Lice?!?!

[1rockinmamato2]

A friend of mine brought her little girl over on Saturday. She played with the children, mostly in the den. She sat on our couch and rolled around on our carpeted floor.

Today, my friend just found lice in her little girl's hair. Just how likely are DH and I to get lice now???

I'm not so worried about the kids because they hardly have any hair yet. But, I'm just really frustrated about all of this. I'm not blaming anyone because these things happen and I'm sure my own children will give us their fair share of nits some day.

What can I do at this point to prevent an infestation?

Thanks!

 

[Daxx]

From what I've read, lice and lice eggs can live for2 days off w/o being on a human head. So, if there are lice or eggs in your carpet or couch, my guess is that they've died ... unless your kids picked them up. If your children have lice/eggs, then you need to get into gear.

To be safe, you can vacuum the carpets and couch. Check your kids heads daily. Wash all bed linens to be safe. Take all stuffed animals, pillows, etc. and throw them in the dryer for awhile.

I don't know if you'll have an outbreak or not ... good luck to you! And, I'm so glad that you're not blasting your friends for this!

Here's a link for some info: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/lice/article_em.htm

 

[yeartolate]

They didn't just get back from WDW, did they?

 

[Daxx]

They didn't just get back from WDW, did they?

Hate to say it, but I was wondering the same thing!!!

 

[1rockinmamato2]

They didn't just get back from WDW, did they?

Umm, nope and please don't tell me we'll risk bringing back those little "souvenirs" from WDW this fall???

So, do you think DH and I should go ahead and do one treatment of the RID shampoo along with the other precautions to be on the safe side? And I have to admit, my head is all itchy since I got off the phone with her!

 

[Daxx]

Umm, nope and please don't tell me we'll risk bringing back those little "souvenirs" from WDW this fall???

So, do you think DH and I should go ahead and do one treatment of the RID shampoo along with the other precautions to be on the safe side? And I have to admit, my head is all itchy since I got off the phone with her!

Yeah -- one mention of the word lice and everyone starts to scratch their heads!

I wouldn't do a treatment w/RID since it only kills live lice. Plus, why expose yourself to any unncessary chemicals? If you don't have live lice, then why bother b/c RID doesn't kill eggs (from what I understand)!? Just check each other and the kids for eggs/live lice and see what you come up with.

 

[janette]

Buy one of the metal combs, check your hair every day if you find something crawling then treat. You are very unlikely to get them. My 12yo DD brought them home from school last year and no one else in the house picked them up. Unless you were sharing their hair brush or rolling on the floor with them I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

When my youngest daughter got them (I think she was around 10?), she shared a hairbrush with both me and my oldest daughter.

Neither of us got them, and the only thing we can attribute it too, was that we both used hair products (mousse, hairspray, etc.) and hairdryers on high heat to dry our hair. My youngest didn't do any of that.

My cousin is the head of nursing for our school district and she told me that there is a drastic drop-off in lice cases once kids hit middle school, and they're not sure why, but the use of hair products (lice like clean hair) and heat from dryers and flat irons is possibly one of the reasons.

So... hopefully since you're an adult, you'll luck out like we did!

Now I'm scratching my head.

 

[darlak]

I wouldn't treat until you see something. IF you do have to, you might want to consider this instead of RID. It's nontoxic.


Fairy Tales Lice Good-Bye™ Mousse is a revolutionary new product to help remove lice and their eggs (nits). This is a nontoxic, pesticide free, enzyme based shampoo that is safe and effective. It has been clinically proven to dissolve nit “glue” to help parents remove lice and nits from the hair more efficiently. 1- 4 oz. bottle per order.

Eliminates Both Lice and Their Eggs (Nits)
• No harmful chemicals
• Non-toxic
• Clinically proven
• Safe for repeated applications
• 1 Plastic Egg Removal Comb Included
(This product can be purchased at many hair salons or online)

I would go buy some of the spray that's used to treat carpet and furniture and use it now.

 

[SueM in MN]

You don't want to use RID or any of the other chemicals on children as young as yours are. Those are strong insecticides and can be a neurotoxin, especially in infants and toddlers.

Here's a great website with factual information about head lice:
www.headlice.org

It is a nonprofit organization that has been around for more than 20 years. It was begun by some parents, school and Public Health nurses who were concerned with making sure that people had factual information about head lice. Thre are quite a few good pictures on that website.

 

[Tikicampers]

Unless the kids had their heads touching, the chance of getting them from the carpet or furniture isn't that great. You won't want to use RID on your children, they're too little, and unless you see something live, you and your DH don't need to treat either. I'd check everyone's heads for a few days and vacuum the carpet and furniture just to make myself feel better. If she was playing with any stuffed animals, I'd seal them in a plastic bag for 2 weeks as well.

And the head itching is normal even if you don't have lice. If I hear or see the word, I start scratching.