to think that if your daughter has nits you should tie her hair back for school

[wagonweel1]

one of the mums from my dd's school rang me last night to warn me that her dd has nits. At school this morning her dd was walking into the playground with her long hair flowing in the wind. Surely she has a duty to tie it back to try and avoid passing them on.

I thin a day off for Nits is hilarious advice on MN where normally everyone gets hysterical about the damage caused if you ask for a days holiday from school. So a days holiday will irreparably damage your childs education but a day off with nits won't?
Long haired tied back does help prevent the spread, but if the girls in the OP had been throughly treated she was probably nit free (until she became re-infected).

yy mummytime! There're a manageable inconvenience, nothing more. I think I've started scratching, just from reading the thread, and I can see why people like a whine/rant about it. But the OTT measures sometimes championed/proposed do make me snigger!

I'm always intrigued by the little information that some of the parents on our school know about nits/lice and how much prejudice there is. I mentioned to a parent one day that I had treated my child for headlice and since my DD and hers had been playing/cuddling that she should check... and she gave the whole - 'my DD couldn't possibly have them because we don't brush her hair and lice live in hairbrushes', 'my son never got them', 'her hair is always clean' etc etc. She seemed to know nothing about it at all and was suggesting that my DD must be unclean!!

I tied her hair back to try and keep them away (personal choice) but when she was in reception she had them nearly all year... I checked her hair every couple of days and treated with proper stuff (occasionally), and the rest of the time combed through conditioner or hair detangler treatment! As fast as I cleared them, she got more from some other child at school. I got so fed up telling the school she had them - they didn't do anything, only occasionally send home a tiny note saying 'there has been a case of lice in your childs class, please check your childs hair', the rest of the time they made me feel like an inadequate parent!! The school never offered actual advice on how to treat or how often, so although I know because I searched hard and asked other parents, many parents at our school know absolutely nothing!

She's gone into Y1 and they play differently now so we've only had them once in the last 3 months, I'm hoping this may be the end of constantly having them!!

You get lice from hair contact. They walk along the hairs. Combing the hair with nothing in it is not effective as they move faster than you can comb. Lice live in dirty or clean hair, short or long hair. They are fairly clear but can change colour to blend with the colour of the hair they live on! The 'itch' tends to the the sign of an infestation/reaction to the bites, it is likely that if they have started itching they have probably had lice for days unnoticed!

petrol rubbed through the hair and scalp is effective. A Polish au pair I know said they all do it this time in Poland. Just make sure you lay off the silk cut while you're at it though.

I have plaited my dd's hair every day since she started school. We have an endless nit problem. I check her and get rid of them, then some 'scratter' at school gives them to her again. Sigh. Serves me right for having a cheerful child who is friendly and loves hugging other children.

All other dc good. We get rid of them for a few weeks or so, then oh! Back they are. The scary thing is, I'm kind of used to it now.

Kytti my dd is exactly the same loves hugging other children and I used to battle with lice every few weeks then a friend with a child in nursery told me about Picksan no lice and thankfully not one has been near her since (or me), we used to dread checking her hair ! I only spray my dd's hair not my own as she was the one that used to bring them home.

A teatree oil spray diluted in a water spray helps as a deterrent and you can buy Alberto basalm teatree shampoo for 99p.

Wet comb regularly to check.

Dd's hair is past shoulders but putting it in plaits is a nightmare - always falls out! Does putting it in a pony tail/bunches count as 'tying it back' do you think?

catchafallingstar Sat 03-Dec-11 19:10:49

Does putting it in a pony tail/bunches count as 'tying it back' do you think?

my dd always had her hair washed with tea tree shampoo and I made the sprays with teatree oil but she still caught them ive tried all the different tea tree brands, I read somewhere it works for lots of insects but not lice.Putting hair in pony classed as tying back i think.

Actually I think that headlice, same as midges and gnats and mosquitoes, simply like some people more than others. The first time I ever got headlice (a decade before becoming a parent) I was crawling by the time I discovered the problem, but none of my friends or partners caught them.

my DD is a nit magnet. for about 12 months she had them, despite, trying all the lotions ( about 14), most of the combs (at one point we had 20) none of them worked.

I was convinced that whoever was sitting next to DD was passing them on Every Blummin Day. It didnt seem to matter if her hair was up or down. she has since moved classes (in Spetember) and the nit problem seems to be under control.

Every sunday night we have a routine, bath, hair washed, loads of conditioner and then stick a film on and 'do' her nits. we use conditioner and nitty gritty comb. most weeks she is clear, but she has come home with the occasional beastie (and passed them to me!)

I use the hedrin mousse on myself. My hair is very very curly and it works a treat for me. i couldnt get a nitcomb through my hair, even when lathered in conditioner!

the nits seem not to like tea tree oil, but thats just preventative and wont really stop them.

Lice can fall onto clothing and get passed as kids brush against each other as well.

Have to shave my DS every time there is outbreak at school, they love his hair its so thick and can set up a colony before I've even noticed.

We went through a nit stage. And all my boys had Number 4's. So that blows the the long hair theory out. Nits like clean hair I'm afraid.

The only thing that got rid of them was a nittygritty comb and some foam stuff (cant remember what it was called now).

I used to line them up on the patio and foam them! De-louse, re foam, delouse again.

They never caught them again.

The worst outbreak stemmed from a camping trip, 8 to a tent. So the whole school must have been infected a week later because they spread like wild fire.

Because nits like clean hair, a squirt of hair spray often does the trick for girls.

hopeforthebest - parents don't admit that nits are infectious and that all and every child could get them. The problem is that most parents refuse to check (in our school anyway) therefore it has spread a long way before things get sorted so keeping kids off at that stage although slightly beneficial, won't solve the problem! Our school needs more educating on the issue, prevention and elimination! More awareness = less rediculous behaviour from parents and better problem solving! But until you can get other parents/teachers past the 'it's all your own fault that your child has nits' stage, then you will continue to get stupid responses!

I found rugby scrums v effective for passing headlice around boys.One outbreak was traced back to a shared scrum hat!

YANBU but I know someone who that happened to and she had stayed at the grandparents who let her wear it down. So there may be an explanation.

mosquitos kill over 1 million people every year - but yes I agree bring back the nit nurse.

I never had any success with chemicals - and ended up relying on nitty gritty, conditioner and neem oil - I was told anyway not to use chemicals due to my daughter having eczema - so please don't think a refusal to use chemicals means they weren't treated or got rid of.

At my school the child who has nits almost constantly has hair tied up in french plaits every day.

Hi there,
My child has had nits and a few lice for the first time this week. I have treated it with Nice n Easy twice now. I thought it had all gone but it seems not now, having just checked again.

I'm really cross as it must have come from school but no-one else has come forward to say their child has had it or has it. Some parents don't even appear bothered about nits and I see some kids with their hair down every day. My daughter has her tied back all the time but it hasn't prevented it.

Could anyone recommend the best treatment as I so don't want Christmas dominated by nits and haircombs!
Thanks.

Oh and yes - I agree... all for the return of the nit nurse!

I found the nitty gritty comb and conditioner better than any of the chemical treatments to be honest - and cheaper too.