Aaaargh! Nits .... advice please

[Easy]

We have spent the weekend with my sisters family, and my mum. My ds slept in spare beds at both houses, we went out yesterday with SIL (who is always hugging my ds).

This morning ds went to childminder who has sent him back as he has nits (how come I didn't know? He hasn't been scratching or anything)

DH is treating him at this moment with 'Full Marks' lotion. Do we need to let everyone know? Do I have to change ds's pillow as well as the bed linen? Are we okay to meet up with friends to play tomorrow?

Am I being over-paranoid?

Help please

I found 2 on DD2 last Friday - straight to chemist to get "Full Marks". The annoying thing is I ALWAYS wash the kids hair in Tea Tree Oil Shampoo/Conditioner, but we ran out a few weeks back and I kept forgetting to buy more so they had been using normal shampoo.

Since Friday, after buying Full Marks and Tea Tree Oil Shampoo/conditioner, have been using "nit comb" 3 x a day - have not found any more and only a few "eggs" that I pulled off with my nails.

Checked DD1 and DS1 who are both clear (and me) but have packed all 3 of them off to school smelling rather fragrant I made up a mixture of Tea Tree Oil/Eucalyptus Oil/water and sprayed it through their hair (made DD1 take this to Brownie Camp earlier in the year ).

Did tell DD2s teacher this morning - but the school only sends them home if they haven't been treated. Our school does exclude a child until they've been treated.

Yes, we used Full Marks too. Can't use it again for at least a week tho'.

A friend of mine who is a school governor says schools aren't allowed to examine childrens heads anymore. Is this really true? If so, it is Political Correctness gone mad.

I didn't realise DS had them (he has short hair which he combs himself) until the hairdresser found them in my hair.

I know I shouldn't be embarrassed, but sitting in a busy branch of Toni & Guy discussing what to do about my crawlers is not something I care to repeat if at all possible

So now we're on the weekly checking routine, just like we should have been all along. I guess I paid for being a careless mother!

Azzie
I think nearly every mother misses them.

Every-one I've spoken to this week says something like "the teacher told me".

I understand your embarrassment tho'.

I've had loads of experience with nits as my dsd, who doesn't live with us, gets them really badly.

I have found that wet combing works as does Full Marks, but make sure you repeat the treatment 7 days later to kill any eggs that weren't killed the first time round and have hatched.

Maybe the childminder has found dead lice that haven't been combed out yet? It can take some time to get them all out. If you put them on some kitchen roll and watch them you will see them moving (a magnifying glass helps!) if they are still alive.

If they don't move (and sometimes it can take a little while as the conditioner somehow seems to stun them) then there isn't a problem, its the first lot of lice that haven't yet been combed out. As they are dead they won't be passed on and won't be laying eggs.

If they do move, then the Full Marks didn't work. You could wait until the 2nd treatment and then see if that has worked, or try a different lotion. There are different ingredients in them and if one doesn't work another might. We used to use Derbac M until it stopped working.

Hope this helps.

Haven't read all this thread but here

www.nits.net/bugbusting/

is good. They produce a kit which has a few nit combs in, stickers etc for about £7. May seem expensive but probably about the same as lotions and you get to use it again. The leaflet they send with it explains about the life cycles of nits and explains when you should comb hair, e.g. every 3 days for a total of 4 sessions.

with regards to kids at school - we are not allowed to inspect the students (the school nurse I mean) nor are we allowed to make a phonecall home kindly asking the parents to inspect.....we have some students literally CRAWLING for months and months at a time! I'm quite sure letters don't go home either. This is a secondary special need school.

I've been there for 8 years and this is my first year to finally(?) get them......yuck yuck yuck....found some just before the 1/2 term. Am paranoid and exhausted from combing me and dd and changing sheets etc etc etc. She's clear but am still combing each day to make sure. Thought I was so missed a day but of course there were more
am sooooooo embarrassed

and of course I needn't be