By Matthew Bennett

Piercing may be a rite of passage in some cultures, but nowadays, everyone can have a piercing – even babies. If your baby’s ears are pierced, you have more options for accessories, allowing you to doll up your baby all the more. However, since infants are more delicate and have not fully developed their immune system, they will rely a lot on their parents’ care to clean their pierced ears. Here are some tips and tricks for you to follow so that you can clean your infant’s pierced ears.

Start with a clean and sterile piercing. One of the most common causes of infected piercing is the use of DIY techniques. These are crude and more importantly, unsterile. Using home techniques may cause the introduction of bacteria like Staphylococcus that may cause a host of near-fatal infections. Make sure that when your baby gets her piercing, you do not entrust anyone else but a professional. Moreover, make sure that the one who does the piercing uses a brand new and sterile needle for your child.

Bathe daily. Cleanliness is next to godliness, so you will need to make sure that your baby takes a bath at least once a day. Our skin is full of opportunistic bacteria that may invade the baby’s bloodstream, giving her potentially life-threatening complications such as meningitis, pneumonia and sepsis. Minimize these bacterial reservoirs by giving her a bath daily. Use only mild and gentle soap that will not harm the sensitive skin of a baby.

Clean the piercings after a bath. You should use hydrogen peroxide and NOT alcohol. Alcohol gives a stinging sensation which may make your baby become cranky and irritable – frequent rubbing of the ears is a risk factor for your baby accidentally removing or swallowing the piercing. Hydrogen peroxide is effective in killing a lot of the bacteria that may present as opportunistic infections.

Use a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide. Don’t just let the hydrogen peroxide drip onto the ear: make sure you dab gently to avoid irritating the baby. Irritated babies may throw tantrums, extending the time and effort you need to put into giving them a bath and preventing them from crying. You don’t have to do this every day during her infancy – after a week, the healing process may be far long enough to fight the infections on its own.

Rotate the earring several times each day. The importance of this technique is to prevent premature closure of the baby’s ear hole. Be gentle while doing this, you don’t want any accidents to happen. If the earring seems tight, do not use strong and jerking motions. Gently try to twist it along its axis with small tweezers. If this is still persistent, do not be afraid to consult your pediatrician.

Little girls are never too early for jewelry. You can dress up your baby with so many more options if you give them piercings. However, just make sure that you are ready and capable of taking on the challenge of cleaning and maintaining the piercing of a baby that can throw tantrums and cry a lot.