Calling All Nitty Noras.

[bondgirl]

We had the dreaded "headlice have been found in your child's class" letter for DD2 in Reception this week so I had been scratching a bit anyway. Pretty sure I'm louse-free though as I had my highlights done on Friday and the hairdresser would have been sure to have found them if they were there (one of my fears since having DCs - I always use the nitcomb before going to the hairdressers just in case!)

[scarlett]

You have to keep combing as sometimes a little nit pops up after quite some time...they're very good at hiding.
I worry about being booted out in my strait jacket hairdressing robe too , Bondgirl with one side of my hair cut , the other not....to the shrieks of Nits, nits !!!

Found a picture of you and your family, Mystery.I'm not surprised you're finding it difficult to locate those nits.

[bondgirl]

[guest201]

I had a week long battle with nits in my DDs hair the first week of term, my solution was one of the lotions to kill the live ones and the n*tty gr*tty comb with conditioner to comb out the eggs i cannot reccommend it strongly enough, it is easier to get through the hair than the traditional nit comb my kids actually liked it they said it felt like a head massage

[push-pull-mum]

I had a week long battle with nits in my DDs hair the first week of term, my solution was one of the lotions to kill the live ones and the n*tty gr*tty comb with conditioner to comb out the eggs i cannot reccommend it strongly enough, it is easier to get through the hair than the traditional nit comb my kids actually liked it they said it felt like a head massage

Aargh! We hate the gritty comb! I got it so badly wedged in my own hair that I ended up pulling great chunks out straight from the root.

I have a regular, metal toothed, nit comb and we all quite like using that one. I can quite see why the other primates enjoy grooming each other.

Ok - yes - I have issues...

[mystery]

Great photo Scarlett - it's an old shot of our family so you need to multiply the little girl's hair by 10 and add tight curls and you've got it; DH - well you need to allow for some recession and a few close haircuts since that teenage shot. I do seem to be missing from the photo - that must have been the nanny the year I disappeared for a while. I never met her I'm pleased to say.

[hermanmunster]

From school website -

If a child is seen to have head lice by a member of staff then the school will phone the parents of that child and ask for them to come and be collected immediately from school, so they may be taken home and treated. This should include all members of the family.
(It should be noted that the school has no legal power to enforce this but that it will seek the support of all parents and carers in the school)

Crazy - they have probably had them for 2-3 months before they become itchy.... let alone being seen without hunting for them.... as if collecting them immediately is going to make any difference! Treatment can also take several weeks - are they happy to have the child off school for all that time?

[mystery]

Yes that always puzzles me with these in your face (or in your hair) policies; they don't make a great deal of practical or scientific sense.

[push-pull-mum]

From school website -

If a child is seen to have head lice by a member of staff then the school will phone the parents of that child and ask for them to come and be collected immediately from school, so they may be taken home and treated. This should include all members of the family.
(It should be noted that the school has no legal power to enforce this but that it will seek the support of all parents and carers in the school)

Crazy - they have probably had them for 2-3 months before they become itchy.... let alone being seen without hunting for them.... as if collecting them immediately is going to make any difference! Treatment can also take several weeks - are they happy to have the child off school for all that time?

Yes that always puzzles me with these in your face (or in your hair) policies; they don't make a great deal of practical or scientific sense.

Maybe not - but if your child had previously attended a school where you could watch the lice walk up and down a child's neck and no-one was allowed to say a word - it comes as a blessed relief to see the school do something. I rather suspect that many teachers have a quick peek at regular intervals without anyone noticing so I doubt it goes to 2-3 months. I find myself surreptiously checking everyone for nits these days - don't know what I'd do if the man in front of me in a queue really did have lice? Is it like undone flies? Should one mention it?

Probably not ....

[mystery]

Do you find that the lice themselves are ever that visible in a normal head of hair? Surely you'd be talking about a nearly bald child to see a louse taking a stroll at the kind of distance one would normally be looking at someone. And even if you spot a nit (egg) you don't know whether you are looking at one that might have been killed off by Derbac for example? Last year I just nuked the whole family for three consecutive weeks with Derbac and hoped for the best so I did not remove all eggs until longer after the infestation was dead in all respects. I didn't want to comb and condition as traces of conditioner on the hair can make the chemical treatment less effective.