No, not love, LICE! They called me from my daughter's school yesterday claiming that they found lice in her classroom, 5 kids, one of which included her! A parent's nightmare! I have to say, I am very surprised considering just Saturday, my mom and I were dividing her hair up in strands to better untangle it and blowdry it, and we never saw anything. She hasn't been itchy either, but they insisted they saw 2 lice in her head and asked me to pick her up, treat her and keep her from school, as the aftercare program won't accept infected kids. I told them it was probably her hair gel, which can flake and look like white little things in the hair, but they said they had a "lice certified" teacher and she was positive there was lice.
I boiled all my hairbrushes, washed all sheets, pillows, blankets and even the mattress protector in boiling hot water and stuck them in the dryer, used Fantastik on the couch, and Lysol on my car's backseat. I coated my hair in vinegar for an hour, in mayonnaise and a shower cap for another 30 minutes, and finished that off with Dr. Bronner's Castile Peppermint wash in my hair, just out of precaution (plus, they psychologically implanted this idea in my head that we had lice!). Grandma, uncle and grandfather combed through my daughter's hair and found no sign of nits, lice, nothing. Out of precaution, they put RID in her hair, then doused it in vinegar, broke it off into small sections with rubber bands, and had her sleep with a plastic shower cap with olive oil in her hair.
My question is, how soon after treating your child did you send him/her back to school? They did mention that if they found what they thought were nits she'd be asked to go home again, which is a hassle, in the middle of the day. She has a school show Thursday and is missing rehearsal since yesterday. I really hope she can go back and not miss the show, but at the same time, having to get her from school every day until they think she is "safe" and can stay is a pain. How long would you wait before taking her back to school?
Thanks in advance, I have never dealt with lice nor has anyone in my family so we're clueless. The lady I spoke to at her school thought she could return by Wednesday but she's just like the receptionist and was unsure, they don't actually have a school nurse and they would not let me speak to the "lice certified" teacher.
Well, turns out they did have RID at home but decided to use some Dr. Bronner's Castile Tea Tree soap in her hair instead after I had mentioned tea tree oil is effective against lice, so they washed her hair with that. Dr. Bronner's is all-natural, organic and free of sulfates. Then they used the vinegar (which is actually recommended as a clarifying agent on hair to remove build-up, also healthy), and then put olive oil, a healthy and natural moisturizer. I took her to school today and was stopped as I dropped her off to do a lice check. There were several kids there as well. The person who checked her hair this time said she saw no lice or evidence of having ever had lice, but said that the olive oil and braid was a good idea and to keep doing it. She was cleared and returned to school. My daughter said perhaps they mistook some lint in her hair (she has very long hair) and the fact she scratches her head when she is thinking about something as automatically being a sign of lice. I don't know, but we never saw any rashes, redness, bugs, or anything else that would be taken as lice.
I saw several parents putting peppermint and garlic oil in their kids' hair to prevent lice, so it seems a lot of people are taking precautions. I will continue to braid her hair and put oil in her head. The teacher that checked her advised to just wash her hair once a week or twice, if necessary, but no more than that. From here on out, grandpa suggested mixing the olive oil with rose oil so she smells nice, or just buying rose oil shampoo from Dr. Bronner's. She is very excited to be back for the show. Since they're supposed to dress up as cowgirls, the braid suits her costume perfectly! Thanks for your advice.
My son's school and class have had lice break outs all year. I wash his hair with shampoo with a couple of drops of tree oil every couple of day and we have been lice free all year.
As soon as they have their first treatment with the shampoo they are good to return to school. The shampoo kills all of the live lice. Keep combing with the nit comb every day for the next week, and do a second treatment to make sure.
If you treated her yesterday, she could go back today. It's not like a fever where you have to wait 24 hours.
Just an FYI, if she did have what looks like an egg on a strand of hair, to test to see if it's an egg, hold the end of the strand with one hand and try to remove the egg sideways with the other - not by pulling it off the end of the hair, but by trying to remove it from the side. Does that even make sense? (I just can't think of the right way to say this.) If you hold the strand vertically, try to pull the white thing off horizontally. If it comes off, it's not an egg. If you can't get it off unless you pull it off the end of the strand, it's a lice egg.
You do want to you the fine-tooth comb and comb every strand of hair. You can't always see those little bugs, but the fine-tooth comb will get them.
If you have stuffed animals or other fabric toys, put them in a garbage bag. The recommendation I've heard is to keep them bagged up for 30 days. I've also heard that lice cannot live for more than 48 (or maybe it was 24) hours without a human host. So really, if you just wanted to take the family and stay in a hotel for a few nights, your home should be safe.
If it would make you feel better, you can call your pediatrician and have him/her check your daughter. I note from teh doctor really should be enough for her to go back to school.
Yes there is a lice certificate BUT anyone can make a certificate!!! There is a lice school in Florida that is very expensive to go to.
The most important thing to look for is the nits. Make sure you use very small sections to check. The lice lay the eggs near the scalp, so look there.
Take her to school and let them check her. If they find anything, you will be there. If they don't, then she goes back to school.
Once she's treated she can return. Some districts don't even send kids home anymore for lice.
http://www.local10.com/news/new-head-lice-policy-in-browa...
Once treated with a lice-killing shampoo she can go back. She could have gone back today. The CDC and AAP have both issued statements that "nit free" policies don't make any sense and don't reduce or prevent the spread of lice. If you school questions her return, google those, print them out and send them in. FWIW my kids all had lice a few years ago and they didn't miss any school. We noticed a rash one afternoon, went to the doc, they found the lice, we treated with a prescription shampoo, combed at night and the next morning and off they went. I did inform the school nurse so that she had a record of it and could communicate appropriately but that was the end of the story as far as school and daycare were concerned.
When my girls had lice last year, the nurse said they could go to school as long as they had been treated. I would send her if you have not found any signs of nits or lice. Also, don't use any hair products just to make sure they don't take this as a nit.
I know, it is very annoying. Last year was the first time I ever dealt with lice (ugh, shudder shudder) and I freak about the thought of having to again. I often check my girls just to make sure. One has a little dry scalp and the flakes make me check her over and over. We do not want to deal with it again.
BTW, what is a "lice certified" teacher? Never heard of that.
Next time someone tells you that a teacher is "lice certified" ask to see the certificate. There is no such thing. I would be angry because they tried to put one over on you with that bullsh##. They couldn't let you talk to that person, because that person doesn't exist! I hate being treated like an idiot! I would insist on knowing WHO holds the certificate on lice!
I would get a delousing spray for all the furniture, run a vacuum over the carpet, etc. Wash all those jackets and hats, too. My SD came home with lice several times and we had to find the vector before the cycle stopped. If she's treated (you need to retreat in 7 to 10 days) and it comes back again, you'll need to consider if there's a common cause. We braided SD's hair tightly and every single day for like a month, DH sat her down in the bathroom and ran a nit comb through her hair. He put down a sheet first, so that anything that jumped off could be washed and killed. Plus side is, none of the rest of us got it.
I would expect that she's fine to go back, but call the nurse to be sure.
I busted my butt with de-lousing and cleaning and my very long haired daughter was back the next day. Our school has a no nit policy. If your school is that way, they WILL check her before she can return to the classroom and they WILL send her home if she still has nits. I know it's a pain, but it will be a vicious cycle if not treated properly!
PS- actually, there is a lice certification. I'd never heard of it either, so I googled.
