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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that once nursery has nits, we will be de-nitting until she's a teenager

27 replies

PickledLily · 01/01/2015 11:43

Even if I get rid of every single last one, as soon as she's back at nursery, a monster lice will hitchhike a lift on DD's head. And so the cycle begins again. Why can't we have a national nit week where everyone is encouraged to de-nit on the same days? Bring back the nit nurse, I say!

OP posts:
ActionManEyes · 01/01/2015 11:45

Not necessarily...my DC had them several times in nursery and year 1 but not at all since the youngest hit year 2. Less head contact going on maybe?

Probably jinxed us all now Grin

cardibach · 01/01/2015 11:46

Tight plaits and tea tree conditioner. Definitely minimises infestations!

Iggly · 01/01/2015 11:47

Can you tie her hair up?

My two have been lucky and not got them yet. I dread when they do as dd has tightly curled hair :-/

constantlyconfused · 01/01/2015 12:04

My DD had nits pretty much from reception to year 8 .It was a bloody nightmare I took to just combing her hair with nit comb and conditioner daily which kept them at bay but the second i stopped they were back.I have friends whose children never got them Angry

ilovepowerhoop · 01/01/2015 12:06

The only time dd got them was when we visited the in laws and we brought them back with us. She was only 2 at the time and hasn't had them since (now 11). Ds has never had them (age 8)

R4roger · 01/01/2015 12:10

all through early primary school, until I started plaiting

Kathryn2967 · 01/01/2015 12:21

I use a repellent spray after washing her hair and always plait for school and so far my daughter hasn't had nits through nursery, preschool and now in reception despite having had numerous letters home about nits going round. I'm sure you can get an organic version but I definitely rate the repellent spray (mine was just from boots).

ArgyMargy · 01/01/2015 12:24

Nits are weird. My DC all went to full time nursery from 6 months then school etc and we only ever had one episode.

glentherednosedbattleostrich · 01/01/2015 12:28

Hedren do a leave in conditioner with not repellent which really works. DD hasn't had nits and her class has been infested for the whole first term. We also have a nitty gritty comb which I loaned a friend and she said its brilliant.

NeedsAsockamnesty · 01/01/2015 12:41

A nit week wouldn't work. You need longer than a week to really sort them out

fatlazymummy · 01/01/2015 12:58

Not neccesarily. I have 3 children (youngest is 14) and I've only ever had to treat headlice 3 or 4 times. I never had them myself as a child.
I used to use vosene 3 in one shampoo but I don't even bother with that now.
My boys had cropped hair when they were younger and my daughter has her hair plaited or in a bun for school.

Original poster
PickledLily · 01/01/2015 14:30

Sounds like some heads are tastier than others and some children cuddle more than others. Mine is definitely a cuddler.
I was wondering about a leave in conditioner, I'll give that a try. The tea tree oil doesn't seem to work.
One of the problems of having hair long enough to plait is that it's a nightmare to comb. DD will not stay still, so I'm about to cut her hair short again.
She's had nits on and off since 6 months but they are definitely getting worse the longer and thicker her hair gets (because I can't comb it so thoroughly). I try to do it every day.Sad

OP posts:
Sickofthesnow · 01/01/2015 14:38

Nits are a nightmare right now for me :( My youngest started Primary in August, and about 10 days before Xmas hols came home from school & was scratching so checked and she had this mammoth louse in her hair but no other signs. So assuming she had picked it up in school, I used the Full Marks 10 min solution, then combed every bit of her hair with the nitty gritty.
I kept her off school next day to do another comb through and to ensure she wasn't passing any back - told the school etc.
Done the same every few days with the nitcomb and re-treated a week later as suggested on the box...
I had to treat her all over again yesterday as even though she was clear before school finished up - there was either one I'd missed, or she'd managed to grab a few on last day as when I caught her scratching yesterday she was HOACHING.

I get that I may have missed one - these things happen. But what irks me about nits is there are kids who just don't get treated and the nits get passed around the class over and over. I've heard people say that their kids don't itch when they have them but surely as a parent it's our responsibility to check their hair?

Greencurtain · 01/01/2015 14:40

I would cut her hair shorter. If she's a cuddler then she'll keep on getting them whilst in this nursery. They're easier to get rid of from shorter hair. Are you certain you are fully rid of them each time?

TerryDolittle · 01/01/2015 14:44

My two DDs both caught them in Year R once and have never had them since, now aged 10 and 8. I always plait their hair.

inneedofsomeclarity · 01/01/2015 17:34

Nits ARE weird! My eldest dd6 has had them loads of times but youngest dd3 has never had them in spite of the fact that they are always cuddling up and she was at nursery and is now at school! I gave up on nit lotion as found it useless on her afro hair and it's expensive. I swear by a ton of light coloured conditioner (so you can see what you get out!) and a nitty gritty comb and doing that every few days. It's the only thing that works for us and is very satisfying when you get to see how much you get out! Yep I am gross ??

MrsPigling · 01/01/2015 17:41

I'm still finding them on dd1 and she's 16! It would appear that someone in dd3 (9)'s friendship group has them and dd3 keeps bringing them home :(

ghostyslovesheep · 01/01/2015 17:50

I think part of your problem is the combing alone - especially if you are finding it hard to do properly - maybe you aren't getting them all

try using a treatment such as hedrin - once takes 15 mins and works for us

I have 3 DD's with long thick hair so combing as treatment just isn't an option

FryOneFatManic · 01/01/2015 19:38

I was constantly combing DD's hair until she was 12-13 years old Hmm is now 14. I think she was definitely attractive to lice!

Meanwhile, DS is nearly 11 and has had lice twice, both times easily rid.

It's quite possible that it's down to hair length, but I have shortish hair and still sometimes got them off DD, and DP has long hair but he only got them once.

So I guess some people attract them more than others.

FullOfChoc · 01/01/2015 19:39

I have a friend who swears bu putting heairspray on her DDs hair. I am planning to try this if we get another infestation.

Owww I'm itching now...

GertrudePerkins · 01/01/2015 19:43

i agree that some unfortunate souls seem to be more tempting for lice
my dds have been exposed to nits at school/nursery umpteen times. we've even had overnight visitors with nits, and have never been infested ourselves.

DecaffCoffeeAndRollupsPlease · 01/01/2015 19:53

I understand that oil drowns them, heat kills the eggs, and hairspray also 'drowns' them too. So, style after treatment with oil and straighteners, then oil and plait, then hair spray. Also treat pillowcases and similar. Freezing and/or microwaving bedding along with hot washing them was another tip I followed. If they seem to like your DC head, you'll have to make thorough nit combing part of your routine though.

I could never understand the parents who just leave them. I remember a toddler I babysat for a while who'd come to me with a head that looked like it was moving she was so infested, there was no way mother could have not noticed, but she'd seem surprised at pick up when I'd tell her how good lo had been sitting still to have them combed out. How can people just leave them?

INickedAName · 01/01/2015 20:16

Dd has hair longer than her bum, she's in y6 now and have only have had one case of lice, way back in reception, I know they go round her class regularly but touch wood she's escaped them.

She wears her hair in a plait and I'll go through with the nitty gritty comb once a week, I do it in the bath with hair lathered in conditioner and after the first few strokes it slides through. I'd do the nitty gritty more regulary if she caught them but (touch wood) she's been ok.

Original poster
PickledLily · 01/01/2015 21:52

Oh Gertrude, I don't know which is worse, worms or nits!

She's definitely getting new ones from nursery as they are monster ones that I wouldn't have missed. Might give hedrin a go and she's definitely getting a hair cut, but looks like I'm consigned to be denitting for years.

OP posts:
wyamc · 02/01/2015 13:52

We've never had them, but dd (age 9 now) has thin hair that's cut just below the chin. We have a knit comb but have never used it. Her friend has them repeatedly. I think they must be a bit like mosquito bites - dh gets none and I'm covered in them at times. I'm convinced they go for certain blood types.

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