Lice??

[scanne]

What's the best way to prevent your child from getting lice? It's going through my DD's classroom (same kid has had it for two weeks ) and I do not want her to get it.

DD has long, thick, curly hair. I can only imagine the nightmare if she gets it....

Thanks....

 

[Starbrite]

I've heard to use lots of hair product. If you can, pull her hair up in a ponytail & use hairspray. Not sure how true it is - but they say the bugs prefer cleaner hair...the hairspray is too sticky.

Also make sure she knows not to share any hats, combs, etc.

 

[iwrbnd]

I heard gel and wash their hair with tea tree or something like that.

 

[anniemae]

Well, I have heard Lice do not like "products" in the hair, so if you put gel or hairspray in her hair it *could* prevent it, if this theory is correct. I have also heard you should pull your childs hair back in ponytail or braid to make it more difficult for lice to get in her hair.

Also, lice supposedly don't like tea tree oil, I don't know where you buy it or how to use it, but I'm sure someone will chime in with directions, it is a preventative tactic from what I understand, but I am not familiar with it. We have had many lice threads and that is where I learned these tricks!

 

[canadianjovigirl]

I always used tea tree oil shampoo (stinks) and put her hair in a tight pony and then a tight braid.........it is a nightmare for little girls with long think hair................

 

[kellydizfan]

I was told by the school nurse. Hair up tight and hair spray. If she ends up with them, use conditioner to clean out the nits.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

What's the best way to prevent your child from getting lice? It's going through my DD's classroom (same kid has had it for two weeks ) and I do not want her to get it.

DD has long, thick, curly hair. I can only imagine the nightmare if she gets it....

Thanks....

I don't know how much you can do to prevent it...if it's going thru the class, she will probably end up with it. Just make sure she doesn't share hats, scarves, coats etc.
And check her hair every night for nits..thats the lice eggs. If you see nits (they are tiny white things that cling to the hair), that stage one of lice infestation. Ok, now if this happens (and please don't be ashamed, it's almost a rite of passage nowadays. both my girls had it and I got it from them) USE OLIVE OIL.
When my girls ended up with lice, I bought the OTC lice removal stuff and used it on both of them. It was horrible trying to get the nits out. They really cling on. About 2 days later they were gone. About 2 days after that, they started itching again, I checked and they were back and BIGGER!!! I did some reading online and found out that lice are becoming resistant to these OTC lice kits. Thats why you hear about outbreaks much more than you used to. And you are actually putting pesticides on your childs head. That kind of freaked me out, so I found a home remedy and it WORKED.
What you do is buy a bottle of olive oil, drench the scalp and hair with it, put a shower cap on and leave on overnight. The next day, you comb thru and the nits slide right off. Also, the lice die because the olive oil sufficates them. They can breathe underwater, so shampooing does not kill them. It was messy, but so worth it. I did it to both my girls and me.
Mayonnaise (sp) also works.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We had a child with lice in my preschool class this year and we learned the following from our school nurse:

The only way to really prevent it is to stay away from anything that might have been exposed to the infected child. Remind your daughter not to share hats, hairbrushes or hair accessories with friends. They like to live on soft surfaces like couches, bedding and stuffed animals. If there is anything like that in the classroom, the teacher needs to double bag it, secure the bags tightly and let them sit for two weeks. This will kill any bugs or eggs that may have gotten on them. As for the kids who already have lice, their parents need to eradicate them not only from the child but also from the house or car. Every soft surface needs to be vacuumed and the vacuum bag emptied immediately. Sheets and blankets need to be washed in hot water and run through the dryer. Stuffed animals need to be bagged for two weeks. If it's not eradicated from the home, the child can keep getting reinfected.

Some people think their kids can't get lice because they wash their hair everyday. In fact, lice prefer clean hair because it's easier to grab on to a clean hair shaft than a greasy one. Others think a girl won't get lice if her hair is put up. The lice tend to go straight from a soft surface to the scalp. They don't crawl up long, dangling hair. They aren't usually transferred directly from child to child. Putting hair up doesn't prevent the spread of lice.

If there's an outbreak in the classroom, it's wise to check your child's head every morning before school. Look for tiny white specs that are attached to the hair shaft, near the scalp. If you see any, consult your pediatrician about their recommended products to remove it. Also consult the school on how long the child must remain absent. Our school requires that the child be out of school for no less than three days to ensure all nits are gone. Good luck!

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Keep her hair in a braid/bun. Spray it with hairspray and hope for the best!

It happened to us one time - what a nightmare. Both dd's have long hair and one dd has long, thick curly hair. We were very, very lucky that they caught it right away. The school nurse said one dd had one nit and the other had two. Ds didn't have any.

We used the Nix twice and fine combed their hair every night for two weeks.

Anyway it's still a nightmare. I had to wash every item in our house that could be machine washed in hot water - and send everything else out to the dryercleaners. You have to vaccum everything - rugs, beds, carseats, car upholstery. Every day. I washed their sheets and pillowcases in hot water every day for two weeks. Bag up all the stuffed animals that cannot be machine washed for two weeks (I did it for a month). I barely slept.

I really hope your dd doesn't get it - good luck!