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AIBU?

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Original poster

Step kids have head lice

90 replies

motherhen83 · 14/07/2019 19:15

My partner has children who stay with us every other week for 7 days, they are amazing kids but they have constant headlice. When they come to us my children catch them and I spend a fortune on lice treatment not only for my kids but for his too. As soon as they go back to their mum the treatment stops. I asked him to have a word with her which he did but nothing has changed. Today I told them if it isnt sorted I wont have them here. He went mad and said I was out of order. It's my house too though and I'm fed up with it. Am I being unreasonable saying I wont have them here until the lice are gone? This has been going on for months and I've had enough

OP posts:
yikesanotherbooboo · 15/07/2019 15:17

It would be wildly unreasonable not to have the children to stay just because of headlice. They are really annoying but essentially harmless.
I have 3 DC and we would occasionally have headlice during junior school . When my DD went to senior school we had about a year of near constant live despite all the usual measures. I can remember the frustration of it.it must have been coming back from school as I became madly zealous with the nit comb and conditioner. Thankfully the phase passed.

Pinktinker · 15/07/2019 17:24

Buy some hedrin, use it on everyone in the house even if you think you don’t have nits- yes I include you and DH in that. Buy the hedrin defence stuff and send them home with it, DH needs to tell her to use it every day and also she needs to treat her own hair too. It’s the only way this will end but also the school needs informing so they can send a letter to the parents in their classes.

RubbingHimSourly · 15/07/2019 17:28

Get some nitrid.

It's about £4 a bottle in Wilko's and will laugh in the face of their lice. It managed to kill off a year long infestation that I just could not get on top of. Couldn't recommend it more.

Witchend · 15/07/2019 17:36

All three of mine have had a period where I was treating them weekly and they were still getting them. Strangely at secondary not primary school, but they were clearly just getting reinfected at school.

MrsMiggins37 · 15/07/2019 17:40

I’d be fucked off too. Head lice happen but it’s lazy and neglectful parenting not to treat them. When I’ve found live lice I’ve treated and then nit combed all 4 of us every 2 days for a fortnight. Sounds like there might be eggs not being caught and then if their mother isn’t bothering to come they’re hatching.

MrsTommyBanks · 15/07/2019 17:46

When my DC were at primary school I had to treat them pretty much every week. They would go to school Monday mornings bit free, and I would end up reinfected by the end of the week
It was relentless. Their Dad (my ex) was adamant I wasn't treating them. I was, it was costing me a fortune. Stopped being a problem when they moved up to secondary.
It might not be their Mums fault, could be they have friends in school who don't get treated.

MrsTommyBanks · 15/07/2019 17:49

Meant to add YABVVVU to say that to the kids. Not their fault At All.

PixiKitKat · 15/07/2019 17:51

My brother used to get them a lot. He he dyed his hair and they stopped! I guess the chemicals in the hair dye killed them. It was very similar to his natural colour so no one noticed the change.
Could this be an option?

melissasummerfield · 15/07/2019 17:57

I use the vosene lice repellent shampoo and spray on mine and touch wood they have never caught nits, despite having regular letters from school to say there was an outbreak Smile

Hidingtonothing · 15/07/2019 18:03

Best defence I found was tying hair back and using just a little bit of cheap hairspray all over. Makes the hair difficult for lice to get into apparently. Had exactly this issue with DSD and in the end I just had to resign myself to doing what I could while she was with us and taking what steps I could to prevent them being passed on to DD.

hazell42 · 15/07/2019 18:19

maybe they are catching them from your kids?
My daughter and her best friend at school passed nits back and forth for years (at least it seemed that long) but I know for a fact that both of us were treating our kids.
I think you are being a bit mean to assume she is the problem.
The kids are with you 50% of the time. More than enough time to treat them.
If you are struggling, maybe their mum is too

swingofthings · 15/07/2019 18:28

My kids had head lice for years. The curse of my life! I did so many treatment, tried all brands, natural products, even tried foreign products when abroad. They'd be clear for a week or two and despite coming etc...it would come back. The problem is that they have exceptionally thick hair and have a lot of it, so getting all the eggs was almost impossible.

Their SM used to go berserk and accused me of being a neglectful mother. The laugh is now on me kids are grown up, no pice for years, but it's now her kids whose got them and she's finding it as hard to radicate.

Pinktinker · 15/07/2019 18:40

@melissasummerfield that’s just good luck tbh. My best friend in primary school permanently reeked of tea tree oil but she still got nits.

plasterboots · 16/07/2019 22:09

@motherhen83 what are your thoughts now with banning your DHs children?

Fakenametodayhey · 17/07/2019 11:50

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