My son came home from kindergarten the other day with a note from the teacher saying someone in his class has lice. Out of all 3 of my kids, we've never had to deal with lice and I honestly don't want to. I don't think anyone does, really. But, just because someone is his class has it, does that mean he will for sure get it? Or is there a chance he won't? I myself have never had lice so I have never had to deal with it and if it came my way, I still wouldn't know what to do. Advice?
Get some tea tree oil and put a few drops into your shampoo bottles. That should keep them from getting it. Lice hate the smell of it. I have 3 daughters and one has LONG hair and this really does prevent it.
Just keep checking his head for nits or bugs. It does not mean he will get it. If he does, get some lice treatment at the drugstore and use it. Wash everything his head touches - sheets, pillowcases, etc. Bag up all the stuffed animals for two weeks. Every night comb through his hair and pull out the nits until you don't see any more. It's a long process. And no fun at all.
You'll get used to these notices, because lice runs rampant in grade school. No, it's not a given that he'lll get it. But Kindergarteners love to hug and be close to their friends, so it's easy for the younger ones to pass it to each other. DO NOT treat your son unless he's actually got lice. So finding out if he's infected is your first step. You just have to sit him down and take a good, good look into his hair. Like Gamma said, go to headlice.org and get some facts. It's run by the CDC and they can give you all the information you need.
You will know your child has lice if you spot tiny tear-drop shaped eggs - nits - attatched to one of his hairs. These nits don't brush away like dandruff, you have to pick them off with your fingers. You will notice some scratching from your son and maybe even see one of the lice bugs. If you're not sure what you're doing, or what to look for, you can go to your local Health Department and let them check for you. Usually a lice check is free.
I would caution your son about too much hugging of his classmates and try to check him every few days for a few weeks.
Good luck
Each of my boys has come home with one of these notes every year they have been in school. They have only had lice once, and they got it over summer holidays from wearing go cart helmets without the prtective liner. When they did get it it was really easy to get rid of. I bought a shampoo called R&C and it came with a metal nit comb. I washed with the shampoo then combed with the comb. I then combed daily for 7 days, washed again and that was it. I also changed their bedding after the fist wash, then again after the second wash. No one else in the family got it, nor did my before and after school kids. I guess it is harder if you have girls with long hair to comb through, but for my boys it was really simple. Lice can't live for longer than 24 hours without a human host, so you don't need to worry too much about thouroughly cleaning the house etc. I was terrified of the idea of lice before they got it, but I do not worry anymore because it was such a simple thing. Tell you son not to share hats or combs or dress up clothes right now.
It's possible he has it, but it's also very possible he doesn't. Lice cannot live long without a human host. They can be transmitted from close contact (hugs), shared hats and brushes, pillows and blankets. But they cannot live long without the human. If someone has lice and wears a hat, the lice are not going to be there a few days later. (or they might be, but they'd be dead).
Lice is super annoying, but not the end of the world. Just keep checking him. If you see him scratching his head, check again. I used to work at summer camps (hard not to get lice when you work at summer camp), and it itches like crazy!
About 3 years ago my son came home from preschool with lice. He and I got it, my husband and baby didn't (thank goodness for the baby with very little hair). Our ped told us if the baby got it, we couldn't use OTC shampoos. One a little one, the only solution they had was mayonnaise (on the hair, with a shower cap, for a few hours, I can't remember how long). I bought the OTC shampoo and used it on the two of us, and my husband combed our hair. Less than a week later, we were scratching again. It was too soon to use the shampoo, even if I had wanted to, so we did the mayonnaise. Worked like a charm! It was totally gross, but it did trick.
Long story short (too late), if it happens again, I'm going with the mayonnaise.
