i got my ears done 7 weeks ago and i have 18g in their now and they feel fine is it safe to take them out and put in 16g hoops
Go ahead. I'd say stick with stainless steel or titanium or whatever is your bag, for at least a year. Cheapy Claire's-type jewelry has a tendency to irritate the fuck out of even 6+ month old piercings. I'm planning on changing out my new earrings, too.
How to tell if your ears are ready to be stretched to a lower gauge: When you can tug on them a bit and it feels like before they were pierced...if you pull a bit and there's no pain, go ahead! Generally you should wait a week or two after that, but it should be fine.