Re nits

[MsColouring]

Yesterday morning as I was putting dd's hair up I spotted a couple of nits in her hair. I could only see a couple of them and it was literally 5 minutes before I had to go to work. So I scraped it back into a bun and told her not to put her head near anyone's at school. She is a sensible 9 year old so able to follow this advice. Obviously, I treated them last night as soon as I got back from work will keep combing until I'm sure they are gone.

So my question was IBU to still send her to school. I didnt feel I could justify a day off work for nits. If dp (not dd's dad) had taken time off work he wouldn't get paid. With hindsight, I could have asked her dad to have her and deal with it but it didn't occur to me at the time. And what would other working parents do?

[PurpleCrazyHorse]

I wouldn't worry about it now. I think you did the best you could in the circumstances and a 9yo is certainly able to follow some basic instructions for the day.

I've taken to keeping a nit comb in the bathroom cupboard and some Hedrin in there too, just for this kind of thing (as you're bound to notice them after baths etc when drying hair). That way, you can at least use the nit comb to get as much out as possible.

If it was me (and obviously I have the nit comb to hand), I'd ring in to work and say I'd be a little bit late, nit comb her hair, tie it up and send her in. We've got a Nitty Gritty comb so it gets out the nits and eggs.

[Gubbins]

I'd do the same as you. It takes at least 45 minutes to properly nit comb my daughter's hair. She'd be late for school and I'd be late for work. A ten minute quick comb is as good as useless on her long thick hair as it would almost certainly miss some.

[meglet]

we've never had nits but if I was that close to work I'd probably risk it like you.

I do (hopefully) preventative nit combs every Friday evening.

[ToadsJustFellFromTheSky]

My parents never kept me off school when I had head lice. I don't think anyone else's did either.

Are you supposed to keep them off school?

[Caboodle]

I think ywbu...sorry but I don't think it is fair to send her in. Why would you miss a whole day of work? Comb then be late. You don't know she didn't transfer them to others. Perpetuates the whole nit sharing cycle if you don't treat once they are spotted.

[HirplesWithHaggis]

Nits are eggs, cemented on to the hair. They're not tranferrable, it's the hatched adult lice that travel.

[RB68]

I would have sent in as well - having had a quick check and removed any actual lice etc.

I get annoyed at it going round and round but if really 5 mins before work etc its not life threatening and treatment would happen same day in eve so not unreasonable

[Unreasonableandpetty]

As a parent who has had to deal with circular nits this year then yep sorry ywbu.
I have to go out to work too and I have had to come back into the house and go through the hedrin combing process and either be late or stay off because people don't check heads or send their kids into school knowingly with nits.
There frigging times since before Easter dc have had them. I treat them comb every couple of days until we run totally clear when clear comb once a week then have to start all over again. I am longing for the summer holidays to finally get them 100% clear again and I will be if they are back at school a week in August and they reappear again.

[trashcanjunkie]

When we used Hedrin and it didn't work. I used the nitty gritty every three days for a couple of weeks. Very boring but necessary. I'm on the fence about the going in without combing. Obviously not a day off, but yes, perhaps you all should have been late. I'm guessing it probably didn't occur to you though. I would have been in 'get out the door' mode. If it happens like this again, you could nip to a chemist, grab the necessary's and be in work an hour late.

[storybrooke]

I would have treated them there and then, lice repulse me (I'm a bit ocd about bugs ) but I'm not going to say ywbu as I've not had that dilemma. Its done, I wouldn't worry too much about it just hope shes not passed them to anyone else.

[AdventureBe]

the best way to treat them is just combing with conditioner, which takes a couple of weeks to be nit free anyway, so even if you had dealt with them there and then, she'd still be going to school with nits.

I'd have done the same. A friend who kept her DD home because she had nits was told that wasn't a valid reason for absence.

[MsColouring]

I am a teacher so going in late is not really an option unless an emergency.

[Mermaidhair]

Yabu, it's not fair on other parents and children to send her to school. You should have phone in work late. When you have kids these things happen. I would be annoyed that my child could gets nits from yours and consequently inconvenience me. Other people need to work also. I hope they are gone now. Try to check on a weekend.

[greensnail]

Our school says treating nits is not a reason to keep them off school so it would go down as unauthorised absence if you went in late to treat them. I would do the same as you and treat them after school. It takes a few goes usually to get my older daughter's hair completely nit and louse free as her hair is so thick and curly it is really hard to be sure we've covered all the hair so during that time she has to carry on going to school as usual.

[sprackenzyboiled]

YANBU, obviously nobody needs a day off work or a day off school for nits.

[WorraLiberty]

I can understand the dilemma, what with you needing to get to work.

But it must have been awful for your DD to have to sit in school for 6 or 7 hours, knowing she's got insects crawling around her scalp.

I don't think it's fair to her or to the other children.

But I do understand how you found yourself in a situation that called for a quick decision.

[RooftopCat]

DS has a girl in his class who is off for two days at a time when she gets nits. It's great that the parents take it seriously but... There is another girl in the class who seems to always have nits. So the first girl has had about 8 days off school due to possibly getting nits off this other girl. I don't see the point of keeping them off in that situation.

[ItsTricky]

YANBU. It takes ages to treat the hair properly using combing method and wven then there's no guarantee you'll get every single one. The new hatchers are hard to get. I was told that combing some conditioner through the dry hair and tying it back keeps the lice 'put' until you are able to treat the head properly.

[Caboodle]

Yes, I'm a teacher too. Obviously each work place is different but given the pain the arse nits are for staff our Head would understand; and I would take the flak anyway because it is the right thing to do. If you don't treat then you cause a problem for someone else. It's not good enough to say it is just the eggs...they could hatch whist in school. Your kid, your responsibility. I cannot see why you would send DC in with then anyway...must be awful for them nevermind anyone else.

Re PP why would a child going in late count as an unauthorised absence? It would count as a late mark (and the teacher of the class would thank you for being responsible).

[meditrina]

Guidance on Registration Codes

Code L if late, but before register has closed.

Code U if late after register has closed (unless other code is more applicable)

It was like that under previous versions too.

[Caboodle]

Schools have leeway with this....up to them when they 'officially' close the register (but cannot leave it open for the full session). U means late anyway - just late after registration closed.
I'm wondering how many people would send their child into school with something infectious? Would they be sent in with scabies for example? Irritating for those who have it but they wouldn't be so ill they couldn't attend...but would you send them in to pass it on? Anyway...I just wouldn't send mine in with nits as all I would be doing is putting my need to be at work before the needs of others.

[ghostyslovesheep]

I would have sent her in but I keep Hedrin once and Hedrin treat and go in the cupboard for such eventualities - I have 3 girls with long hair - I keep Hedrin in business

[ghostyslovesheep]

Nits are hardly comparable with infectious skin diseases