Health education

[Puffin]

A common but very annoying problem one is headlice. I have been asked by my daughter's PTA to try to come up with some ideas on how to help people understand the importance of treating lice.Does anyone out there have any experience of this kind of thing..I thought some posters around school initially and also trying to sell or give away combs. The PTA said they could fund this, so any ideas would be gratefully accepted.

Puffin, try this site for starters:

Bugbusters Campaign

They advocate the wet-combing method, have packs of equipment and info they can send out, etc.

I've just used the bugbusters kit, and it's the first thing that's really worked - we've been nit free for 2 weeks. And that's the longest time for about 2 years. I'm so pleased with the method that I seriously considered offering to buy the kit for every family in the school! But, as someone pointed out to me, you can lead a horse to water....the method used is fairly time-consuming, and people may just not be bothered. My dd1 has lovely thick, blonde curly hair (the kind you get stopped in the street and commented on), but I've considered cutting it all off in the past. I think the little blighters just love her warm head. Anyway, sorry to ramble, my point is that I really rate Bugbusters.

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I'm so inexperienced as a mum so please forgive me but......

When should I be worrying about Head lice then, my son is not even 2 yet but I'd like to know when I should be checking? I thought maybe when started school in a few years time....

Dixie, if your son goes to nursery or playgroup it is worth keeping an eye open for them, because the children there will have older siblings etc. The nursery staff told me that because toddlers do not spend much time head-to-head (sharing? wossat?) they are not so likely to be infected.
We check our son's hair nightly for signs of life and once he is older (he's only two as well) we expect we'll be using tea-tree oil conditioner to wet-comb a couple of times a week. It is endemic in our part of London.

A tip I picked up recently was to switch to an old-fashioned bristle hairbrush. Apparently it breaks the little blighters legs. Will be trying this on my dd, who has hair nearly a yard long and doesn't want to lose it!

I have to say that since moving to London I have not found a single chemical lotion that worked - they used to out in the sticks. I tried to buy a new nit comb today and Boots have run out ...

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Thanks girls, he doesn't go play group or anything yet but we do mix with older kids at the baby gym & soft play area so I'll be checking properly from now on. BTW has anyone tried that 'new modern way to to treat lice' mousse thats been advertised on tv?

As far as I can see, the only thing that's "modern" about it is that it's a mousse (and I thought they stopped being modern in 1982!). I haven't examined it carefully, but I have looked at the ad in the chemist's window, and I think it's the same chemicals in "modern" mousse form. I'm open to being told I'm wrong, though - as I say, I haven't examined it in great detail.

Tried the mousse - don't recommend it. Admittedly easy to use and only has to stay on 30 mins, not over night like some chemical treatments - and yes it does smell nice. But it doesn't kill the blighters so whats the point? Wet combing is by far the better option.