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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that if you reckon your kid hasn't had nits/threadworms recently...

139 replies

LazyLousyLizzieJane · 30/08/2018 23:01

... then they're probably the source.

Surely the main difference between kids (at least at primary school) is not whether they get them, but whether it's recognised and treated? Are nits really that picky about whose head they infest? If 40% of kids at any one time have threadworms, then is it really possible that so many kids are thought by their parents to never get them?

My kids seem to crawl with parasites regularly. I treat it thoroughly and then, a few months later, they're back. I'm not alone in this, am I?

OP posts:
Gnomesoftheglaaxy · 31/08/2018 07:09

Nits are nothing to do with being 'scrupulous' as pp seem to think, getting or not getting them is mostly down to luck. Just treated my 14 year old son.... No Idea where he got them from (suspect martial arts club) but it's the first time in years I've had to de-louse anyway.

Years ago when daughter was in infants the battle was constant!

Sleepyblueocean · 31/08/2018 07:13

Ds has never had either. He doesn't get close to other children. I had neither as a child but caught nits once when I worked in schools.

Ihavenoideaatall · 31/08/2018 07:14

4 kids and only one has ever had nits.

nancy75 · 31/08/2018 07:16

I think there must be something about certain people that nits just don’t like. I have never had them & neither has Dd.
When she was in primary the nit letter to all parents came home every week, most of the class got them at some point but she never did.
I was very paranoid that she might have them & I didn’t know so I even got other knowledgable about nits mums to check.

Shitonthebloodything · 31/08/2018 07:20

My children have never had either. Genuinely. I've checked regularly and done preventative treatments when they've been in contact with it just in case.

There was a hilarious incident where I thought my 3 year old had the worst case of nits in history only to panic treat and find out the next day he'd spent the afternoon in the sandbox tipping it over his head. That was fun.

Oblomov18 · 31/08/2018 07:27

I disagree completely.
Both ds's never had threadworms.
And ds1 didn't have nits, in primary. I used to check occasionally.
Only when ds2 started primary, did he have it, which he then gave to ds1. And then same happened again. So da- did get it, through ds1's fault, which he enjoys reminding him of.
We've had it 3 times. But only in the last few years.

CountFosco · 31/08/2018 07:30

We've had nits once, I check sporadically but have never seen them since. I do think some kids are more prone to getting them. Back in the day when nits were doing the rounds at primary school and there was a nit nurse DSis always had them, once she was the only child in the school with them! Mum was the kind of mother who was very strict about treating them and as a family we tried every treatment going. So when DD1 got them I did panic a bit and read everything going then we had a fortnight of combing every second day plus using the chemical treatment every weekend.

We've also had threadworms, I now worm the kids regularly just in case. They've never had bad symptoms though so it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it.

FASH84 · 31/08/2018 07:36

I had nits once at school, thereafter I wasn't allowed to wear my hair down for school, always plaits or a bun and mum would comb through my hair at least once a week with a nit comb and wash my hair with teatree shampoo and conditioner (used to hurt like crazy if it got in my eyes) , genuinely never had worms. DH casually mentioned how all kids get worms a while back and commented he'd had them a couple of times as a child, but I think this was due to time spent at the stables (his mother has always had horses) and a lack of handwashing, he'd eat the carrots and apples meant for the horses while he was helping his mum to groom and muck out 🤮

Needahairbrush · 31/08/2018 07:40

My DD has never had nits but her friends have. It’s her friends who have their hair down who tend to get them.
I insist she has plaits or a pony tail to stop her hair flying around at school. I tell her not to share headbands or hats etc too. I also check regularly and use the tea tree vosene shampoo when there’s an outbreak at school. It might be effective or just just pure good luck she’s never had them !!

SocksRock · 31/08/2018 07:46

We constantly have nits. I comb, wet comb, treat every week. Last week I left the super strong stuff on for the 8 hours recommended and was combing live nuts out! I left it on for 24 hours in the end and that seems to have done it, but they are driving me to despair.

Elementtree · 31/08/2018 07:47

Three kids, no nits yet. Threadworms just once.

I think there must be hotspots for nits and we aren't in the zone. And I'd certainly know if they had nits because I check them all the time (not least because I'm a big wuss and don't want them ending up in my hair)

KERALA1 · 31/08/2018 07:57

Me too Socks. One thing I will not miss about having primary aged children! Seems to get better at secondary DD1 not had them once since leaving primary they are less tactile with each other.

Skyejuly · 31/08/2018 08:00

Mine have been nit free for 2 yrs now. When you eradicate them properly and check its easier to keep at bay.

QuarterMileAtATime · 31/08/2018 08:07

Not sure about nits because I think they would become obvious.

However, threadworms do not always cause symptoms and as it is thought that almost half of children under 10 get them, many of the parents saying their child has never had them could be wrong.

steppemum · 31/08/2018 08:33

Quarter - but if you and your kids are symptom free, why would you assume they had thread work or treat?

I don't medicate 'just in case' (apart from vaccinations) So, no evidence, I'm not going to be worming kids or family.

JynxaSmoochum · 31/08/2018 08:34

I've never had nits despite working in schools and youth groups through life. My hair has nearly always been long, but if it is longer than shoulder length it's normally tied back to some extent. I'm pretty sure that I couldn't have missed them for 30+ years particularly as a sensitive, itchy sort of person.

The first time I saw nits was on DS1 when he went scratching through his hair and went through the repeated combing for him, me and DS2. I was paranoid about missing some. I reported it to the school so others were aware for checking. I do check through thouroughly whenever there is a text alert. I'm also still involved in washing his hair and general combing so reasonably aware of the state of his head.

DS2 hasn't had them yet.

We did a family de-worming session a while ago when one DC showed some symptoms.

I've known of pupils regularly crawling with nits. There often has been a lot more issues in home life beyond that Sad

OutPinked · 31/08/2018 08:46

Disagree. Mine have never had threadworms, I never had threadworms as a child and I actually had never heard of them being a major issue until I came on MN. I don’t personally know anyone who has had them.

Nits, on the other hand, pretty much everyone has at some stage. My DC only got them for the first time a few months ago and they were year 1,2 and 3 so they bypassed them for quite a while. I spotted and treated them straight away but it was a twat and I also got them 🤢. All clear within a week though.

permalice · 31/08/2018 08:46

We never had worms, but had nits several times.

And I do think there must have been a re-infestor one year in DD's class as we had them repeatedly. But dealing with them (again!) at the start of the summer holidays and we were clear, and stayed that way (class groups were shuffled at the start of the next year). Never had any idea who the source might have been, or if it was just bad luck.

ToffeePennie · 31/08/2018 08:47

No. Reason my son doesn’t is because I nit comb his hair weekly and check his bottom and poo for worms regularly. Prevention is better than cure

jarhead123 · 31/08/2018 08:50

We get worms regularly but haven't had nits....yet!

LittleLionMansMummy · 31/08/2018 08:51

7yo ds has had nits once. I know it's just once because he has white blonde hair that turns transparent in water. That's how I discovered them, when he was in the bath - they were very obvious lice by then though. He's had worms once and I only knew this because he had a very itchy bottom - I couldn't check at night with a torch because he has primary enuresis and is still in night time pants. Most parents treat their dc as soon as they realise. I agree it's mostly luck. I had nits every other bloody week when I was a kid. None of us caught ds's nits.

YouTheCat · 31/08/2018 08:55

The one time I allowed dd to wear her waist length hair down, (reception Christmas party 1999) she got nits. Treated us all and never had them again.

Dd was never one for hugging her friends and I think that had a lot to do with her not being infested more often.

OutPinked · 31/08/2018 08:55

. It might be effective or just just pure good luck she’s never had them !!

It is purely down to good luck. I had them all of the time as a child despite my DM scrupulously checking and ensuring every last egg was cracked between her fingernails (boak), plus my hair was always tightly tied back with a tea tree solution added to it. It didn’t really make any difference. My DD’s always have their hair tied back too and I’ve always used the vosene tea tree lice defence stuff but they still managed to get them. It really is pure chance.

Firesuit · 31/08/2018 08:56

Surely the main difference between kids (at least at primary school) is not whether they get them, but whether it's recognised and treated?

Neither I nor my siblings had them ever during our childhood, and I never heard of anyone else in school having them. (I did have ringworm once, and our dogs did sometimes had fleas, so we weren't leading an immaculate existence.)

In fact, apart from passing references in American TV programmes, I think I was more or less oblivious that there was such a thing as nits until I had a daughter in a British primary school. (I grew up in a different country.)

Tomatoesrock · 31/08/2018 08:56

No I can honestly say my DC have never had head lice YET. I use tea tree shampoo and I check weekly, DD begs as she likes her head massaged. I had them about 3 times as a child.

Thread worm I do not know, but I will put it on my to do list to treat them to be safe.

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