Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be pissed off with the nursery and their 'nit' policy (or lack of)

27 replies

MooMinCow · 13/01/2011 14:12

Bit of a ramble Sorry...

when I picked up DD (3) last Tues from nursery i was told they'd seen some lice in her hair. After freaking out initially, we did the Full Marks treatment on her and have subsequently been combing and checking her hair every day after for eggs/lice, and all seemed clear by last weekend.

(This is the first time I've had to deal with lice, and has been awful as DD HATES having her very full, thick, dark head of hair touched, brushed, washed etc and it has been a stressful week all round trying to clear her hair - we resorted to using nitty gritty comb at night while she was asleep). She hadn't been in contact with any other kids around Xmas, and we are all clear so she must have picked them up at nursery?

Anyway there was no letter/note/email sent out last week, and when I checked her hair on Tues I found 4 live lice in her hair. Had to repeat the treatment again (more tears all round). I told the nursery and they said they would send a note/mail tomorrow (Fri).

Have decided to keep her home till next Monday(don't have work or anything so no big deal) as am reluctant to send her if there is another child there with lice that will be passed on again.

So, am I wrong in thinking that the nursery should have sent a note out to all parents immediately instead of waiting another 10 days? If it wasn't her this time and another child had them, I would want to know straight away so I could check my child. Am I over-reacting, or should I just spray her head with Tea tee oil, tie her hair up and send her anyway and keep fingers crossed?

OP posts:
BlueCat2010 · 13/01/2011 14:17

There is a range of shampoo, sonditioner, and repellent spray called Head On, which also has a treatment that is easy to use (it actually washs out, unlike the chemist stuff!). It's based on Neem oil, and is the dogs danglies!

Since I started using it on my boys they haven't had any nits even though there was a reoccuring problem in the nursery.

mankyscotslass · 13/01/2011 14:19

I would expect a general letter to go out to all parents, so YANBU.

But I think you are being slight unrealisitic to expect it to make much difference.

It gets worse in school. I just plait DD's hair tightly every day and spray all the kids hair with a tea tree/water mix.

Some parents don't really check, or bother about nits.

harassedinherpants · 13/01/2011 14:21

It is bloody annoying, but it's just one of those things I'm afraid.

Dd is 4.5, and has had them much less since I started using tea tree conditioner on her hair.

The time that made me most angry was when she caught them from dsd. Dsd was absolutely riddled with them, I've never seen so many on one head before and dd is my 3rd dc. Dh treated them, and had a word with his ex who said she knew dsd had them but there was no point in treating them as she'll just get them again....... and that's why the problem isn't eradicated imo Hmm.

Asteria · 13/01/2011 14:22

sadly this is something you will undoubtedly battle with for a few more years now - shame they don't have nit nurses in school any longer. One of my DS's friends always has them and he knows to avoid getting too close! When I used to nanny I was constantly plagued - especially as my hair was very long then. The best thing that you can do is tea tree shampoo and just comb a load of conditioner through very carefully once or twice a week. If you are diligent you shouldn't need to use chemicals - which is preferable!

orangepoo · 13/01/2011 14:27

It is annoying and part of life with little kids - however, I would expect notification to be sent to all parents immediately if any child had been found with nits. Also - I would tie her hair back, yes and I would also spray it with Nitty Gritty Aromatherapy Head Lice Repellent Spray.

FindingStuffToChuckOut · 13/01/2011 14:28

I'm dreading this - DD is just starting nursery & has a full head of very thick mixed race ringlets. I can't begin to think how we are going to deal with nits. We tie her hair up and use tea tree oil in the daily spray with water.

YANBU surely they should let everyone know each time.

Blondeshavemorefun · 13/01/2011 14:30

its annoying and they dont name and shame anymore

or have the nit nurse - years ago if we had nits then we were not allowed at school till cleared

now kids can attend and therefore many parents basically cant be arsed to make sure lice free

Original poster
MooMinCow · 13/01/2011 14:30

blue cat - where do you get that range from? health food shop?

god I know I sound like a moaning minnie, and I can deal with scraping poo/sick off carpets etc without batting an eyelid but this just freaks me out! DS is 7 and has never had them (touch wood) so feel like i should stop being so precious about it all, (sigh). doesn't help that DH has been working late loads so have had to wrestle with DD all on my own...

think will bake cakes (normally my solution to everything)

OP posts:
Onetoomanycornettos · 13/01/2011 14:38

It is very hard to remove all the tiny eggs, even if you feel like you have done it carefully, and it is quite usual to find a few escapees about a week later, but once you have got those last ones gone with the nit comb/conditioner, you may be clear for a while...(in other words, don't assume those four are not from the original infestation, they are just going through their lifecycle).

I do agree though it is very irritating when they just get reinfected.

I use the Bug Busting kit from this charity which has different combs including a tiny one which is great for the eggs. You can get them on free prescription if you get them:

www.chc.org/

mankyscotslass · 13/01/2011 14:52

If you think headlice are bad, wait til you have your first encounter with threadworms. Grin

olderandwider · 13/01/2011 15:59

Welcome to the wonderful world of nit hell. Don't worry, by the time time your DC is about, oooh, 15, the nits seem to give up.

narkypuffin · 13/01/2011 16:02

I don't mind threadworms as much. At least they're relatively contained and easy to treat.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 13/01/2011 16:05

I have just found out that the policy at DD's school is no attendance while affected. they are so fucking shit hot at 100% that I am astonished. At least if she needs a few days off I know what excuse to use evil Grin

amazonchick · 13/01/2011 16:07

Agree with OTMC's

The eggs are really hard to get out and those treatments do not kill the ALL eggs even if they say they do.

You would normally need to battle constantly for 2-4 weeks before your child is completely clear. (eggs hatch different times and you need to catch they before they mate)

Theres little point keeping her off as you will find that in most classes, the children who are passing it around are the ones who have the parents who NEVER treat their children.

You can buy tea tree and I just squirt it in the childrens roots in the morning and brush through. I have not had a prolem since using this method.

lizziemun · 13/01/2011 16:07

Vosene do a shampoo/condintion tea tree and also a tea tree spray (leave in) which i pickup in asda.

Which touchwood helped.

narkypuffin · 13/01/2011 16:11

Would this be too much?

stoatie · 13/01/2011 16:22

We use this stuff (really cheap) DD2 has very long hair and we use the spray daily. Recently got lazy and stopped using it - within short while she had got nits again - however soon got rid of them again. The spray acts as a detangler too so it makes combing much less stressful

www.escentiheadlice.co.uk/

TotemPole · 13/01/2011 16:23

OP, YANBU, they should act as soon as a case is reported.

The best treatment I've found is Hedrin Once. It's very greasy, so if anyone uses it you need to give the bottom of the bath a good clean as it's slippy.

welshbyrd · 13/01/2011 16:31

Narkypuffin - I dont think it will be to much, if you add a similar coloured schoolbag, even a coat - loving the idea

RantyMcRantpants · 13/01/2011 16:37

With 3 kids we have a nightmare with nits but touchwood, since using THIS we haven't had any problems at all.

DuplicitousBitch · 13/01/2011 16:40

agree with using repellent. we discovered nits on dd's head when on holiday in france. bought some magic french smelly stuff which i spray on her hairbrush everyso often. 2 years later she hasn't had them since.

QuickLookBusy · 13/01/2011 16:59

Agree it is annoying. My 2 DDs seemed to have lice frequently for about a year. I finally mastered a technique which served us very well.

Get a metal nit comb.
If she gets them, blast with head lice treatment as directed. Following lice treatment I washed hair, put on a really thick conditioner, then comb through hair every 2-3 nights for 2 weeks. This always got completely rid of them. My DDs both have very thick hair, but I found bribery worked wellGrin. Let her sit somewhere comfy and watch a DVD/TV whilst eating something yummy. Yes its a pain, yes it takes about an hour, but its worth it to get rid of the buggers!
Also always put hair in plaits and use a repellant, for nursey.

Original poster
MooMinCow · 13/01/2011 17:35

dd has short bob so can only tie up the top section so the helmet is tempting! dd won't wear hairband/alice bands otherwise would put her in those that look abut like scarf on hair! failing that have threatened to give her a crew cut.

have been using the vosene anti nit range but have seen that escenti range in our local discount bodycare shop so might try that.

have resigned myself to another back breaking week of combing hair every night while she sleeps. choc button bribes not working!

OP posts:
noodle69 · 13/01/2011 17:50

I work in a nursery and have had nits about 10 times since this time last year. Its the way it goes, so I think yabu if you think letters will make any difference as we have sent out loads and have signs on the wall etc.

lochnessmumster · 13/01/2011 19:34

YANBU. Although by the time letters go out it would be too late.
I use a repellant spray on my dd every day before nursery and so far so good.

Swipe left for the next trending thread