What would you do...a lice question!-new update

[kaysmommie]

I'd give it at least 2 weeks!

We had a run in with lice years before we even had kids! We watched Dniece for a week while the IL's (who are raising her) went on vacation. She was in K and came home with lice. DH and I treated ourselves, treated her twice, treated all the furniture, vaccuumed the house several times, bagged all the stuffed animals and coats and pillows. Did 17 (I counted and am not exaggerating) loads of laundry. Spent over $100 on products. Took our new puppy to the vet just in case (BTW dogs don't get lice and don't need treatment).

Never even got a thank you from MIL.

After that experience I don't EVER want to get lice! Take it from me - skip the party. It was 6 years ago for us and my head still itches.

I agree I wouldn't go the party and take a chance. Wow I can't believe MIL didn't even say thank you! Guess she is like most MIL's .
OT but wow you should be having that baby any minute, right? Read and loved your trip report. Congrats on your coming any day new baby boy.

 

[KerriSue]

OK this is what you need to do. Buy some tea tree oil. This is sold everywhere, and put a small drop on the crown of the head and on the colar of your kids shirts. Nits hate this stuff and it works. When we first got to the UK my kids came home with lice from school, twice. The second time I got it too, just disgusting. The schools here say that if a child has lice they cannot send them home since they would be denying them an education. Goodnite Nurse, help me with that one. So I used the tea tree oil and all things were good, no lice for 3 years. Of course now I am mommy monkey constantly checking for lice. I have even been known to check other kids hair its an obsession now.

Good luck,
Kerri

 

[Reese]

My dd has a friend that constantly has lice. it seems that everytime they are together her Mom lets us know a day later she has lice. We didn;'t want the poor girl to feel like a leper so what we've started doing is putting tea tree oil in their spry detangler. I also have three girls with long hair so before we go anywhere that this child will be I braid my girls hair tightly in french braids. This seems to have worked since the last three times they've been with this child my kids have remained lice free.

 

[JMLBrats]

My dd has a friend that constantly has lice. it seems that everytime they are together her Mom lets us know a day later she has lice. We didn;'t want the poor girl to feel like a leper so what we've started doing is putting tea tree oil in their spry detangler. I also have three girls with long hair so before we go anywhere that this child will be I braid my girls hair tightly in french braids. This seems to have worked since the last three times they've been with this child my kids have remained lice free.

You're a better person than me! I couldn't handle that situation too well.

 

[Reese]

You're a better person than me! I couldn't handle that situation too well.

I didn't the first two times my kids got headlice from her. Her parents had sent her and her brother over for the weekend while they went away. At bedtime she started really scratching and I looked and she was infested. We tried to get a hold of them and left messages where they were staying and they kindly returned home two hours later than they had said they would . That was the second time they got it from her the first was at a slumber party for my DD. I just feel very bad for her because it seems like she always has them and I know why. She is a very cuddly kid, she hugs everyone. So if she comes into contact with anyone that has them you can guarentee that she'll get them. So I really didn't want to hurt her feelings since there is not a lot she can do about it.

 

[Hannathy]

If it is just a birthday party I would go with the condition the kids don't play on the beds or hug each other or wrestle, roll around on the couch, etc. I also wouldn't spend the entire day just go for a short time. I don't believe they are as easy to catch as people here are saying because I worked for years in an inner city ER and took care of many people totally infested - to the point they would crawl off them and try to crawl up the stethoscope-and never caught them and I had long hair. Truth be told I bet we are around people very often with lice and don't know it. Do you know for sure how many other kids may be being treated at home right now, and will be at the party, it still isn't something most people advertise.

Tell them to not use shampoo with conditioner built in it negates the residual left on the hair, they don't always tell you this.

They must not be picking off the nits, this is where most people fail and then they hatch and start all over again. Has anyone checked Grandma if she is close to them she may be harboring them and reinfecting if they are treating.

 

[momof3littlelilos]

I wouldn't chance it. Maybe you could conveniently have other plans or one of you could feel under the weather.

I would NOT use the chemical shampoos unless your child has actual lice bugs. That stuff is very strong and some people even say it can be toxic. If there are no bugs, and only eggs, a lice pick will be sufficient. If there are no eggs, there is no reason to treat. Check the nape of the neck for dandruff looking things that are hard to get off the hair. Those are the nits.

When there has been lice at our school, I oil up my son's hair and don't wash it as often. Lice like clean hair. I have also been told that tea tree oil is a lice deterrent. You can find shampoos with tea tree oil in them. I have heard the hairspray thing is a myth, but I usually do that too if there is an outbreak at school. Put long hair up in a braid or bun.

Oh, and if you have to vacuum your house to get rid of these things, THROW OUT THE BAG! You can reinfest the house. Carseat covers are often missed and should be washed.

Good luck!

Marsha

I just want to second the chemical thing. And urge that people NOT use the prescription with lindaine in it. Lindaine causes blood cancers. My son was diagnosed with ALL (leukemia) within 18 months of using the stuff...which of course may be a coincidence, as his former pedi. claimed to believe...but I'd never use the stuff again. Bugs are creepy, but that particular shampoo is not worth using (IMO).

Also, I think it's okay to politely decline the party invitation because the buggers are creepy and a huge hassle to get rid of. I'd send a card and gift.

 

[dbmarie]

I wouldn't send her lice isn't something I would want my daughters to come home with.

 

[Tinksmom5]

If you really want to go to the party you can without worry.Lice are attracted to wet cold places,such as a freshly washed head.If you purchase listerine mouth wash,spray it in your childrens hair ,dry it and put the girls hair up your chances of them getting llice will be slim to non.I am the mother of 5 and I they all got it from school a few years ago.I researched it to dealth and until finding this idea it kept coming back.I am happy to say after doing the above everyone has been clean for 4 years now.They were coming back everytime spring rolled around.Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Groovee]

Oooh, headlice is one of my favourite topics - I used to run a big headlouse research project in my last job! The best way is definitely to use a louse comb every 2/3 days on wet hair with lots of conditioner on. There's not really any evidence to say that tea tree oil or the other herbal things work but, because they're usually used in conjuction with a louse comb, the effect is the same as with conditioner alone and some parents do swear by them.

If you must resort to a chemical treatment, then try to get one with `malathion' as the active ingredient and not `permethrin` (which is what is in Full Marks) because in our research we found that malathion products worked better than permethrin on lice collected countrywide. The concentration in the mousses/shampoos isn't really high enough to kill lice so don't bother with them at all.

Another big no-no is using chemical treatments as a precaution - they only work when lice are actually on the head and won't stop you or your child from getting lice. Using them this way helps make the louse populations resistant meaning that they are less likely to work when there are lice on the head.

The other really important thing is to keep checking and combing for a week or two after you last see any lice because eggs will continue to hatch and are sexually mature very quickly! No matter what the chemical companies say, even chemicals don't kill eggs and they're pretty much impossible to get rid of using the louse combs (unless you want to resort to chopping chunks of hair out!) so it's also important to kep treating until you're absolutely sure the child is louse free.

The biggest problems are definitely either parents who don't bother checking/treating their children and those who don't know how to break the lifecycle of the current infestation and so it keeps on going due to the eggs hatching etc. It can take some weeks before you realise a child has them from the time they first got them.

DD's had big problems in the last year. A child in her class was being left untreated as everytime I found them after she'd been clear the night before or that morning, they were huge. The best comb I ever found was this one. http://www.nittygritty.co.uk/ng/index.jsp The comb is longer teeth and also closer together.

 

[NemoMOm]

So, I'm in the process of getting my daycare license and in my state you have to take training classes regardless of your experience. So, we were told that lice love clean hair, the more gunk you put in your hair (hairspray, gel, etc) they don't like. Also, apparently the can not stand rosemary and there is rosemary shampoo on the market. Also, they do not "jump" that is a myth. They have to be in contact with your hair.

Hopes this helps.

 

[thatduffgirl]

OK this is what you need to do. Buy some tea tree oil. This is sold everywhere, and put a small drop on the crown of the head and on the colar of your kids shirts. Nits hate this stuff and it works. When we first got to the UK my kids came home with lice from school, twice. The second time I got it too, just disgusting. The schools here say that if a child has lice they cannot send them home since they would be denying them an education. Goodnite Nurse, help me with that one. So I used the tea tree oil and all things were good, no lice for 3 years. Of course now I am mommy monkey constantly checking for lice. I have even been known to check other kids hair its an obsession now.

Good luck,
Kerri

Seriously! My DD had lice for 5 months. We tried EVERYTHING, all the shampoos, putting everything into airtight bags, fumigating, we even got a prescription from her doctor for a hard core anti-lice medication. None of it worked. My daughter has long, thick hair. She ended up giving it to me, and her little brother. I was about to shave her head (For real) out of desperation when somebody told me about Tea Tree Oil. I went to Sally's beauty supply and picked up the straight Tea Tree Oil Conditioner and used it on her head in combination with a METAL lice comb (the little plastic ones are a joke). It worked great!

They said it also repels them from infesting again. In three years, we have never got it again. I use it on my kids hair whenever there are outbreaks or 2-3 times a month.

 

[mytwinklestar]

Being a foster family, we have had to face this issue on numerous occasions. It is a frustrating process. We used two of the most popular over the counter products several times. These have frightening health warnings, may irritate the child's scalp, and the smell lingers through the next couple of shampoos. A fellow foster mom introduced me to Nit Free and the Terminator comb. ONE treatment, followed by the use of this unique nit removal comb, and AMEN!!! It is imperative that you treat the bedding, clothing, toys, carpet, etc. We used the otc spray for this and HOT water/ HOT dryer - on anything that would fit into the washing machine. These products were truly a Godsend for us. After weeks of battling - spending a couple of hundred dollars in otc products - and still no results... I was at my wits end. I highly recommend these products. The foam is easy to use, does not smell horrible, no burning, and is all natural - no harsh chemicals! The comb has fine teeth that are spiral cut - best thing I have found to remove nits. The ones that come in the otc products simply cannot compare. The website that I used is: naturalginesis.com Hope this helps anyone dealing with those nasty little critters. Grrrrrr.... gives me the willies just thinking about having to deal with that again.

 

[barkley]

one thing i did when i was exposed was do an extensive internet search on the subject of lice. i researched what chemicals were toxic to them-and despite what my local health services agency said (and i worked in conjunction with them) i learned that there are chemicals in SOME over the counter bug bombs that are effective in eliminating them from an exposed environment. i found a couple of chemicals, and called our local high profile internationaly reonowned university (that offers highly regarded degree programs that empasize animals and 'pest'/insects issues) to verify what i had researched.

while the reccommended 'sterilize' method is best, there are methods via certain 'bug bombs' that can excellarate treatment (such that upolstered furniture can be exposed to bug bombs and vaccuumed without steam treatment in cases of minimal or initial exposture).

so while i would encourage anyone to opt out of voluntary exposure to head lice opportunities-i would suggest that anyone concerned with exposure (but exhibiting no outward signs) to research those over the counter 'bug bombs' that can kill any live 'louse' and prevent further infestation via eggs (or nits).

 

[JMLBrats]

So I just spoke to MIL (Who by the way hasn't seen them in about 3 1/2 weeks herself) -she says that "now the whole family has lice!" Yikes! There's no way we're going, I'm so upset that SIL hasn't cancelled the party! How can you have people at your house when that's going on. She probably thinks she'll be able to get rid of them by the weekend, but even if they do supposedly get rid of the lice , I feel that it would be too soon to know for sure. ....

 

[Tinksmom5]

That is crazy.If everybody has it then that means its not out of the house therefore haven't people over is a really bad idea.I was be outraged if I went to a party with my 5 children and then they turned up to have it and then found out the person new there was a chance and choose not to tell anyone .that is so wrong I don't blame you I would NOT be going either.

 

[JMLBrats]

That is crazy.If everybody has it then that means its not out of the house therefore haven't people over is a really bad idea.I was be outraged if I went to a party with my 5 children and then they turned up to have it and then found out the person new there was a chance and choose not to tell anyone .that is so wrong I don't blame you I would NOT be going either.

Thank, I hope I'm not being unreasonable, although I know they will make me feel that way. MIL says she's not going if there's a chance of still getting it either, but I'm afraid she'll feel presured and give in because she mentioned maybe staying outside and not getting too close to the kids...That could work for her, but my little ones are 2 and 4 and I know I wouldn't be able to control their every move, plus it's usually like a mad house there. My niece is 10 now so she should be old enough to understand.

 

[CindyAnn]

Sorry, but IMHO it's just really irresponsible of your SIL to continue to plan to have people in for a party with a headlice infestation in the family. If everyone now has it, they're clearly having serious trouble getting rid of it. As soon as I found out my kids had it I called the elementary school, nursery school, headlice committee at the elementary school, and the parents of all their friends. We stayed away from all group activities (including school) until everything was under control. I just don't get it!

I think your MIL's idea of going to the party and staying outside might backfire. If your SIL doesn't want to tell people, the neighbours might wonder why everyone is shouting their birthday greetings from the sidewalk! Sorry, it's obviously getting to be too late at night for me, but I picture everyone arriving in shower caps, and taking turns with the "birthday megaphone" from the sidewalk. Postponing it just seems so much easier!

Surely your SIL will understand.

 

[JMLBrats]

[
Surely your SIL will understand.[/QUOTE]



Nope, it's just on w/the show as far as she's concerned-but I guess now my BIL is saying that he was just kidding about the "everyone has it " comment and that it's almost gone! MIL says she'll get to the bottom of it & find out for sure what's going on before the weekend. I'm so sick of it, I just don't know what to believe so I'd rather just not go and play it safe.

 

[RumpleMom]

IMHO you protect your kids. Period, end of discussion in my book.