The ultimate nightmare, or daymare should be more fitting!

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt....
Lice! 
And my head starts to itch already...

I have gone through it already with the first-born. The note in the school bag, the rush to the chemist, and the washing and the combing...
Later on we used to spray each time we washed the hair, and it kept the lice at bay...

But I am now feeling uncomfortable about it being too much pesticides... What with all the stuff we used to wash her hair with, and she sitting in the bath in it!
(Bad mother! I was working with the "best knowledge" I had at the time. I got the stuff at the chemist!)

So far we haven't had an episode with the Missy, and I hope it stays away!
I got an eco-friendly spray the other day at the hairdressers where Little Missy got her first haircut.
It doesn't smell very inviting, but hopefully it works!

The following guest post highlights the fact that it is nothing to be ashamed of, and it is just something that's need to be taken care of right away!


What to do When Your Child Gets Lice

The first thing you should do when your child comes home from school with lice or you get a phone call from another mom who tells you your child may have lice is not to panic!

Take a minute and think back to when you were a child. Do you remember your experience with lice? Chances are you do. Also remember children and lice go together like peanut butter and jelly, poor analogy probably but a very true one!

When your child gets lice consider it a milestone, one that will hopefully only happen once because let’s face it, lice are not much fun for your child or anyone they have come in contact with. Do not be embarrassed, almost every child has had or will get lice.

The first thing you need to do is check yourself, your spouse, and other children in the home to see if they too have lice. Then it is off to the drug store.Depending on how many of the family members have lice will depend on how many boxes of lice killing shampoo you need, buy one box per person.
Follow the instructions on the box and the lice should be gone with one treatment. Check your child again in 24 hours to make sure the lice are gone.

In the meantime, if your child has spent time with another child or you believe they may have picked the lice up at school or a birthday party you will need to make a few phone calls. Again do not be embarrassed just dial the number and talk to the school nurse or the parents of the other children.
In the event you child picked the lice up at school, the school nurse will go to your child’s class room or call the children down to the office and she/he will check the children to see if they too have the lice. 

If you think, your child picked the lice up from a party or friends you will want to call their parents and let them know. Chances are they already know. Just because you are the one making the phone call, does not mean your child gave the other children the lice. The same is true if a parent calls you, that does not mean their child started the lice-spreading event.It just means they are good parents, like you, and want to make sure you are aware of the situation. 

The next thing you need to do is fire up the washing machine. You will need to wash you child’s linens (lice crawl not fly or jump.) They could have crawled on to the bedding and not just the pillowcases.The same is true for any clothes your child has worn recently and towels and wash clothes. Use hot water and a good detergent and use the long cycle. Use hot to dry the lines and clothes as well.

The last thing you will need to do is replace all hairbrushes, combs and hair accessories your child may have worn prior to finding out about the lice. 


Tammy Mahan has been writing medical and health for over 20 years. Writing for Healthline.com allows her to share her medical knowledge with others.