrings when appropriate (not during sports, etc).  We are very happy with the Blomdahl piercing method and our experience, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Earrings