children and lice

Lice can definitely be a pain in the rear-end, but there are also many misconceptions about lice. I remember when I was a little kid it was commonly said that lice was something only dirty kids got, but that is totally false. Lice do not like dirty hair, in fact, they say children that get their hair washed every day during the predominant lice season are more prone to recurrent issues with lice. nits will not survive off the head, and the actual louse can survive 24 hrs off the human head before they die. They need a blood source, which is why they attach so close to the scalp. Anyway, here's a great site with factual information about nits, lice, treatment, and care of the house when a case of lice is found. It is so different from when I was a little girl and parents did so much cleaning to make sure the house was lice free. http://www.headlice.org/faq/questions.htm

when lice happens it is hard to get rid of believe me I know my sisters kid tended to keep them alot for awhile. With lice everything has to be sprayed everything,bedding toys,clothes,furniture and it can even get in the rugs. That was my sisters problem she would get them off the kids but it would still be in their stuff and then they kept getting recontaminated.They should have done everyones hair and the other stuff. Our doctor even told us to use dog shamoo on our carpets when we washed them to make sure they got killed. He even old us to ocassionally wash our own hair in it to keep them at bay. We did what he suggested and the lice infestation cleared up thankfully I hated having to wash my hair and clothes as soon as I walked in the door to my house I kept lice shampoo and dog shampoo on reach at all times because my hubby said if I brought them home he was going to shave my head I knew he wouldn't but he never got any because of how I did. clothes went into washer and I took a shower immediately. You may have to go over and show them how to do it and make sure they do their own hair. I feel for you been there thousand times it seems.

I agree with you it must be very difficult for you at the moment. You seem to be getting the blame for something that is not your fault. I hope that everything gets sorted fast and that you don't have to spend time worrying.

We have 2 girls 9 and 12 and a boy of 6 yrs. They are constantly getting lice and we constantly treat and comb and sit for ages getting the bloody egg sacks out!! its annoying, its coming through the school! the school will do nothing except they put a small mention in a newsletter every month which it is very small and most people dont read them. they dont have what we used to call "the nit nurse" anymore because it apparently invades the childrens personal space. What a load of BS! we have complained several times to the school, and the local council, and we have gotten rid of the lice through the holidays only for them to return when they go back to school. its down to most of the parents being lazy Barstewards that it keeps happening. It dosent help with this stupid law either! its better to have a little verbal from other children if your found to have lice than constantly having to treat lice and spend a fortune on treatment!! Thats my rant lol.

I agree with you. Maybe if they can't handle all the kids they have they should let you look after your grand daughter all the time, if you were willing that is. I think i'd do the same for my grandkids if i ever have any. I know my daughters grand parents would both LOVE to look after her. Do they work really hard and dont have time to clean? or are they just too lazy? My house used to be not so clean, but i was working all the time, and even though it wasn't exactly clean.. it was never the kind of dirty that bugs would start living with us. lol i cleaned up the food and dishes, it was more just cluttered and dusty! now that i am home with my baby i make sure my house is super clean especially where i know she will be playing. Sorry for the overshare. i have been gone a while, Glad to see your still here ;)

I had em when I was 10 As much as I like long hair, if you get lice, just shave everybody bald hair grows back

When I was young I used to get lice all the time from the girl who sat behind me in the second grade and it would drive my mother up a wall. She complained to the school officials but they said they could not do anything. My mother followed the same rituals as you. It's funny but my brother never seemed to get them even from me. The last time I got em I was 12 and it was so bad that my mother had decided to shave my head. Fortunately before she could find the razor my grandmother entered and forbid her to shave my head. I had very thick red, natural curly hair and my grandmother cried so that my stepdad decided to wash my head with petroleum....sure got rid of em but the sores caused by the scratching burned like the bejeesuz. My mother used to say that it wasn't shameful to get lice but it was to keep em. Unfortunately for you the child's parents don't seem to be too concerned about the situation and anything you say falls on deaf ears. It appears that the only thing you can do is just keep on what you are doing or send out someone to fumigate their house. Perhaps if you made a complaint to the local child welfare they can do something about it....especially since you are a family member.

They should really clean their house really good. Like vacuum all over, even vacuum the couches. And for sure shampoo everyones head in the whole family that live under the same roof. These little bugs can spread in a wink of an eye. They are really not that hard to get rid of if you actually take the time to do everything right. Maybe they are lazy? I would let them know what they have to do or I would go over there and just start spraying everything with the lice spray and then make them wash all the beddings up and wash the other kids hair.

Yup, i had a problem with my youngest daughter. she has super thick hair, doesn't get greasy and try as you might you get rid of it, but sadly there are not as diligent parents as you... however, lice like clean hair, not dirty... try mayonaise - sounds crazy but it works... also, keep the hair up in pony tails etc (make sure she doesnt share hats, doesnt touch heads to anyone else) - when they are young they like to hug but try to discourage that till the summer (lice are only present in the spring/fall) good luck!

You are so right. My youngest daughter picked up lice somewhere, and I treated my other two children, myself, my whole house, and it was just nasty. My other children didn't have them, but I wasn't taking any chances. Oh, great, now I am itchy just thinking about that. That was years ago, and I am so glad we never had a recurrance.

Been there, done that. They can be damn hard to get rid of even doing it properly. Sometimes it takes several rounds to completely finish it. If they are not taking the steps then we are talking about a case of neglect. Sure its tough but it should be a priority. Ignoring and hoping doesn't make it go away. I think you should say something to your child for the sake of your grandchild. It won't be long before the school nurse begins to see the problem and take matters into her own hands. She is obligated by law to report any suspected case of neglect to the authorities. If you tell your daughter this it may be enough of a wake up to make her do something about it. Do they have the money they need to buy all the treatment shampoo and do all the laundry? If this is the problem, perhaps depending on your financial situation you could offer to help her in that department. Perhaps you could also offer to go to her house and help her do what she need to do to properly eliminate the problem. This way to you can make sure for yourself that it has been dealt with once and for all

Yes I could'nt agree more with you and everyone else on this discussion.No matter how hard you try to clean your childrens hair out, the problem can occur. Thanks to the irresponsible and lazy parents who send there kids to school loaded with critters, the poor kids, there parents are probably riddled with lice themselves. The day my girl came home with them, I was horrorfied, I went all out to get them and checked every in our house, put treatment on the lot of us, got rid of them or so I thought, A week later they were back in my girls hair again, I did the same cleansing routine and the next day I called the school, I spoke to the principal and her teacher and told them somethings got to be done about it, that its not fair to the parents making an effort to keep there kids hair clean. Its wasted energy, expensive and can drive you nuts, especially when you do your best to keep your kids hair clean. Hair checks with parent consent are regular at there school and has made life a little easier. We have'nt had them crawlies in our kids hair in a very long time and dont plan too either in future if I can help it. Anyway a good remedy for lice prevention and treatment is "Arnica Oil or Tea Tree Oil, Spray the hair and comb through, rinse and wash as you would normally. Ewww my scalps itching just talking about it. I hope your daughter and the stepdad take control and do what they have too, for yours and your grand daughters sake, well everyone involved really.

That really sucks. I think you need to send them some brochures on lice and let them know again that they need to treat the whole family.

I have a problem also about lice...my daughter has a lice. Gosh!!!! I tried using a medication to get rid of it...but it keeps coming back. I did not allow her anymore to get outside of our house or even play with other kids......but my strategy is not yet enough to get rid off all the lice on her hair. is there anyone who can help me out? Pls reply...thanks!

That is so hard for a kid to go through especially a kid her age. To have to go through it again because her parents didn't take the proper steps to clean the house is so frustrating. :( Poor girl. The hard thing about lice is that even when you work hard to clean the kids, the slightest nit can cause a major setb back. You are so strong to keep caring for her like this.

i can understand your problem and concern too. I empathise with you on this. it is important that kids should be looked after well and should undergo proper grooming, be it in their behaviour or their dressing or the way they present themselves. and it is the parents who should be responsible for their bringing up. what you have done is exemplary act alwayz. i would rather suggest that you dont send this lil kid back to her parents home till they make a proper environment for her to live.

I agree with you that her parents have to be involved in the treatment too. It won't do you any good to treat it if she is constantly exposed to it at home. My youngest has had it so many times and she seems to always get it when she stays away from home. I have found a much cheaper treatment than the harsh chemicals in the shampoo that you buy from the store. The trick is Mayonaise! Put it on her hair and cover it with a shower cap. Leave it on for 20 minutes or so and then shampoo with regular shampoo to get rid of the oily look and the smell. Then comb through it and they will come out easier and the eggs seem to come out better too. This is how I treat all of us now if she comes in contact with it and I usually only have to treat it the one time and we are finished. Of course, you still need to spray and wash sheets, blankets, etc.

I don't know what is wrong with her mom! She can't be missing school because of this since the school officials will eventually call child protective services in on it. If her mom will not cooperate with you then you might have no other alternative than to talk to an attorney. I really feel for you because I know what it is like to have a grandchild that you can't help because of the parents.

Oh god it made me itch my head just to read that. I would call it a health hazard. No kid should have to live like that. If you have to threaten her parents that you going to seek custody to make sure she is in a clean enviorment, it might work. Those lil bugs get everywhere, they need to just throw out their sheets and buy new ones and lysol the beds down and put plastic covers over them before putting the new sheets on. And throw out the pillows too.

As a teacher I have often had to deal with headlice and parents reactions to it. There are parents that really do not understand how to treat it and prevent it from happening again and again. There are also parents that are too embarrased to do anything about it, people might see them in the shop buying the treatment and think they are dirty. And yes there are also parents that are simply not bothered. I have also experienced the situation where treatment was given but just wouldnt work. Sometimes if a headlice epidemic goes on for a long time the strain of lice can get resistant to certain treatments. Have you spoken to your family? They might just need some clear advise onw hat exactly to do.