"Regular family worming" Is this a thing??

[MissClareRemembers]

I overheard (basically earwigging) a group of mums yesterday. One of them said she regularly "worms" the whole family. I have never heard of anyone doing this before! The cat, yes, but not the DCs.

Is this a thing??

🐛

Yep. Ive come across it a bit. I think about it if we've gone 4 or 5 months without them complaining
Theres some horrible statistic about half (?!) the kids having worms and not knowing it....

Hmmm, I’m a childminder and we’ve been known to do a preventative dose now and again.

I did it every half term when they were younger. Stopped once they reached junior school age.
They caught them in nursery once and I decided it was better to suck it up and buy a bottle of Ovex regularly (plus good hand washing) than ever have to deal with that again .

Well, I’ll be buggered. Who knew?! We’ve only had one bout of worms so I guess we’ve been lucky.

I’ve never wormed my children or been wormed myself. Perhaps we’re riddled with them!

I take regular worm doses as an adult and always did as a child growing up too. Usually just remember to pick it up in the chemist when the pets are due theirs

Yes I do this but I grew up in a country where it is done regularly by everyone as a matter of course twice a year. I have upheld the tradition living in the Uk 😬Interestingly, head lice aren’t tolerated at all, I remember our entire class being sent home in primary until everybody was clear.

Am shocked by this!

How would I go about worming the family? Don’t you need prescriptions?

We haven’t had worms yet. Is it inevitable?

I’ve never had worms and don’t know anyone who has (or at least no one has ever admitted it...), my DC have never had them either. I de-worm my cat but not my DC .

Not inevitable, none of us have ever had worms yet, my eldest is a teenager. We've only preventatively wormed ourselves once, when the kids were much younger and a friend let us know their child had worms just after they'd stayed with us.
Nits on the other hand....😬

I had a friend who was one of a big family and I remember her saying “we can’t play out tonight we’re being wormed again” as if it was the most normal thing in the world. I then asked my mum if I could be wormed as I thought I was missing out on something lol. The stuff the dr gave me was awful and made me vomit.

I didn’t think it was that common but maybe I’m wrong!

Yep. I grew up on a farm, would never think not to tbh! I usually remember to do it at the same time the cat is due a round.

No. You only give children worm treatment if they or one of them manage to catch worms, you don't do it as a precautionary measure. Not like pets.

Frith, you would know if you had worms. You haven't. I've never had them either (there is still time I suppose).

I've never had worms, nor has Dd so no.
I've never heard of anyone doing it either.

@Brilly thanks for giving me hope!

I guess if one person in the family is found to have worms, it makes sense to dose everyone.
BUT, if there's no evidence - why would you? pointless.
It's like making everyone use the nit shampoo when no-one has nits.

Never heard of doing it as a prevention. My kids haven't had worms yet but they are also not in full time school or nursery yet. I've never had worms that I remember and my dad is a farmer. Maybe my family are just lax with these things.

The products are available over the counter no script necessary.
It’s a bit old school to do it twice a year but not unheard of.

The cat, yes, but not the DCs.

If it's not odd to worm our pets, it shouldn't seem odd to worm the family I guess. I've never done it routinely and we've only had them definitely once and a suspected bout once (I didn't check, just wormed at the first mention of an itchy bottom!)

Neither my brother nor I have ever had worms (or nits for that matter). DS hasn't either but he's not yet 3 (neither has my 4.5yo nephew). Are these things becoming a lot more common?

Lots of people have worms with no symptoms.

When DD has them, they crawl into her vagina. After hours awake with her at night screaming in pain, I now give a dose every three months!

Nits and worms made an appearance in this household on two different children in one weekend recently, that was fun

I worm me & dh. Too many pets to take a chance...