Is it inevitable to get used to head lice in the UK?

[OlyaR]

Hi there, I've got a daughter who is 10 months old, and recently one of NCT mums whose baby is already attending the nursery dropped a message in our chat that they are going to buy some shampoo that can delouse her son because he picked up head lice in the nursery. At first, I thought it was a joke, I'm from overseas and where I grew up head lice are so rare because when it happens and the child is seen with head lice the nursery/ school will inform the parents and the child will be allowed to continue only after their hair is clean from it. No one tolerates head lice, so I'd say they nip it in the bud. I can't imagine that other parents would put up with the situation of someone in the class infecting the whole class because the parents are okay with it.

Why are people so relaxed about it here? I've got long thick hair, it's a nightmare to think that I need to have it myself or my child will have it. I accept that this can happen but I find it hard to understand why do people keep saying that it's only head lice, not a big deal. So pity, because I love UK, its people, and nature but I don't know if I can accept it. I realize that for someone it may be ridiculous what I'm writing but my husband and I still can't get over the shock that people treat head lice normally and even make jokes about it.

So my question is, is it possible to find a nursery/ school that will take the head lice problem seriously and not allow spreading it ? I know that nit nurses are in the past but I'm sure measures can be taken ( excluding ) + I truly hope that there are such parents who agree with me and also take it seriously.

It didn't used to be as much of an issue when there were still nit nurses in schools but the Conservative government got rid of those.

My child's school seemed to have permanent issues with them from families who didn't seem all that bothered about addressing it. I have mixed race hair and really struggled as a result when i picked it up from school as its so hard to get rid of them. Years 1-3 of primary were really hard.

I wasn't ever allowed to wear my hair down and loose when young to avoid catching them but that doesn't seem to be a consideration these days.

We use vosene anti nit shampoo to avoid catching them now as a regular deterrent and also another repellant spray daily for the same reason.

Err nope. Neither me, or any of my children ever had headlice. Eldest is 18 now and had bum length hair, maybe we just got lucky.

Me, DB, DH - none of us had them as kids.

My DC have never had them and I’m not aware their friends have either.

It's not that the parent at your nursery ignored them, I would assume they told the nursery who told all the parents. But that parent would probably say they picked them up from nursery. By the time anyone notices they have probably already spread to other children, it's not that no one cares, but it's better that people are open about it, if it was a real stigma no one would admit it, they would treat them quietly and not inform nursery or school. They were considered to be a dirty people problem in my mother's time and there was stigma, but apparently they prefer clean hair.

In 23 years of parenting we had them once, out of 4 children, my youngest who is that kids that gets everything so had to be him, he was 8 I think. No one else got them. Easy cleared and he’s got a lot of thick hair. Don’t think that’s too bad.

We don't need to "get used to headlice". Kids have always had headlice, and always will have.
Back in the 70s we had a "nit nurse" who used to come to school and check everyone's heads.

Good grief, this makes me glad that DS is autistic and avoids other children like the plague. Its not surprising that lice are so prolific here if we’ve all just normalized kids crawling with lice like Victorian slum-dwellers. I think I preferred the stigma tbh. Ugh.

I find it interesting that rhesus factor affects whether headlice can survive on a particular head. I dont remember having headlice and have rhesus negative blood. Apparently if lice feeds on rhesus positive blood it then won't want to live on a person with rhesus negative blood.

That’s exactly what happens 🙄

If we're talking about Victorian slum-dwellers, I'd rather we concentrated on doing something to stop people having to rely on the bountiful charity of foodbanks to feed their children before making a fuss about headlice. Once we've done that, fine, focus on nits.

The pesky conservatives. If only a Labour government had been in power since then to have brought them all back.

It’s hardly beyond the wit of man to expect children to be properly fed and free of revolting infestations, in 2024, is it?

We moved to rural USA, head lice doesn't seem to be a thing here.

the only time the kids have got them is when we come back to the UK.

Perhaps a campaign to get nit treatment in all schools so if a child is identified they can be sent home with the treatment. I would contribute to that!

is repeated and prolonged nits something social services would consider a sign of neglect?

Chemical treatments aren't the recommended cure though.

In 16 years of having children we only had one incidence of head lice and it wasn't caught at school.

Head lice was very common where I grew up in the 1980s. We'd get a bout yearly all through Primary school. Sundays were for my DM checking our hair for nits. There was always delouser in the bathroom cupboard. It was just how it was.

DD grew up very differently to me and has not had head lice once.

It's one of those things where, once discovered, a parent sighs, and says, ffs, then has to deal with. It's a chore but not something to be frightened of.

It's not that common but it happens. I never had head lice, neither did my son but my cousin did and a friend of mine;s daughter caught them.

I can remember twice getting letters from son's school saying there was head lice about in school so be vigilant and giving advice about what to do, etc.

I don't think it is a big deal, frankly, and soon sorted.

It’s not just disgusting to you, it’s unpleasant for everyone. You are fortunate you never got them. It’s not as if brits hear a child has head lice and rejoice about it. Nobody likes it or tolerates it. It’s just something you have to deal with. School and nursery would immediately tell all parents to check their kids heads if they found any in school.
My DCs never got them but we checked them all the time because there were often notes coming home from school about it.

My three year old has never had them but the thought definitely freaks me out. Can anyone recommend the best treatment to have in the house just in case??

Conditioner and a nit comb. Honestly combing with conditioner every other day is the best way to get rid.

When mine were young I'd do it every couple of weeks just in case. That way you catch them before they have a chance to multiply.

Disgusting isn’t it. I mean lower standards are fine eg wearing the same clothes 2/3 days and showering less frequently than daily etc but accepting lice as normal and part of everyday life ? ? No thanks

I would hope so as it is neglectful it shows that a child isn’t having their hair combed and checked and it can become painful and sore if they have an infestation

I’ve lived in several different countries and I would think there’s a greater openness in the UK about things like this. It’s not the same as accepting it and a lack of shame probably helps to stop them if everyone mentions on the class Whatsapp when they discover them. Everywhere has nits, though. Probably where you come from people treat them and don’t mention it.
I’ve caught them off my children this year (thanks to the class mum who prefers homeopathic nit “treatment”) and while I wasn’t thrilled, it wasn’t the end of the world.

To be honest head lice there are so rare so that during all my studying there was never any incident with any child in the classroom. I think this is because of that shameful attitude to it they just nipped it in the bud. Now it may be possible only with truly neglected children and parents would never allow them to spread it all over the classroom. I don't think that it's my responsibility to think that they will miss education, if the parents can't treat head lice and do nothing then the social workers should step in and decide what to do.