to think if every person responsible for a child checked hair nits would be extinct.

[McNewPants2013]

yet another letter home saying the nits are in the school yet again, this is the 4th letter home this month.

how hard is it to get a bottle of cheap conditinor and a tooth comb and go through a child hair.

especially during 1/2 and end of terms holidays

[pointythings]

YANBU, we check every single weekend. It isn't rocket science. We use leave-in conditioner (Charles Worthington do a very good one, not cheap but leaves their hair AMAZING and detangled so you get deep conditioning as well as the nit check) and a Nitty Gritty. It really isn't rocket science.

[Dawndonna]

Of course they would, but there are buggers out there who just don't/won't bother.

[ReallyTired]

Having your kids constantly catch nits is frustrating. Unfortunately the parents often have nits as well.

It does get better as children get older and more discerning who they give hugs to.

[hokeycakey]

Oh this is such a load of bollocks.... It's like when someone's kid gets ill and they start looking to who passed the bug on needing someone to blame
Kids get nits, yes even your perfect little darlings YES it's a fecking pain in the arse combing nits out but so what? Don't see the point in blaming it on other people and going on about how no one is as vigilant as you and what terrible parents they are. Nits are resilient that is how they exist you could miss one of the little shits & that's it they've won
YABU

[JazzAnnNonMouse]

I don't see why if human fleas are now no longer due to hygiene then nits can't go the same way. And crabs for that matter!

[Bluestocking]

Apparently grandparents are often the problem. Older people are less likely to notice the itching, and no-one thinks to check or delouse Granny or Grandpa. Next time they hug a grandchild, a louse hops off the oldster onto the delicious, tender, freshly deloused childish scalp, and hey presto, reinfestation.

[pointythings]

hokey but is it really so much to ask that all parents should wet comb their kids once a week? Really? Because that sounds pretty damn basic to me, and I would not have much respect for anyone who thought that was too much to do.

And if your kids have nits - you check yourself thoroughly, and if you find any, you treat yourself. That isn't rocket science either. My lovely DDs have given me nits twice this year, I've just dealt with them.

[Boomba]

we are a bit of a phenomena...me nor either of my children have ever had nits!

[FreyaSnow]

Human fleas do exist. I'd rather deal with a nit infestation than fleas - they're a nightmare to get rid of.

[LynetteScavo]

People do check for nits...but not well enough.

My DC occasionally get nits....I get rid of them. It's not quick, or easy, but I make sure every last one of the eggs and lice are gone.

[McNewPants2013]

I am far from a perfect parent, Just the last few week sick and tired of dealing with nits.

for less than a £1 its an easy fix.

[LynetteScavo]

Boomba, do you use lavender oil? My DC never get nits when I use lavender oil. I'm convinced lice don't like it.

[Boomba]

no never lynette

[mrswoz]

I check my dc every day at bath time. I am paranoid they have got them, and I can't see them! DH says I wouldn't be able to miss them if they were there, but I have never actually seen them on a child so am not certain of this.

Are they without any doubt obvious, or is it more of a 'ooh that might be one, oh no it's not'?

[Boomba]

lynette hactually, they use olive oil detangler most days, and that may well have lavender oil in it. Haha! you may have solved our mystery

[HerrenaHarridan]

The fucking move! You know when you are seeing one, but you will probably see lots of bits of fluff and think they might be (especially if there us a sandpit with flecks of black sand!)

[OHforDUCKScake]

We are really new to this. My son has got them. Or rather, he did. Je has white blonde hair, they showed up hugely so caught them pretty quick.

From now on, every sunday we're going through his hair with tea tree conditioner and a nitty gritty comb to keep the little buggers at bay.

But thank got I don't have girls with thick, curly, long hair because Im not sure id be so ready to do it on a weekly basis.

[spongebobandpatrick]

If some parents are anything like my sister, she checks for nits, but doesn't treat properly.
She has tried the nit lotion, which clearly said to apply once, then again 7 days later, but nieces didn't like having their hair washed with the lotion because it was smelly, so sister didn't bother 7 days after initial first treatment, and without combing their hair, sister couldn't see anymore nits, so she deemed them nit free. Within 5 to 6 days, nieces were scratching away again, and sister shouts from the rooftops that some lazy parent hasn't treated their children, that's why her children have nits again.
Then it's back to another single dose of nit lotion, but no follow up 7 days later.

I have heard of a few parents who don't use the combing method because their children don't like sitting for periods of time having their hair combed.

[pointythings]

They're really obvious when you know what you're looking for - as herrena says - they move. Eeewwww!

Don't think your DC don't have them if they aren't scratching - many children are not allergic to the solution the nits secret which actually causes the itch, so you still need to check. My DDs are allergic - they scratch as soon as the first nit appears, so we never get established infestations and that makes life easier.

Once you've caught a nit in a nit comb, you'll never mistake it for a bit of fluff again.

[Gossipmonster]

My DD has really long blonde hair - she went through a phase if having them constantly - would comb and comb and she could just rematch them or I had missed a few eggs.

Stopped when she fell out with her BFF who I could see was crawling but am sure DD gave them to others too.

Kids get them there is no point blaming everyone else - if you have more than one kid it can be really difficult tongetvon top of an infestation - one of my kids has an Afro which I have to shave off every time he gets nits.

No point being all judgey about it - I wish they would bring back the nit nurse.

[invicta]

My eldest son has just got them for the first time - aged 13 years. I thought we'd escaped. He complained of itching and discovered them. They were larger then expected.

I'm one of those bad mums who only occasionally checks my child's hair. Hair lice are transmitted by person to person contact, the only way to get rid of them is to treat every person who the child has come in contact with. As said earlier, grandparents are often overlooked.

[Gossipmonster]

Recatch

[pointythings]

DUCKS DD1 does have thick, curly hair. Fortunately she is now 12 and at secondary and doesn't seem to catch them. DD1 has straight hair. I do still check them weekly - it is the only way.

spongebob and this is why people say things like Hedrin don't work - they don't do the bloody follow-up. Hedrin always works for me, because I use it as it should be used.

[MyFunDay]

Ugh! Just had a lice infestation in our household. Itching, spots, the lot.

mrswoz I had never seen nits/lice before either but certainly felt them. I was expecting these massive things but when we did the wet combing, they were tiny, like little grains of brown sand. Apparently, they can be anything between a size of a full stop to a size of a sesame seed.

I wish schools would just encourage parents to all start treatment (wet combing etc) on the same day so there's less chance of being re-infected. Or s that too much to ask for?

Tell you what though, now that we've had an infestation, I won't be being blasé about it and will check every couple of weeks, as recommended.

[MyFunDay]

So, not YANBU