Lice

[hope]

There seems to be many cases of Lice in my DD's elementary school. So far DD has shown no signs. I spray her hair, clothing, book bag and coat with tea tree oil bc I read that smell deters them. I put DD'S hair in braids with some hair spray in hopes to deter.
Ick, ew, the thought of bugs crawling on someone's head is so gross!
If DD does get Lice I would have to close my doors to daycare kids. I can not afford to lose any pay right now. Has anyone dealt with this? I am so afraid DD will get it. So many kids in her school already have.

[Leanna]

I don't know about any scientifically proven methods, but when there was a massive outbreak in the center where I used to work, I never got them and I attributed it to keeping my hair in a braid or bun and having gel in my hair everyday....supposedly the lice do not like hair with "product" in it. Good luck!

[GKJNIGMN]

All 3 of my kids got head lice last year. 1 was in school and the other 2 were daycare only. We don't know for sure if one got it at school and spread it or if they got it at daycare.

It wasn't horrible to deal with for us. We shaved our boys heads which wasn't required but they often wore short or shaved hairstyles already so it was no biggie. With my daughter we used over the counter lice treatment and just kept at it. I did it every other day for probably 3-4 weeks.

We also took every piece of laundry to the laundromat at once. We sprayed furniture including the interior of the cars and car seats with a the spray they sell. We also made sure all the mattresses had the zipped plastic mattress protectors. For a couple weeks we washed the kids' sheets daily.

We haven't had another issue since. Our daycare provider was very thorough as well because there were other kids that had it there. She checked all the kids for weeks. All the kids wore plastic hair coverings while she was doing the same cleaning at her house and she encouraged them to keep their heads away from each other.

Our kids were sent home on a Friday I think. Their next scheduled day was a Wednesday and they were good to return by then.

It is kind of gross and yes it was embarrassing that my kids got it but it's harmless and can be handled.

[hope]

If my DD gets it than wouldn't I need to close the daycare? I can't imagine parents wanting to send their children here. Most have alternative care givers they can use but I'm sure they will not pay me if there is Lice in my home.
So far DD does not have but I am so afraid she will get and I will go broke right before the holidays.

[itlw8]

No you would not need to close your childcare. yes it could be a late night but you do not need to close.
What I would do is go to Walgreens and get the Riobi comb it has a AA battery and as you comb through the hair it will go zap and kill the louse ( one lice) You can even check and treat yourself that way. Do this once a week if you are worried more if you want to it does not hurt of cause any harm at all. You can also do monthly checks of the childcare with this

[GKJNIGMN]

By the time you see actual head lice a person has usually been infected at least a couple weeks. Everyone will have already been exposed.

All the schools in my area now allow children to come to school if they have nits. They are only kept out for adult lice. The bugs are what is passes between people and once you have treated and used the nit comb they are gone. You have to keep treating over a period of time so that the eggs don't hatch and allow more adult lice to grow and reproduce.

I would personally probably close for a day or two so that I could treat my home, wash clothes and linens, vacuum really good, get my kids treated a time or two, etc. To make sure that there were no adult lice left here but if you really needed to you could just make it a late night.

I would also check all the daycare kids as they arrived at my home because if one of them have it their family needs to go through all the same things at home or they can keep bringing it back in and I would make sure the parents all knew.

I kept my children in a home daycare during a head lice outbreak because my provider was honest when she found a number of the kids had them and she acted right away and ensured all the families did as well. There is really no way to know who gave it to who.

[momofboys]

My kids' school has a no nit policy. I think what u are doing is being pro-active & hopefully that will help prevent your DD from getting it.

[hope]

I have read to add tea tree oil to everything so I am adding to my laundry soap and making a solution for my house. I stripped DD down as soon as she came home, checked her head, sprayed her with tea tree oil, changed her clothes and washed everything she brought home from school with her. I also got permission from all the parents to check heads and use a tea tree oil spray for their children each day.
The school isn't doing much. They sent home an information letter at the beginning of the school year. That's all they are willing to do. No head checks or notices home.

[Cradle2crayons]

I have read to add tea tree oil to everything so I am adding to my laundry soap and making a solution for my house. I stripped DD down as soon as she came home, checked her head, sprayed her with tea tree oil, changed her clothes and washed everything she brought home from school with her. I also got permission from all the parents to check heads and use a tea tree oil spray for their children each day.
The school isn't doing much. They sent home an information letter at the beginning of the school year. That's all they are willing to do. No head checks or notices home.

Our school does regular head checks and if there is a child with it that entire class is sent home with a notice. They also have a no nit policy and enforce it. Maybe that's why there are very few problems with it.

[Josiegirl]

My now 23 yo dd had lice when she was in 2nd or 3rd grade. It was a nightmare for us. I treated her many times with the stuff you can get OTC. I hand-picked out every single nit I could find for 45 minutes every single night, for 6 long weeks. The dr. prescribed some kind of treatment. Plus I even remember smothering her whole head in real mayonnaise and covering it with a plastic shower cap for several hours. I was getting so discouraged and then finally, miraculously, one night I was doing the whole nit-picking thing and couldn't find any! I was beyond excited. Oh and I did all the appropriate house cleaning measures, laundry, car, backpacks, stored all stuffed animals away for weeks, everything.
I felt like I had done something wrong but then talked to someone else whose dd also had it for 6 weeks and was a pain to get rid of.
Course it didn't help that my dd had hair almost to her waist. I asked the nurse at the pedi's office if there was anything else I could try and she said yeh, shave your dd's head. Sure no problem, unless you're a 2nd grade girl.

Tea Tree oil? Do they sell it in a spray or is it something you mix up? Do you spray all over the kids or just their hair? I'll have to look into that.

[hope]

I buy tea tree oil any where vitamins are sold. It is liquid and needs to be diluted in water. I put the mix in a spray bottle and add spray her body and hair along with furniture, carpet, and any items that I can.

[MotherNature]

You can also use coconut oil if you do get infected. Slather it on, wrap your head in plastic grocery bag & leave on for hours. Retreat in about a week. That will kill any newly hatched ones. This method is natural and safe for all ages. Jyust don't plastic-wrap newborns.

[kelsey's kids]

So we are dealing with this right now same little girl keeps coming back with it. I know mom is doing everything thing in her ability to help but we can't seem to get rid of it. I vacuum spray and shampoo my carpets every night along with wash all the blankets and pillows daily. Mom has bagged up all stuffed animals treated hair with the chemical and many home remedies cut child's hair very short but they just keep coming. No one else here has it. What should we do?

[Annalee]

Our school does regular head checks and if there is a child with it that entire class is sent home with a notice. They also have a no nit policy and enforce it. Maybe that's why there are very few problems with it.

Children here also have to bring the label to school as proof of treatment before being rechecked to make sure the nits are gone.

I knew of a teacher whom had long hair get lice and she had problem getting the knits out so she used vinegar on her hair and the nits just slid out...made the hair very shiny and silky as well...FYI just in case this happens to anyone!