Frequently asked questions about piercing children's ears
Every parent should ask themselves the question whether to prick their child's ears as an infant or wait until a few years later to tell themselves. We are not saying that piercing babies' ears is necessarily wrong (if it were, we wouldn't do it), but every parent should think about it responsibly. Piercing is not a necessary medical procedure and even if it is done professionally under the strictest hygienic conditions, there may be complications that need to be addressed during the healing process. In this case, you are making a decision not only for yourself, but also for your child, who at this age does not care if he or she has earrings or not. The baby cannot give you consent and therefore you are making the decision for them - please approach this decision responsibly.
And what questions about piercing children's ears do parents ask us most often?
Cannula or pellet gun?
Definitely a cannula! A sharp cannula pierces the tissue quickly and cleanly, while a spray gun tears the tissue with a blunt jewel. It doesn't matter how many times we explain to people that Hell is a professional piercing studio and as such has nothing to do with unhygienic and unsafe injection. We still get calls from people requesting this service. If you would like to learn more about this topic, you can do so here.
What age is best for ear pricking?
1-2 months of age
At this age, the ears are often not yet sufficiently developed. On the other hand, please note that the ordering period for babies to Hellas is usually 1-2 months, so don't hesitate to call us at this age.
3-5 months of age
Ideal age for lobe piercing. The ears are already sufficiently developed, but the baby is small enough that it is easy to distract him with a pacifier. At this age, the whole intervention goes best and he usually remembers no wrongdoing two minutes later. Try to hit this age too and we will all enjoy the smoothest course together.
6-9 months
At this age, babies are already quite active. It's more challenging to distract them with a puppet when drawing dots on their ears, and sometimes it's necessary to hold them while measuring, which stresses them out unnecessarily. It's a shame to stress the baby when it can do without. We understand if the reason for the delay is illness. But we don't understand if parents deliberately delay the injection because they hope that a few extra months will help the baby prepare for the application of the earrings. If you want to wait, wait until the baby is six years old and asks for earrings on its own. We think this is also the best way to handle the situation, if you're interested in what our piercers have to say about piercing babies' ears, check out our other article here. Otherwise, don't put anything off.
10 months
Babies this old tend to be very active and responsive. In most cases, they have to be held by a parent when measuring dots, which is uncomfortable for them. If you've waited this long, consider waiting a few more years until the baby grows up and asks for earrings themselves. Ear piercing at this age is becoming so difficult and stressful that at Hellas, we just consider 10 months to be the age limit.
11 months and more
The limit for piercing babies in Hellas is currently 10 months. Older babies would find the procedure stressful and unnecessarily painful and we will not participate in this. Wait until your baby asks for the earrings themselves, then we will be happy to take you on again.
How long after piercing my ears can I go swimming with the baby?
After piercing, we recommend not to soak the ears too intensively for a few weeks, which includes swimming. Ideally, you should plan to swim about a month after the piercing.
When can I replace my little one's earrings with the ones her grandmother bought her? Grandma wants her to have them in as soon as possible.
Try to think about who is more important to us. Whether it's the grandmother or the little baby who doesn't care if he has diamonds in his ears, but doesn't care if you tear his ears with inappropriate jewelry. We understand that grandmothers want to give the baby something. Try explaining to them not to push it and wait. And if they really want to get her something, get her a voucher for a piercing at Hell. If they go to get it in person (i.e. don't choose the electronic option), they'll get it in a nice giftable design and they can see right away what kind of environment the piercing will be done in. If grandma insists on diamonds, we can also grant her this wish, as you can read below.
Can I also get a piercing with the baby as a souvenir?
At Hellas, we support this ritual because we like it. A parent has his child's ears pierced without his consent and therefore decides to "be in on it". We have special days set aside at HELL for piercing children's ears and we keep small time reserves during those days just for these instances. If you wish to have a piercing with your baby, be sure to tell us when you book - although we do keep small reserves, we may not be able to accommodate everyone if there is a large demand, so we prefer to plan accordingly. We remind you that a breastfeeding mom's immune system can be compromised by pregnancy and breastfeeding, so we recommend choosing an easy-to-heal piercing (such as an earlobe) and waiting until after breastfeeding to do more challenging piercings.
Can we order some extra jewelry?
If you want, we can offer jewellery with diamonds from the Hell Luxury collection (see price list) We offer this option only to minimize the number of parents who prematurely change their babies' jewellery in an attempt to set them with precious stones. Again, we remind you that our standard application jewellery is ideal for babies and there is no craving for diamonds. They are happy to last for several years with our applique jewelry. If you still decide to go with the diamond option, please notify us when ordering so that we have the jewelry sterile and ready to use.
Can I take a photo or video of my piercing as a souvenir?
The answer is of course yes - as those of you who have seen photos or videos of our work on social media probably know. During the photo shoot/shoot, follow the instructions given to you by the piercer's assistant - she will make sure that the photo shoot does not affect the piercing itself, in short, she will explain to you where to stand and where not to move so that you do not hinder the smooth progress of the piercing.
Can I breastfeed or change the baby at your place?
This is of course possible and common. If we have a day set aside to fuck children's ears, all of Hell is subject to this traffic. Otherwise it wouldn't work. Breastfeeding as a means of soothing the baby after piercing is popular and effective. We originally found this query completely unnecessary, as these activities are of course possible on any day. But then we read articles about breastfeeding being banned in some businesses (e.g. banks) and we understood the query. In our house you can breastfeed where and when you want and although we don't have a changing table, there is plenty of suitable furniture.
We are deaf, how will the initial consultation and the whole event take place?
We have had several deaf parents in our house and we have always managed with a combination of signing and lip reading. Mila is currently attending a sign language course and has mostly mastered the initial consultation in sign language. You don't need to bring an interpreter with you - it would make communication easier, of course, but we can manage without it.
Can we take Grandma as a chaperone? She's never been to a tattoo studio.
Of course, we allow accompaniment, and a second parent or grandparent is of course welcome, although we prefer a reasonable number. If the Hujers arrive with a total of 6 adults and 5 other children, one of whom is an unmanageable hyperactive brother, you will greatly complicate our initial consultation and the event. The ideal number of chaperones is 2 parents/grandparents/friends plus 1 other child you can supervise. Fortunately, most people are rational in this regard and above-standard "troupes" rarely come.
Can we pay by card in Hellas?
Hella does not accept credit cards, and although we mention this on our website, not everyone notices it and ends up having to run to an ATM. If you’re coming in for ear piercings with a baby, expect to pay 2,300 CZK for the piercings, including the jewelry. Optional expenses include: 150 CZK for an aftercare healing spray, 200 CZK for tinted studs on the jewelry (gold, rose gold, black), or 400 CZK for jewelry adorned with zirconia. If you want Hell Luxury jewelry, expect an additional 800 CZK for the freshwater pearl option; for diamonds, you’ll pay an extra 5,000 CZK.
Late arrivals
This is not a frequent customer query, rather it is an issue that we are occasionally bothered by and that is why we mention it here. If you are booked for a specific time, please keep it. We understand that in the normal rhythm of life, one does not see much difference between the time of 2.30pm and 2.35pm, but in the precisely scheduled operation of a piercing studio, those five minutes can cause quite a lot of inconvenience. We work with precision at Hellas and with that comes the initial consultation and giving parents the accurate and necessary information. Arrive early and make it easy for us to provide the highest level of service. We understand that some parents commute hundreds of miles to see us and delays cannot always be avoided there. On the other hand, delays are most often experienced by people who have to travel 20 minutes by public transport to reach us in Prague. Please be consistent in your planning.
