Hi all, my daughter's preschool sent an e-mail last night indicating a boy at the school's sibling has lice, and that a few eggs were found on the boy as well. The boy attends a different class than my daughter, but in the same classroom, on an alternate day. The outbreak was reported yesterday, and the boy was in the classroom yesterday. The school did not indicate any steps they were taking to clean to clean the classroom my daughter is supposed to attend class in this morning. I have no experience dealing with and not a lot of knowledge about lice, so I am unsure what to do. Do I take my daughter to school today? The boy is not in her class, therefore she will have no direct contact with him.
Thanks!
Just be extra cautious. Put her hair up (I put my daughter's hair in a french braid and bunned the bottom) and spray it with hairspray. A lot of hairspray. Tell her any coats go into her book bag - not hanging up next to everyone else's.
In preschool anytime lice was found they would bag up all of the students clothing and send them home. You would have to wash it and send it back in. I started sending his extra clothing in ziplock bags to keep from having to wash it everytime there was an outbreak. There is really nothing you can do but maybe have her change her cloths right when she gets home from school.
Lice is not a disease, so yes of course she should go to school. A lice outbreak happens every year in most schools.
If your daughter's hair is long enough to braid it, do so. Super tight french braids so that it's not "hanging" and she can't touch it. Use a blow dryer on the hot setting to dry her hair after washing. Make sure to wash her clothes and pillowcases in hot water for at least a week just as precaution. Don't overwash her hair... the little buggers love "clean scalps".
This is the first of many notices you will receive throughout her school career.
My daughter is 18 and she managed through every "outbreak" with no lice.
One thing I did on a proactive note was to use a shampoo with tea tree oil as well as use a spray I got from the drug store that supposedly repels the lice.
Don't keep your daughter home because of this... it is just the beginning.
Tell your daughter not to share combs, hats, anything that is clothing or cloth. She should tell you if she feels itching but if it was me I would check her head daily for lice. We had this is elementary school where there was an outbreak and our daughter with very long hair told us she felt itching and sure enough she had some but because she told us right away we treated her immediately, washed everything at home, and she was rid of them right away. If the person who has them doesn't treat properly they will be spreading them again. You'll get letters like this many times during your child's school time.
This is the first of many lice letters you'll recieve in your child's elementary school years. If your child has long hair, braid it or pull it back in pony tail. Lice transfer to other kids when their jackets, hats & scarves are hanging closely together on the hooks in the classroom. If it's chilly and your child is wearing these, instruct her to stuff them in her backpack when she takes them off.
Over the years I probably got 7 or 8 of those letters and my kids managed to never bring any lice or nits home. But I have plenty of super-clean OCD friends whose kids did come home with them. It depends on whether or not the child is sitting near yours, if they are goofing off together, leaning in and whispering to eachtoehr or playing a boardgame or legos during indoor recess, etc.
Good luck mama - hoepfully you'll dodge this!
Wash all the things she took to school in hot water. Collect any "at school" clothes in a plastic bag and wash them at home. Go through your child's hair every few days with a lice comb and see if you find anything. Chances are, you may not. Take her to school. When my DD was an infant, there was a couple of cases of lice. We washed all the things from daycare, the daycare did some cleaning and she never got them.
Tell your DD not to share hats, combs, jackets or anything that is in one's hair. Adding tea tree oil in the shampoo is something we did when SD got lice (from a relative). We braided her hair to minimize contact with others. It'll be alright.
Lice have to have a human host, and they cannot survive for long (24 hours?) outside of a human host. If there have been no humans in the room since yesterday afternoon, the only place the lice can be sitting and waiting would be pillows, blankets, cloth hats ... things made of fabric.
As long as she does not play in the pillows or put on the hats she's very, very safe.
I agree that braiding her hair is a good idea, just because it would really minimize any possible exposure.
Lice can be a pain in the butt, but it is not really dangerous or anything. Just really, really annoying. Our son came home from preschool with lice a few years ago. Thankfully his dad and younger brother (who was less than year old at the time) did not catch it. I have long hair and love to give hugs, so I was not so lucky. We washed the sheets, put stuffed animals in garbage bags and treated our hair. We did one treatment of lice shampoo (which didn't completely do the trick) and another with mayonnaise (which I found completely disgusting, but it worked!)
Like I said, it's no picnic, but it's not the end of the world.
I would go into the class when I drop her off and make sure that the room is free of any pillows, stuffed animals or any other possible thing that could transmit lice. Ask them how they have cleaned everything...when it was going around our school they had a heck of a time cleaning it correctly so that it stopped. IF there is a rug that should be thouroughly cleaned. Pillows and plush need special treament too. I would not send her in with a hat on either.
Good advice below.
The school SHOULD have sent instructions for how to check your child. They are required to send a letter saying there are lice, but you can't go avoiding everything. Lice are everywhere, sorry to say. Learn the signs of them and how to check.
I woudn't do anything. I am not sure if this is something they are required to report or report as a courtesy, but you will be getting these notices home the rest of her school career everytime there is an 'outbreak'.
My kids preschool has very specific things they do to prevent spreading of lice. Last year I was in a similar position - daughter in the same room as someone else who reported lice to the office the next day.
I was actually in the classroom last year when the director came in with a helper and they removed EVERY stuffed animal, all the dress up clothing, and any thing that could "harbor" a live lice for the 24 hours between hosts.
They asked for us to leave the classroom - and moved us to the gym for the rest of our class.
They didn't use the room until it had been cleaned.
I'd call the school, see what they are doing IN the classroom - but other than checking your own child, there isn't much you can do at home. See if they've taken some steps to make sure the classroom is clean and any clothing items (dress up) or stuffed animals have been cleaned appropriately.
This is a courtesy letter. A heads up to you so you can check your child every day.
I second the tea tree shampoo. It gives me a little peace of mind, anyway.
I would not (have not) keep my child home.
Call your pediatrician and ask the school what measures they are taking and then decide based on that if you take her to school
I'd do a few things. 1. when i drop her off, ask the school how they handled the cleaning of soft surfaces in the rooms and the school 2. find out what their lice policy is (does the student have to be free of all nits, eggs? who checks them, etc?) 3. don't wash your daughter's hair very often over the next few weeks. Lice LOVE clean hair. It is easier for them to attach, so if you can keep her head clean and space hair washing out to keep her hair "dirty" it will do you all some good.
Talk to your daughter about not sharing hats, combs, blankets, or anything else that lice will spread from. Add Tea Tree Oil to your shampoo (it helps repel the lice) and wash her hair every night. After the bath check her scalp for bugs or nits. Wash her clothes in the hottest water possible and change the pillow case often. Keep in contact with the school about the situation and keep up the routine for week after they give the all clear.
I agree with BD and TF Plano.
However, if she has long hair, I would braid it in the mornings. It's easier for the lice to move to loose long hair. Keep an eye out for head scratching and nits.
Braid her hair (which she may like) and use tea tree oil on the hairline. The lice don't like it. Check her daily for at least a week and every couple of days after that for two more just in case. Good luck!
