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Original poster

Has your boy had headlice?

38 replies

HeadLiceFears · 30/11/2022 10:17

Just had notice from school there is a case in his class. He has very short hair, does it make it less likely for him to get them?

After a week of dealing with multiple viruses and worms and with now a huge work backlog in front of me, I honestly can't imagine adding this to my mental load and just want to cry.

So hoping for some reassurance. Did your short haired boys get headlice at school?

Should I take any precautions with his coat/clothes?

OP posts:
ChocHotolate · 30/11/2022 12:48

Son in Y6 and he has avoided them

isittheholidaysyet · 30/11/2022 12:49

My elder boys got them at nursery. Easily dealt with.

DS3 has had then twice (or maybe three times?)(along with DD) but he had long thick hair, usually worn in a ponytail. It was a bloody nightmare!

They say boys are less likely to get them because hair is usually short, and they don't tend to touch each other/hug as much as girls.

Original poster
HeadLiceFears · 30/11/2022 14:02

@isittheholidaysyet yes it's weird as from what I see they only spread though direct contact but do kids really rub their heads together on a regular basis? My son is in reception and I don't imagine any of them cuddle or touch each other much. It must be that they crawl their way around the classroom, hide in the snuggly reading areas etc? (Shudders at the thought)

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ConkerLeaf · 30/11/2022 14:07

My sister had long thick hair and got them 2/3 times while in primary - me and my Mum never caught them from her, despite being a fairly cuddly family.
Just to put your mind at rest that if he does get them it doesn’t mean anyone else in the family will.

Yolande7 · 30/11/2022 14:21

The joys of team work in school... My girls have had them several times, but my husband and I never caught them. I just plugged the kids in the bathtub, gave them some toys, lathered their head with conditioner and combed their hair. You do not need to remove toys or change bedlinen. Lice can only survive 24 hours without food and are immobile after 6-8 hrs.

While I can think of more fun activities, it was never a big deal and my kids have long hair and a lot of it. Combing will take 10 minutes, if your son has short hair.

CheckedPJ · 30/11/2022 14:28

Yes, mine both had very short hair, cut with clippers all over , but they both had several bouts of headlice. The good news is it's very straightforward to deal with by combing with conditioner in short hair.

Figmentofimagination · 30/11/2022 15:40

HeadLiceFears · 30/11/2022 14:02

@isittheholidaysyet yes it's weird as from what I see they only spread though direct contact but do kids really rub their heads together on a regular basis? My son is in reception and I don't imagine any of them cuddle or touch each other much. It must be that they crawl their way around the classroom, hide in the snuggly reading areas etc? (Shudders at the thought)

@HeadLiceFears the probably do hug each other. My DS and his friends hug each other lots, that's how I think he got them.

Kta7 · 30/11/2022 15:51

When we get outbreaks I use the Hedrin spray as well as the Nitty Gritty - belt and braces! 😀 Hedrin is (or certainly used to be - haven’t checked recently) dimethicone-based so suffocates them - they’ve become resistant to some of the other brands, which aim to poison them.

spiderlight · 30/11/2022 15:59

Mine did, twice - once at the very end of Reception and once in about Y6. He had quite long hair in Reception, shorter in Y6. Both times he shared them with DH, who has very long, very curly hair 😫

katmarie · 30/11/2022 16:02

DS had it in nursery, his hair was short, but quite thick. I think he got it from rolling around and wrestling and stuff with the other kids, he's not much of a hugger hahaha. We treated with the nitty gritty comb and hedrin, and we check regularly now, but not had an issue since.

PS anyone else itching reading this thread.

bluesky45 · 30/11/2022 16:14

Mine have just had them. One boy has short hair, he didn't get many and one has longer hair and had a fair few. Used a nitty gritty comb and my normal conditioner. Done their hair on day 1 (lots of nits) and 5 (a few, 10ish) and day 9 (maybe 1 in one child, maybe just a bit of fluff, I'm not sure!). Will do them again on day 13 and 17 to make sure the cycle is broken and then every week from now on to catch any coz it seems rife at their school. NHS website says day 1, 5, 9, 13 and 17 is the way to do it and seems to have worked for us.

Original poster
HeadLiceFears · 30/11/2022 16:25

Done a visual check and couldn't spot anything untoward, fingers crossed! He really doesn't have a lot of hair right now after getting it cut at the weekend so hopefully that doesn't give them a lot of options!

Will do the conditioning and nitty gritty when the stuff arrives on Friday and probably weekly thereafter, at least until the Christmas break as we will be staying with family and definitely don't want to gift them lice!

OP posts:
Minikievs · 30/11/2022 16:58

Yes, I noticed him scratching and when I checked, he had LOADS 😩
I couldn't see them on a visual check though, I'd recommend you comb him

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