To think this is really poor practice by nursery?

[pickledpepperspub]

DD goes to a lovely nursery but as the weather got warmer it became apparent that they are sharing a box of sunhats for all the kids. They just fish one out each day and plonk it on. Surely this is the fastest way to never ending cycle of nits?

" head lice cannot fly or jump from one head to another. Head lice are spread by direct contact with the hair of an infested person, head-to-head contact, clothing, brushes, combs or towels." Head lice don't have knees so cannot jump, they transfer from person to person by walking across, ie touching heads; they survive in clothing/bedding etc for 24 hours, which is why you're advised to wash all bedding & towels after contracting them.

Look at it another way OP

Aren't you pleased that your nursery are being responsible and ensuring the children are protected from the sun?

Do you have the same concerns about the various hats in the dressing up boxes?

Nits don’t kill, sun stroke does so YABU.

Highly unlikely.

We ask parents to provide hats, but invariably they don't. We have a box of hats for those without hats. I'm sure Nursery won't mind if you show how paranoid you are ask to provide your own hat.

Yanbu, I would think of it more from a hygiene perspective. Ours are sent home regularly to be washed.

I'd be pleased with that, it's a faff sorting ds hat. Dd school doesn't have enough hats to go around, but are trying to fund raise to by more.

I would think of it more from a hygiene perspective

I agree, pants/ hats are all the same kind of thing. All clothing.

They spread by head to head contact. Pretty unlikely they'd take refuge in a hat.

You'd be surprised how many parents don't
(although asked in the weekly newsletter!!)
provide clothing appropriate for the weather, sun hats included!!

If the nursery is any good, the children will be able to free flow in and out. You teach them to pick a hat out of the box and put it back in when they go in.
The children of course will be really bad at this but staff can simply direct them or grab a hat.
If they had to supervise the location of correct hat (*if" child actually has a hat!) and put each on back in right bag etc. if would be never ending.

Staff should be out there engaging with the children not hunting hats all day!

I’d be more upset if they weren’t enforcing hats. This seems like a fab solution to endless hat hunting.
YABU.

Better having nits as a child than skin cancer in later life

PFB by any chance?

Head lice live up to 24 hours away from host. That means, if a kid has them, they can be passed onto another kid. So, not good practice. However, kids that age are all over each other, so it would be impossible to avoid getting head lice.

Why haven’t you sent in a hat for your child? The nursery is keeping your child safe from the sun, you should be thanking them...stop picking holes.
If your dd catches nits ( very unlikely) then it’s not then end of the world. Also, toddlers share much nastier things than nits with no help at all!!

Provide a hat for your child then, what were you expecting the nursery to do?

Nits love warmth, that's why you find them behind ears and the nape of the neck, that's why they lay their eggs at the nape of the neck as the eggs need warmth to hatch. They won't necessarily wander away from the warmth of the head to a hat because of this. If kids are going to catch them, it'll be through head to head contact.

I imagine OP has provided a hat, but they just end up in the communal pot. That’s what happens at our nursery.

For all you know the nursery might put them through the wash each night

Or they let the kids out in the sun without a hat as many parents dont bother their arse to pack one?

My DS nursery does this, it’s the spare sun hat box and the kids love it .despite taking a sun hat with him he will fish one out of the box.
I’ve not objections to it at all. If nits go around at nursery then he will get them just like everyone else will, with or without the hats!

She's my 4th so hardly PFB. None of the other nurseries did this. Mind you only one of those nurseries was in the UK. They seemed to cope just fine putting the right hat on the right kid and then back on the peg. I have provided a hat for her but they aren't using it. It's in the bottom of the communal box.

Parents not providing hats is really not an issue. There's a bun fight every time parents are asked to volunteer for anything for the school with parents queuing up to help. Money and not being arsed is not the problem by miles