HELP! Need some QUICK advice regarding head lice *UPDATE p.2*

[laurajetter]

I am on the emergency contact list for one of my friends who has twin girls (age 7). The school just left a message asking me to call them back but before I was able to, my friend called me. She said she was in a bit of a pickle and she has to pick up the girls because the school said they have head lice.

She said she's going to pick them up and take them home to comb through their hair but needs me to watch them this afternoon. I'm sorry, but isn't there more to getting rid of head lice than simply combing through their hair?? She said she doesn't think they have it and said something about having dandruff but to me I would think the school would be pretty experienced at detecting head lice.

I hate to say no (in fact, I already told her I could) but I have a really bad feeling about this. I have a 3 year old son and these girls are very high strung and tend to misbehave so it won't be easy for me to just tell them to not move around a lot and not lay down, touch their head to anything, etc. They are very hands-on with all of my son's stuff.

What can I do to avoid them infecting our household with head lice? Does anyone have any experience with this that could give me some tips to follow? I want to reduce the risk as much as I possible can. This is the last thing I feel like dealing with since I'm 10 weeks pregnant and not feeling 100% but at the same time my friend's only family (mom, stepdad and sisters) moved out of state last year so she has no one else to help her out.

I'm getting itchy already just thinking about it; please help!

thanks

 

[mirmartinez]

You are way nicer then me, I would of said no.

I just looked up lice, combing was was listed as a remedy.

Special shampoo....

 

[java]

Um thanks but no thanks.

To get rid of them they need to be treated. They are sending me home from school - they are CONTAGIOUS!
Say so sorry but no can do.
Don't put your child at risk.
She needs to get the shampoo.

 

[Goofyluver]

If it's lice, only combing through the hair ain't gonna get rid of 'em.

Good luck darlin'. You're a better woman than I.

 

[Mkrop]

Yeah they wouldnt be coming here. I would tell my freind to take a sick day and deal with her kids

Maybe make them wear shower caps if they have to come.

 

[mjkacmom]

We've had lice, and there is NO quick fix. First the shampoo, then the comb (this takes hours, FYI), and then re-checking for a week, then another shampoo, and combing every single day. Just say no!

 

[Grandmax3]

If I had to watch the girls, I would rub mayo in my kids hair to try to prevent my kids from getting lice. I see that all the time that lice does not like dirty hair.

 

[Angelhalo]

Call her back and tell her you did some research on head lice and you're very sorry but you just can't have them in your house. They need a lot of treatment, much more than combing and if you let them in your house, you'll soon be dealing with lice on a 3 year old which will NOT be fun.

 

[bgirldeb]

She would be getting a big fat NO from me, even if she was my best friend.

 

[Angelhalo]

She would be getting a big fat NO from me, even if she was my best friend.

You know, I can't even imagine my best friend asking me to do that for her. I think it was really rude that she put the OP in this position to begin with. Who in the world asks someone to keep their kids with head lice???

 

[mlynn]

She needs to head to CVS and buy RID or call her doctor for the RX lice meds. She is going to have wash everything in her house. Combing it isn't going to get rid of it. It will comb some eggs out but it wont' get them all or the living ones.The live ones are just going to keep laying eggs. I would have told her no too. My SIL had a really hard time a few years back because it would just keep coming back in all 4 of her kids.

Just a fact about lice They like clean hair.

 

[Darsa]

Oh my gosh, I agree that you're too nice. No should have been the answer there.

You'll have some serious laundry ahead of you! Even if you confine those kids to one room, you'll need to wash everything they come in contact with. If you have a room they can stay in with wood floors it would be better than a carpet; anything fabric will have to be washed at least once.

Here is some good info that was passed on to me when my niece had lice and we were afraid DD would get it:

Wash all bed linens and clothing that's been recently worn by anyone in your home who's infested in very hot water (130° Fahrenheit, 54.4° Celsius), then put them in the hot cycle of the dryer for at least 20 minutes.

Dry clean any clothing that isn't machine washable.

Have bed linens, clothing, and stuffed animals and plush toys that can't be washed dry-cleaned. Or, put them in airtight bags for 2 weeks.

Vacuum carpets and any upholstered furniture (in your home or car).

Soak hair-care items like combs, barrettes, hair ties or bands, headbands, and brushes in rubbing alcohol or medicated shampoo for 1 hour. You can also wash them in hot water or just throw them away.

Because lice are easily passed from person to person in the same house, bedmates and infested family members will also need treatment to prevent the lice from coming back.

There are also some things you shouldn't do. Some don'ts of head lice treatment include:

Don't use a hair dryer on your child's hair after applying any of the currently available scalp treatments because some contain flammable ingredients.

Don't use a cream rinse or shampoo/conditioner combination before applying lice medication.

Don't wash your child's hair for 1 to 2 days after using a medicated treatment.

Don't use sprays or hire a pest control company to try to get rid of the lice, as they can be harmful.

Don't use the same medication more than three times on one person. If it doesn't seem to be working, your doctor may recommend another medication.

Don't use more than one head lice medication at a time.

I hope this helps!


ACK! Just re-read and noticed you mentioned you're pregnant. You NEED TO make sure that the fumes from the meds aren't going to be harmful to you! ooo, that gives me the shivers!

 

[java]

Oh and I see you are pregnant.
No No NO!!!
Call her back and say your doctor told you no can do. (during pregnancy the easy out)

 

[lovemygoofy]

If you are going to have the kids over put styling product in your children's hair right now. Lice love clean hair. Heck, I might even spray the infected childrens hair with hair spray to be safe.

I would drape a blanket or sheet over the couch or wherever they plan to sit. Take your children's favorite toys and bag them up and put them away so they can't play with them, especially stuffed animals.

Have them play with toys you can wash or soak with a mixture of bleach and water. If they take off jackets, do not put them with your families clothing. Do not let them take their hair down(if it is up) and make sure they don't use anyone's hair brush or comb.

 

[bgirldeb]

Oh and I see you are pregnant.
No No NO!!!
Call her back and say your doctor told you no can do. (during pregnancy the easy out)

I missed that!

Double NO!!! you can NOT be exposed to all of the chemicals that you will need to treat your house.

 

[JennSaint]

As a former preschool teacher lice is very contagious!!!! You do not want them at your house. They should not be leaving their house!! She is going to have to wash all bedding etc. She needs to bag any stuffed animals and tie the bag(trash bag) in a tight knot. This cuts out all air to the bugs. Then she'll need to wash them after a week or so. Lice jump!! Do not allow them in your house! Lice takes a long time to get rid of. They will not be gone after one combing. It will take several days. We had kids who were not allowed to come back for weeks. The parent would bring the child and we would do a head check and most of the time they were not gone.
Do whatever you have to to not allow them in your house.

 

[Dax]

Call her back and tell her NO!!!!!

I agree with everyone else...Lice is SUPER contagious...I worked in a day care center, and got it off of one of my kids...Took me WEEKS to get rid of it.

 

[laurajetter]

Thank you all for giving me the kick I needed. It's so hard for me to say no; in the moment of finding out she was in a quandary, knowing she cares for a sick boy in his house and it's hard for her to just take off, that she has no one else to turn to, and her playing the situation down I just said yes to her.

I called her back and said I really want to help you out but the more I've been thinking about it if the girls do have head lice then I don't want it spread in the household or to my son. I started to go on a little more but she said "You don't have to go on, I understand". The conversation seemed a little curt, but I also know she's probably just spinning around trying to figure out what she's going to do. It seemed she understood my position, I still feel a bit bad. (not THAT bad though, I am breathing a sigh of relief at the moment!)

Thanks again for your detailed info that made my decision so much easier.

Laura

 

[Cindyluwho]

She needs to head to CVS and buy RID or call her doctor for the RX lice meds. She is going to have wash everything in her house. Combing it isn't going to get rid of it. It will comb some eggs out but it wont' get them all or the living ones.The live ones are just going to keep laying eggs. I would have told her no too. My SIL had a really hard time a few years back because it would just keep coming back in all 4 of her kids.

Just a fact about lice They like clean hair.

RID is dangerous and can be lethal! There is absolutely no excuse to use this on any human or animal. And no, I'm not some organic nutjob, it's just that I've researched this for years for our school system and RID just plain does not work and can be fatal. Lice are now immune to the toxic poisin in RID and some always survive. There are much easier and safer ways to deal with lice.

For the best advice got to : www.headlice.org

 

[mjkacmom]

As a former preschool teacher lice is very contagious!!!! You do not want them at your house. They should not be leaving their house!! She is going to have to wash all bedding etc. She needs to bag any stuffed animals and tie the bag(trash bag) in a tight knot. This cuts out all air to the bugs. Then she'll need to wash them after a week or so. Lice jump!! Do not allow them in your house! Lice takes a long time to get rid of. They will not be gone after one combing. It will take several days. We had kids who were not allowed to come back for weeks. The parent would bring the child and we would do a head check and most of the time they were not gone.
Do whatever you have to to not allow them in your house.

I agree with everything here, except that lice cannot fly or jump. However, they can get on jackets, sofas, stuffed animals, etc. and live for hours, and if someone's head touches them, they'll attach to the hair.

OP, I see you changed your mind - good for you! I can't even imagine asking someone to watch my kids after they were found to have lice!