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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think they should bring back nit nurses?

388 replies

Rachtoteach · 21/02/2012 10:10

First day back after half term yesterday. A nice, lice free half-term I should add. Doing my little girl's hair for school this morn, she is caked in nits and eggs. I couldn't send her into school - how could I when it would then have just spread and I would have been as bad as the mums I moan about who dont appear to give a toss. I had to take my son in anyway so went into talk to my daughter's teacher. I expressed my upset that it has now come to the point (headlice has been going on and on and on since Sept) that I have felt the need to keep her off school. I know its not the teachers fault. She said unfortunately some parents simply dont treat/check and until whole class is treated at same time, problem will continue. So for WITW I have bought yet another treatment which has to be applied over night and washed off in the morning. I have my daughter at home (she is 5) and I am supposed to be at work. I really think they should bring back nit nurses so all children are checked and treated!!

OP posts:

southeastastra · 21/02/2012 10:10

agree!

KalSkirata · 21/02/2012 10:18

didnt the school nurse used to do this? We need those too. If a child gets sick there's no nurses room anymore to lie in till a parent can get there.

ReallyTired · 21/02/2012 10:21

I don't think it requires a nursing degree to de nit a child.

I think it would be good to a health care assistant employed on the minimum wage to de nit a entire school. Prehaps this is something the PTA could fund/ organise.

Anyway if you fine tooth comb your child's hair every three days then she will not end up caked in nits and eggs. Parents need to be taught about prevention.

SimoneD · 21/02/2012 10:24

Definitely agree
Bring back Nitty Nora the Biddy Explorer

oldmum42 · 21/02/2012 10:28

Sorry, but if your DD is caked in nits and eggs today, she was NOT nit free over the half term holiday! Initial stages where there are only a few is hard to notice even with careful checking (as they are laying eggs so close to the scalp).

Agree, ALL of us need to check at least weekly - adults too! No point in treating the kids if the adults have it too but don't treat!

WorraLiberty · 21/02/2012 10:31

I don't think it would make any difference if the Nit Nurse was brought back.

The main deterrent used to be the 'walk of shame' with the big brown envelope you were given to hand to your parents.

Everyone in the class would look to see who got one and that (when I was a kid anyway) used to be the main reason parents were careful to de louse the whole family.

We don't live like that anymore and I'm sure a private word would be had with the parents.

That might make them treat the child's hair but the problem of not treating the whole family would still remain.

Some women still think they don't need to check their own hair because they dye it (doesn't always kill them) or because they use hair straighteners...but they only kill the lice and not the eggs that are laid too close to the scalp.

SooticaTheWitchesCat · 21/02/2012 10:33

Definitely! I am sick and tired of getting rid of nits in my DDs hair just for them to come back again a few weeks later. There must be children who have them constantly as a lot of the other mums are complaining too!

Our PTA are actually thinking of going to the headmaster and asking if something can be done as it is getting ridiculous.

valiumredhead · 21/02/2012 10:33

Sorry OP but it doesn't sound like she was free over half term as you can't be caked in lice and eggs that badly after one day back at school. Get combing!

valiumredhead · 21/02/2012 10:34

I agree worra it WAS the shame of bringing home a brown envelope that did it - wouldn't be allowed now!

WorraLiberty · 21/02/2012 10:40

I agree too that it doesn't sound like she caught them at school if she's 'caked' in lice and eggs.

jeee · 21/02/2012 10:43

Trouble is, it's so difficult to clear nits. I realised on Thursday that DS was crawling with the critters. I treated the entire family with Hedrin.... but realised on Sunday that I was going to have to treat us again as DS and DD3 had already got tiny headlice (at least the large ones had gone).

And on that point, has Hedrin changed its formula? Because it's always worked before, and I suspect the half-term outbreak could be traced back to an outbreak four weeks earlier (which was treated, again with Hedrin). It's just not getting rid of the blighters.

Any solutions which actually work? Not conditioner and comb, because that never works.

ilovedjasondonovan · 21/02/2012 10:44

I agree!!! DD has had them for 3 months so far since September. 7 treatments and we still hadn't got rid of the fuckers. Eventually I got her hair chopped pretty short over Xmas and we managed to get rid of them. General nit letter came home again yesterday, so I checked her hair. Yep - a few eggs there. So a comb through needed tonight to try and catch the bugger in there.
I even use the Vosene shampoo, but it doesn't seem to make a difference, she just attracts them. Her best friend has longer hair than her now and hasn't had them once since starting school. AAAArrrrggghhhh.

valiumredhead · 21/02/2012 10:49

It really isn't difficult to clear nits - I was a nanny for years and have treated lots of kid's hair. If it is done thoroughly and (this is the key) the WHOLE family are checked, then they are easy enough to get rid of.

I nominate myself for Nit Nurse duty!

WorraLiberty · 21/02/2012 10:52

Grrrrrr! I'm scratching all over like a monkey!

valiumredhead · 21/02/2012 10:53

Come here worra and let Nurse Val have a quick peek...

LilacWaltz · 21/02/2012 10:53

jeee the problem with Hedrin and other chemicals is that the Luce become immune.

And op, it's lice ( crawling insects) and the nits ( which are the eggs)

You clearly were not clear over half term. And her brother can just as easily have them too. And you. So they can be passed back and forth this way

LilacWaltz · 21/02/2012 10:54

And never mind the headline...... Have you checked for worms???just as likely they have these, often it's symptom less!!

WorraLiberty · 21/02/2012 10:55

Ok Nurse Val...but drop the brown envelope please and stop waving it in the air

valiumredhead · 21/02/2012 10:56

They can't become immune to Hedrin as it doesn't work like that - the Hedrin suffocates the live ones but you need to keep treating. They can become immune to chemical treatments.

jeee · 21/02/2012 10:56

LilacWaltz, I'd understood that because Hedrin suffocates, lice couldn't become immume. Is this incorrect?

TroublesomeEx · 21/02/2012 10:56

Not sure she will have been nit free over half term and then 'caked' in nits and lice a couple of days later.

It doesn't work quite like that.

DS had them almost permanently at primary school because there was a girl in his class and you could see them crawling.

It was a nightmare.

iseenodust · 21/02/2012 10:57

Don't need the nit nurse back. Need people to use something that works....with chemicals I'm afraid.

hanreeoak · 21/02/2012 11:00

Every morning when doing my childrens hair I put a few drops of tea tree oil on to the brush and comb through (going underneath by their neck first) and I also have got in the routine of checking their hair every friday with Tea tree conditioner and the nit comb. Its much cheaper than buying the expensive treatments (which we can't afford) and apart from the very rare adult nit I have found my girls don't seem to get them. They will probably be crawling in them tonight now I have put that tho!!!

wouldratherbeonthebeach · 21/02/2012 11:00

They drove me so mad in ds3 that I took him to hairforce in London. He had them for 3 years despite my constant war against them. They were amazing and got rid of all of them but we had to go to London and he missed 2 days school and it cost me a fortune in train journeys but so worth it. Then dd had one big one yesterday first day back . Will keep combing and see how it goes....

valiumredhead · 21/02/2012 11:03

Tbh I think the advice of 'comb through with tea tree oil' was the worst that was ever given out! People don't realise just how long it takes to do it properly.

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