Aftercare for kids piercings, the how to guide.

Your child's first ear piercing is an exciting day. Your child is probably looking forward to those shiny accessories in her ear and you're probably planning all the beautiful pairs of earrings you can buy her in the future. However, taking care of piercings after they're done is important. Here are some aftercare tips that can help.

Avoid Soaps and Shampoos

Although it's important to keep piercing areas clean, soaps and shampoos can cause infections if you're not careful. Try and keep soaps away from the piercing site. You can cover the ears with cotton wool while washing your child's hair in the bath.

Choose the Right Type of Earrings

If your child is wearing stud earrings for the first time, you'll want to make sure they are safe. Try and avoid earrings that are gold plated and always choose gold or sterling silver instead. If you want to be really sure of the earrings your child is wearing, the safest option is to go for hypoallergenic earrings. Make sure to always check the backs of the earrings before going ahead with your child's first pair of earrings. Unfortunately, some piercers will offer you 14k gold earrings but put nickel backs on.

Clean the Area

Your piercing specialist will be able to give you tips on how to clean your child's piercings. One of the best ways to keep the piercings clean is to use a small cotton wool bud and clean the area with warm water. You may also be given a cleaning solution by your piercer to apply to the area twice a day for six weeks. You may also be told to rotate the earrings once a day to keep them loose and easy to remove once the initial period is over.

Wash Your Hands

If you're handling your child's ear every day, you need to make sure your own hands are constantly clean. We pick up a lot of bacteria on a daily basis. The last thing you want to do is transfer some of that bacteria to the earring and cause an infection in your child's ears.