Part of being a parent is making decisions on behalf of your young child and it's often the case that there will be people that don't agree with your choices.
And one thing many people really don't agree with is the piercing of a baby or young child's ears.
A number of mums have been sharing clips on social media of late of them taking their babies to have their ears pierced - featuring the actual piercing itself.
In the videos, the babies are often seen bursting into tears as the piercing occurs.
This has prompted fierce backlash against the parents, with some branding it "unnecessary" and others going as far as to call it "child abuse".
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A quick look on TikTok and you'll find that the hashtag #BabyEarPiercing has over one million views and one of the top videos was shared by a mum from the US named Kirsty Bolton.
In the clip, which has racked up over six million views, the mum can be seen sat in a chair at a salon, holding her baby girl as another woman pierces the child's ears.
The baby starts crying as the needle goes through one ear and her mum attempts to comfort her.
Many criticised the mum, saying the piercing "shouldn't be allowed".
One person wrote: "Tell me your baby is a fashion accessory, without telling my your baby is a fashion accessory..."
Another said: "Absolutely unnecessary. I could never put my baby girl in pain like that for my own selfish reasons."
A third replied: "Sorry but why would anyone get their baby's ears pierced, surely should be thier choice when they're older?"
However, there were some who thought it wasn't a big deal and that the earrings "cute".
A different user pointed out: "So many ppl talking s**t lol. It's HER kid and A LOT of moms get their babies ears pierced. Anyway, I bet they look cute on baby girl now."
A second proclaimed: "It's not abuse, I got my ears pierced before I was even a year old and I'm glad I don't remember."
"They literally cry for 30 seconds and then don't even remember the pain," argued someone else. "Quit being so soft."
This comes after another mum recently sparked a debate over how a baby's ears should be pierced.
The parent, Marisa Carpineta, divided opinions when she told her TikTok followers: "Stop using piercing guns on your babies. Get them pierced at a tattoo and piercing shop instead."
Alongside this, she shared a clip of her six-month-old daughter getting her ears pierced.
After the piercing was over, the mum joked her baby was giving her a "dirty look," before sharing a clip of her looking smiley and content, with the caption, "happy baby."
The comments on the video were similar to those on Kirsty's video, with some saying it should be "illegal".
There isn't currently a legal age restriction for ear piercings in England, according to YouGov, but different salons may impose their own age restriction rules.
And The NHS simply advises getting piercings done by a licensed professional and taking care that piercings don't get infected.
What do you think about getting a baby's ears pierced? Let us know in the comments below.
