Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To change pre school due to headlice?

89 replies

Sparrowlegs248 · 07/09/2019 19:26

Dc has been back at pre school for half a day this week and has come home with lice. We had quite a big problem last year with them, I spent a fortune on treatments, treated everyone weekly, bedding, brushes, hats etc. Literally every time he came home, he had big lice on his head. Is it this bad everywhere? Or are we unlucky?

OP posts:
Original poster
Sparrowlegs248 · 08/09/2019 16:40

That's why I asked messolini9, this is the only experience of a pre school that I have. I don't know if it's usual, or not. I don't know if I changed pre schools, whether there would still be as much of a problem.

OP posts:
messolini9 · 08/09/2019 16:40

It happens - there's no predicting it, so you may as well stay with current arrangements.

cacklingmags · 08/09/2019 16:51

Use a nit comb every day - if there are lice in the neighbourhood they will be in all the schools.

ludothedog · 08/09/2019 17:27

DD and her friends used to stand in a circle and play hairdressers. That was a fun year for nits!

Does your ds have long hair? If so I recommend tying it back and hope he doesn't get involved in a hairdressing gang.

Daisychainsandglitter · 08/09/2019 17:33

I feel for you OP. My DD had a terrible problem with headlice during reception and I spent a fortune on different treatments, not combs and invested an awful lot of time combing, picking and applying treatments.
At one point she had them for about 3 months straight.
We're three days in and so far no headlice although I am very vigilant.
I would be very irritated by this OP as he's clearly catching it from someone there. I hope they disappear soon

Stripyhoglets · 08/09/2019 17:37

This recurrent problem will probably be down to a child/children who doesn't get treated. My daughter was constantly catching them at school for years from a child in her class who the other children could see had the lice walking around on her head - and the recurrent infections stopped when the little girl left the school. I wouldn't have moved schools for it but I spent 3 years combing at every hair wash once they'd been treated yet again.

Changednamesorry · 08/09/2019 23:45

Just shave his head. No hair = no lice.

twosoups1972 · 09/09/2019 08:14

This recurrent problem will probably be down to a child/children who doesn't get treated

True but they spread really quickly. There's just as much chance that another child caught them from the OP's child as he picking them up from someone else.

Don't be so quick to judge. Most parents are on the ball with nits but sometimes they can spread before you have a chance to treat them!

Gooseygoosey12345 · 09/09/2019 15:39

We were really lucky, DD never caught them at school but then it's a tiny village school so less kids anyway! She caught them once at her dads. I don't think it's that bad everywhere but that's not to say the nursery/pre-school you move him to won't have the same problem. Hedrin once is great, it's not a pesticide so they can't be immune as it dehydrates the nits and head lice. Probably less harmful for the kids too (although don't quote me on that). It's infuriating that some parents don't feel the need to check and treat their kids and everyone else (and the poor child) has to suffer because of laziness. I'd seriously be on the side of saying it's neglect (not you OP)

BlackInk · 09/09/2019 16:19

I do think some children are more prone to catching them than others, regardless of how careful or not their parents are at spotting/treating them.

My DC are aged 10 and 7 and neither have ever had nits yet despite nits being pretty rampant at their school. We're almost certainly just lucky or immune or not tasty or something.

We do use shampoo bars rather than bottled shampoo and are also vegetarian - maybe the nits don't like veggie blood!

twosoups1972 · 09/09/2019 16:21

It's infuriating that some parents don't feel the need to check and treat their kids

How do you know they don't check?

YouJustDoYou · 09/09/2019 16:26

Mine have never had them, but I smother daily in anti lice shampoo and detangler spray.

GreenTulips · 09/09/2019 16:53

Lice leave behind a scent created from the saliva and urine that is embedded into the hair shaft. This scent actually attracts a new infestation that lasts up to 30 days. The use of repellent products help mask the scent, thus, lowering the chances of receiving another lice infestation.

From a head lice specialist page

Starstruck2020 · 09/09/2019 22:40

@GreenTulips I did not need that knowledge, or the thought of headlice weeing ( and pooing) on heads in my brain.

Pass the brain bleach now please

New posts on this thread. Refresh page