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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:

katz · 23/02/2012 13:09

I agree with Sidge - nits/lice aren't a reason to deny a child an education. Just think how many days schooling would be lost if we went over to a send them home if they have 1.

yes they're annoying and yes they are easily spread, but they don't actually cause any real harm and i say this as a parent with a child who reacts to the nits poo.

As other posters on this thread have said i do like the way most children only seem capable of catching nits/headlice not spreading them.

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 13:16

Sorry that's rubbish.Sending home works so the problem improves dramatically ie you'd be lucky to get a call thus practically zilch time off school.It effects concentration dramatically,how can it not?Also my son gets a runny nose every time he gets them

In the 90s I only had to call a parent once.That's the whole point if you send home it ceases to be a problem and if it's an instant treatment a class could be nit free in a week.The current system isn't working as classes don't all treat at the same time to break the cycle,you only need one child to reinfest a whole class.

Don't think anybody is saying they don't spread it,how can you not spread it.A child could catch it and spread it in the same day.

HopeForTheBest · 23/02/2012 13:21

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ on request of its author.

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 13:27

Good post Hope.I've seen it work when I was a child and when I 1st started teaching,I'm staggered at the difference with my own dc 20- years down the line.

At our outstanding school the problem is sooo bad ie somebody has always get it I don't think they even bother sending the letters out as they'd have to send them daily.

God think of the money,man hours you'd save.Think how much better concentration overall would go up.It would save the NHS too as many families can get Hedrin on prescription.

It's madness,just don't get why the gov don't grow some balls and deal with the problem.They don't mind lecturing on lunchbox content but nits noooooo.

valiumredhead · 23/02/2012 13:28

katz not true actually, they do cause harm if you have them a lot hence the term 'feeling lousy.'

valiumredhead · 23/02/2012 13:35

Just read that they live off the head for 1 -2 days. Interesting,so definitely worth doing a hot wash of pillow cases etc and placing cuddly toys in the freezer like someone said up thread.

valiumredhead · 23/02/2012 13:37

Also ( I am REALY over thinking this now!) if an adult caught pubic lice they would up the GP's so quick you wouldn't see them for dust but somehow nits on kids' heads have somehow become an acceptable part of being at school. Yes most kids get them at some point but it's not rocket science to get rid of them.

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 13:41

God thought I knew everything re nits but didn't know that,I'd heard they can't live off the head as they need the warmth and whatever else they get from heads.

So should I be changing pillowcases nightly too?Just add it to the list of evening chores.

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 13:42

Valium I think your nit obsession is now on a par with mine but yes you've got a bloody good point re lice down below!!!!

valiumredhead · 23/02/2012 13:43

I wish I knew how to c and p on this new computer, I miss my old one

I suppose it stands to reason they don't die the minute they crawl off the head so makes sense.

valiumredhead · 23/02/2012 13:44

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 13:47

No,no don't c and p pubic lice,just don't.

I'm fed up with dtwin 1 showing me his latest microscope slides of headlice as it is,if I become knowledgable on pubic lice too I might just have to shoot myself.

valiumredhead · 23/02/2012 13:47

I was going to c and p what I read about lice living off the head not pubic lice!

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 13:51

Sidge · 23/02/2012 13:52

Of course they need dealing with, I never said they didn't.

But nit nurses and exclusion are not the way to deal with them IMO.

Better education, resources, demonstrations from HVs support staff etc would be preferable to nit nurses and exclusion.

Triggles · 23/02/2012 13:54

Actually, they ARE still a constant problem in the states. It's just that parents get called to leave work early to pick up their children or have to call in to work to stay home and do a treatment. Or the children miss much more school than they need to. Sending them home doesn't work any better from what we've seen after years in the school system in the US.

seeker · 23/02/2012 13:55

As I said. Sort out your own children. Remember that your children are transmitters as well as receivers. Yes, some people who don't deal properly with lice are lazy bastards. But some lead chaotic lives where lice are the least of their problems. Anything which makes those kids lives harder is just not a good thing to do.

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 13:58

What resources exactly?

All parents know about combing and ye holy Nitty Gritty comb.

All of what you've listed is already there.Our hv comes to school events with a table and leaflets,you'd have to be on planet Mars not to know.Most kids have had nits and the school notes.

The only things not happening now that where are nit nurses and calls home-that is why we have a major infestation and it's same old,same old just going round in circles.

Total utter madness.

1 week of checks and calls home and the problem in most schools would be sorted.It would be very rare that parents would ever get a call in the future.

Triggles · 23/02/2012 14:00

Nope, not true. Because there will ALWAYS be a family that didn't follow through on the second treatment or combing out and the reinfestation begins again.

Always.

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 14:02

Chronic nits doesn't help any child.

All kids get nits.

I'm well aware that my dc's nits will transfer(even though we comb so much they're mostly babies ie not masseeeeeve egg laden grown ups).Nobody has ever said "my kids only catch not transfer".

Sorting my kids doesn't stop them getting it continuously-untreated nits on many other kids does.

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 14:04

Surely there are one administration treatments,there used to be hoards.

If kids were sent home with a treatment that killed instantly parents wouldn't need to do it again.

Posters have said in the States they still comb.

seeker · 23/02/2012 14:07

The chemical louse killers rapidly become ineffective as the lice develop immunity. And even when they are effective they need to be applied properly, including reapplication to kill the new hatchings.

The only effective method is combing.

valiumredhead · 23/02/2012 14:10

Combing did sod all for my ds's I had to pick them out, took fecking ages.

MrsHeffley · 23/02/2012 14:10

Combing isn't effective.

If kids were sent home chemical ones would rarely be needed hence no immunity problem(which was how it used to be).

Need to do research on use application on the chemical products,I can't believe there isn't a single useage one.There was in the 70s.

gordyslovesheep · 23/02/2012 14:14

Better education of parents ... for example

nits can not get IMMUNE to products like Hedrin as they do not use chemicals or pseticides

it's myths like that that cause parents not to bother and to half hearted comb until they can't 'see' any nits - only to be agreeved when they reappear a week later

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