Head lice... a close friend of my daughter, age 6, (probably) has them

[npincus]

so far unconfirmed, but I am almost sure. My daughter is in first grade and a note cam home yesterday that somene in their class has head lice... all the kids went to the school nurse and my daughter checked out OK. Her best friend was picked up early, is out of school today, and one source told me that it was her.

Anyway, veryworried now about my daughter. Her friend was here on Saturday, all day, was in my bed (with my daughter) watching a video...

Does anyone have experience w/head lice? If my daughter didn't show signs of infestation yesterday, is it possible they just didn't show up yet? My head itches thinking about it.

Thanks.

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Not personally, but if she does get them, be careful

which product you use to kill them because she is so young.

One thing that that seems to work, is slathering the head in mayonnaise and putting a shower cap on it and sleeping on it. Kills the little bastards.

Just to be on the safe side, I would wash your daughter's linens in hot water and bag up her stuffed animals. After three days, if they did come in contact with lice, the lice will be dead, you can wash them and they'll be fine.


Good luck. Not fun.

[hedgehog]

2. Get out the fine tooth comb and be persistant!

My daughter's hair was the exact same shade as the eggs! Plus, she loved to snuggle up to me, so guess who got first hand experience with this!

[CountAllVotes]

3. I'd be disinfecting everything

and bring on the lice killing crap. It sucks like all hell, but lice throughout your household will spread very fast if not quickly checked.

In your BED? I'd be real worried!

:kick:

[JDPriestly]

4. You'll survive, but you are headed for a nasty time.

I went through that with my kids when they were little. It's awful especially if you have girls with long hair and you work.

[Warpy]

5. It's possible but not likely

Live lice are what transfer, not eggs.

However, you need to clean her bedding and turn that mattress to make sure no eggs were transferred to her bed. Washing in hot, soapy water should do the trick to get rid of any eggs that landed in the bedding.

Wash the pillows, too. If they're not washable, treat her to new pillows that are.

Keep looking her over for the next couple of weeks. If you don't find anything by then, you're home free.

(I survived public school and hippiedom without a single case of head or body lice. It can be done)

[npincus]

7. thanks for you tips-- and everyone, too.

If it is this girl, I am a little upset her mom is not telling me... I understand she may be upset, but my daughter would have had close exposure to hers (and the rest of us). Her mom emailed me that her child was out with a cold and not feeling well. I am picking up her homework for her today, actually.

[Warpy]

15. Some people feel a deep sense of shame

when the kid is sent home with lice. It's really silly, but they feel it shows they're not very clean.

That isn't the case, of course, she could have gotten them just brushing up against an infected person in a store.

If it does turn out to be the little girl, assure the mom it's no different from catching a cold. It's just a bigger pain in the ass to deal with.

[Epiphany4z]

6. I have 5 kids so we have had a few of those notes sent home

Don't panic....change your bedding wash in hot water..watch you daughters head for nits...if she gets them you can buy over the counter medicated shampoo it worked here every time though some folks told me they needed prescription stuff. It can be hard to get that little comb through a girls hair..sometimes it is easier to settle on a short hair cut.

Basic ly wash everything in hot ...bag up stuffed animals...tell your kid not to share hats, brushes or coats. If it turns out the school is having a real problem with them and the kids hang up there coats next to each others..give her a trash bag to put around it we had to do that one year.

[npincus]

10. thanks- she checked out fine yesterday, but what if they

do appear, if it is her friend that's infected... that's what I'm worried about.

Appreciate your advice!

[Warpy]

19. Contact your pediatrician

for prescription shampoo. Lice are rapidly becoming immune to the over the counter treatments. Follow the directions carefully about leaving the shampoo in the hair and do use that fine comb.

[Epiphany4z]

21. Don't worry if its her friend

the school will send her home and not let her back until she checks out as lice free. Usually the shampoo and combing works.

[K8-EEE]

8. It's awful, we've been through it here. Advice:

WASH THE SHEETS AND PILLOW CASES IN HOT WATER!

VACUUM, VACUUM VACUUM! All the rugs and furniture and was all the clothes your kids wear every day. Put combs the you use through the dishwasher.

If the worst happens....I used "rid" which did NOT work....ended up doing DAILY treatments with conditioner and a lice comb. You have to have something that sort of slippery as the eggs, which look like little tiny drops of water, are sticky and don't comb out easily.

I also got a bonnet attachment to the hair dryer, put conditioner on the hair and "cooked" it before hitting it in sections with a lice comb.

My entire girl scout troop got this after camping about 10 years ago, IT WAS A TOTAL NIGHTMARE FOR THE KIDS AND PARENTS!!

[Solly Mack]

9. Keep checking for a week

I'm sure the sheets have been washed. Any towels/clothing the little girl may have come in contact with...and any laundry those items came in contact with...combs/brushes as well (if you aren't sure if they were used by the little girl)..carpets she may have had contact with.. stuffed animals? Seal them for two weeks on plastic

Be on the safe side...

[pleah]

11. Use dog flea and tick shampoo, it contains the same stuff,( pyreatherin,

painted daisey) as rid-x. Plus, it it a whole lot cheaper. Use it once every 5 to 7 days until all eggs are gone. You do not need to completely sterilize you house, but probably do want to lauder bedding. supposedly they die quickly when not on a host.

[blm]

12. I had to deal with it 3 times last schoolyear. Though I would take care of my little girl

and told the teacher about it straight up, other parents did not. It's the perceived shame that prompts the secrecy and the secrecy ends up perpetuating the problem. Sounds like your school is being forthcoming, and that's good for the long term.

I went with the kits you get from drugstore. Besides the shampoo you should get the spray for areas around the house where she slept and sat, including your car upholstery where her head has direct contact. People often forget that. Of course, launder in hot water ALL sheets and blankets.

Good luck. Oh....btw....one time, I was elsewhere with no pharmacy or grocery nearby, so I applied a LOT of olive oil, combed it thru completely, and then put a plastic shower cap over it. After 4 hrs, I combed thru again and you can see the dead critters visibly on the comb. But, when you do this, you need to apply shampoo FIRST and work it thru before you wet your hair with water. If you don't, it takes a long time and many washings to get all the oil out. Hair looks great though after olive oil treatment. ;)

[npincus]

14. thanks.

Ugh.

[The empressof all]

13. Been there...

My kid had a variety that was somewhat resistant to Rid/Qwell. I cut her hair to her shoulders to make the combing more manageable. Used the mayonaise and showercap treatment and the fine tooth comb. I also used a product from the health food store that worked wonders IMO I don't remember the exact name but it was Clean Head or Clean Hair. I'm sure if you go into a good store they could direct you. Do the bagging up of the stuffed animals, comforters you can't wash in hot water and pillows. Wash everything in hot water. It will pass.

[Burma Jones]

16. My 8 yo daughter has had two bouts

My wife got it each time too.

Start right away with using natural repellent shampoo. If you have room, put your bedding, and hers and everyone else's, in a plastic bag and stuff it in your freezer. We were fortunate that the first time we had to deal with this problem it was the dead of winter and we could just bag stuff up and throw it on the porch. But, just washing doesn't do the trick, you have to freeze them out.

Lice are species-specific, so if you have cats or dogs or mice or ferrets or fruit bats or Orangutans, don't worry about it.

Keep searching for those lice and their nits, hopefully they stayed on your daughter's friend's head.

The first time around we dealt with the problem for 2-3 weeks. This last time, we nipped it in the bud over a weekend. I think the first time we didn't know what to look for and let the problem get out of hand before we started treatment, the second time, we knew right away and my daughter was using the lice repellent shampoo a couple of times a week anyway.

We did not use the pesticide-based treatments, we used some shampoo with Rosemary and Tea Tree Oil and a very very fine toothed comb..

[Wanet]

17. Lice advice

We went through a difficult time with lice last year, with my 12-year old. The OTC insecticide shampoos didn't work for us. You can order essential oil treatments via Internet that work much better and are safer for kids. I would recommend buying a good quality metal lice comb and comb through from the scalp every day for a couple of weeks. Be sure to check hair bows or other hair things the girls might have shared. Lice can be very, very hard to get rid of. My mother and sister caught them from my daughter. My son and I were spared.

[Arkansas Granny]

18. Strip the beds and wash all the bedding with hot water. There is a spray that

is available at drug stores that can be sprayed on mattresses, furniture, etc. to kill any lice or eggs that may be in the cracks and seams. OTC shampoos are available if you do find lice in your child's hair. Just keep checking your daughter for the next few days for any signs.

[DCKit]

20. I've heard you can kill them with a blowdryer (not too hot).

But the clothes sheets and pillow cases need to be washed and dried with heat.

[rocktivity]

22. 'Tis the season to be lice-y

This seems to happen at the beginning of every school year. Click on the pic...



:headbang:
rocknation