>

That's not comparable because you are preventing great harm through the procedure. Non-essential procedures that vastly improve your standing in life are no-brainers.
The harm being avoided is, as you said, not being stigmatized for having an obvious cosmetic defect.
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For reference, do you feel this same way about circumcision on infant boys? >

Absolutely. >

How do you feel about abortion? >

I'm pro-choice. Mainly because I don't believe a foetus in early development stages is equivalent to a baby.
But that's a different CMV and I'd rather not talk about it here. >

I'm pro choice as well, not trying to change your mind on that. 
Just curious what happens in a few months time span where at one point you're okay with mom making a decision to terminate a pregnancy, making a final and permanent decision on that potential humans life, and then a few months later you're not okay with mom (or dad, or grandma, etc.) making a temporary and reversible decision that has little to no effect. (For babies it generally isn't painful beyond a few minutes, and infection is outside the body and typically not very serious.) >

This doesn’t seem like equal things to compare. When the fetus is still inside the woman, the woman’s autonomy supersedes the fetus’s. Once the baby is born, it now has developed its own autonomy. Its not about what’s painful, its about autonomy. 
Besides, abortion is a medical procedure. Piercings are just aesthetically pleasing. Theres usually culture tied into babies with piercings, but that doesn’t change the autonomy issue >

I agree with you in terms of the point of view of the mother and affecting her autonomy.  However in terms of affecting the child or potential child's autonomy, an abortion cancels out any and all autonomy of said child, where as a circumcision or ear piercing, is really insignificant in the long run for 99.999% of people, so in terms of the child's autonomy one of those issues is far more significant than the others. 
Again, I'm absolutely pro-choice, I have zero issue with abortion, I just can't rationalize saying it's not immoral to terminate a pregnancy, but if you have a child, then it becomes immoral to make relatively insignificant decisions about that child's body. >

The mother's right to her autonomy supersedes another individual's need for her body to maintain its life. Can't force someone to donate blood or a body part just because someone else will die without it. Abortion cuts off the use of mother's body to keep the baby alive. If we had artificial placentas and/or fetal transplantation there would be an option that maintains bodily autonomy for both. But we don't have that. >

Viability outside the womb is as early as 15 weeks, hence the abortion ban rule in a few states around that mark. >

That is patently untrue >

Okay. I don't know if this will change your mind because I think you have a valid point, but if you're looking to understand what parents are thinking, I suspect it's less 'let me risk my child's health' and more 'I love/loved wearing earrings with my mom and want to share a bonding moment with my child.' And on top of that, there arent many dramatic instances (to my knowledge) of babies being hospitalized because of ear piercings gone wrong, so people who had their ears pierced as a kid might be less likely to think of it critically or as a big deal when it comes to their kids. 
Not saying that people shouldn't interrogate and re-evaluate whether common cultural practices/traditions should be continued, but I don't think it's done maliciously or to force girls to comply with a specific gender norm. >

I also agree that OP has a valid point but if any argument could sway me, it’s the idea that the piercing provides an important cultural/traditional link between the baby and her parents. However, I still don’t think that link should outweigh the future personal autonomy of the person being pierced. 
It’s also simply false that the holes will just close up. If you pierce a baby’s ears and keep an earring in them for more than a year, there is a good chance that they will never close up. >

Idk about that last part, im sure there are instances where the holes might not close but overall i think most of them do. I know lots of people with piercings that are years old and still start closing after a few months lol including myself. My ears have been pierced for 20+ years and i still have to make sure i put some earrings in every once in a while so they dont close >

Certainly, there are some people who will be able to close the holes but it’s definitely not the case for everyone and I don’t think it would be a valid argument for piercing unless it could be guaranteed. >

"Weird" is relative. It's only weird in North America.
It's not a weird practice at all in South Asian countries and communities. In my culture, baby girls are adorned in all kinds of gold jewelry (necklaces, bangles, anklets, earrings) on their first birthday, so it's typical to get their ears pierced beforehand.
At the end of the day, piercing a baby's ears is purely for vanity purposes, but there is cultural significance to doing it in some areas of the world. In India alone, that's ~12.5% of the global population, so I guess it depends on how many people need to consider something "not weird" for you to consider it not weird. >

Same for me I'm mexican and this has always been something everyone in my culture has done as well, I still have my gold earrings and necklace from when I was a baby >

Yea, I had a feeling it wasn't uncommon in Mexican culture as well, but I didn't want to make an incorrect assumption, so I only wanted to talk to what I'm familiar with. Glad I could learn something about another culture, so thank you! 😊 >

And thank you as well! Our cultures are beautiful and I think we are lucky we get to be gifted such beautiful jewelry as babies that we can keep, I have my baby bracelets I plan to gift to my children when I have some >

Agreed! That's actually a good reminder for me because I don't have children yet, but will be having them soon so I should start collecting slowly similar to what you've done! >

As a parent who did this that had reservations prior to doing it. Here’s what convinced me. 
A 6 month old is less likely to play with them and is less likely to do things that will get them dirty. 
Rates of infections for babies is much less than for preteens getting their ears pierced. 
There’s a lot less mental trauma for the kid. Both for the actual piercing and for the cleaning. 
I’ve seen what happens doing it both ways and having to help a crying and terrified eight year old with an infected ear to take out their earring and clean it is horrible for them. I mean I saw my friends go through that and I felt such heartache for their kid. >

My parents got my ears pierced when I was just days old. Same with my brother. Neither of us are mad about it, in fact quite the opposite. Because I’ve had them for so long they will literally never close. I’ve gone years and years with out putting anything in them but when I do, I don’t have to fight through the pain like others who haven’t had them as long. 
A parent might have an easier time keeping a babies fresh piercing clean rather than a child’s. Children are dirtier and can mess with the piercing easier than a baby.  By the time they are a child, the piercing is fully healed and can take them in and out as they please without experiencing pain. >

Or they can just not pierce a baby? Because why do they have to? In case they want piercings when they're older? I just don't get it. It's something that carries risks and has 0 benefits. >

Did you have your pierced as a baby? >

No. I'm a woman and my lobes are not pierced. I got helix piercings in my 20ies. 
I'm low-key glad I have intact lobes. I know "I probably wouldn't care" if I had them pierced as a baby, but hey, turns out it's a decision I wouldn't have made. >

Obviously everyone’s opinion will differ but as someone who did have them pierced as a baby, I’m glad. I’m glad I never had to ask and my parents didn’t see it as some weird rite of passage from getting older. I’m glad I don’t remember the pain. I’m glad I can take them in and out depending on how I feel, without worrying they will close. >

I didn't get them as a child and ended up choosing to get them so I honestly could've went without the pain >

I do wonder how many people had it done as babies and don’t like that their parents did that to them. And vice versa, having to do it when you’re older wishing it was just already done. 
I actually almost never wear ear rings. But the tiny holes in my ears make absolutely no difference in my life. >

A lot of people are acting like it doesn't hurt when you're a baby,  or it doesn't matter because you can't remember it. But of course it would hurt. And we don't even understand how important that is. Maybe pain influences how our brains become wired, and can influence your mental/emotional health indefinitely.  We're all going to experience some pain as babies,  and many will be much worse off with their natural causes than this would probably do, but I still feel like it's a crappy thing to do to your child just because you think it looks cute. >

I'm in the camp of I'm glad my parents had it done when I was a baby. I got my cartilage pierced as an adult and it got so infected. I finally gave up and let it close. At least as a baby someone else was managing my piercings and keeping them from getting infected. I don't see it as a disfigurement. I was probably going to get piercings anyway, and why not get it while someone can clean the piercings for me and when I don't remember any pain? >

I can see that everyone has their own opinion on it. Some are glad it was done, or wish it had been done. So deciding should be left to the parents best judgment, and I'm okay with that. I do understand it more now than I did before. I wouldn't do it or support having it done,  but I'm not interested in wearing jewelry of any kind anyway,  so I don't relate to that being a factor or something worth having pain at ANY time of your life for.  But, to each their own. >

This is a very specific example but I recently saw a video on it. What is your opinion on a mother who started her baby on laser removal treatments to help get rid of a birthmark that covered like 75% of its face? Arguably it is something that is easier to do when they are a baby since they won’t remember it, will not have to worry about bullying in school because of it, low self esteem, etc. thoughts?