Need advice about Lice

[Jillianleanne]

Hello, I don't know if I am posting this in the right spot but I am looking for advice I can pass onto my brother and his GF. Her daughter keeps getting lice from their next door neighbor. They have tried to not allow the children to play together but it doesn't work. They don't let her go over there but the neighbors daughter always comes over to their house and since they are such good friends it is hard to keep them apart. Anyway, every time my brothers GF's daughter gets it he or his GF calls over and asks if the other child has it and the parents always say that she does not but when she comes over it is clear that she does. They said it looks like she has had it for a long time because of the amount and depth of the lice on her head. I have never had lice in my life so I don't know anything about it. They wash all of the bedding, shampoo carpets and deep clean the house each time she comes up with the lice but this is the 4th time she has gotten it this year. They don't know if it is still in the house even though they washed everything or if she just keeps getting it back from the neighbor. Does anyone have any tips or tricks for ridding the house and child from lice? They use the kits you get from pharmacies that include the shampoo, comb, etc. Also any ideas on interaction with the parents of the other child? They don't want to overstep their boundaries or anything but it is getting expensive and frustrating when the parents say she doesn't have it when she clearly does and does not do anything to rid her of them. Thanks in advance!

[Mama Stu]

Are they combing her hair every night with a fine tooth comb for two weeks? The nits can rehatch if this is not done. Also tying up any stuffed animals in a trash bag for two weeks helps. I don't have any advice about how to approach the other parents. Maybe they can not afford the shampoo and thats why they haven't made an effort to get rid of them. I feel for them. My DD who is 20 now kept getting them from school when she was in the third grade. We spent over a thousand dollars in a three month period because we have seven kids and every time I would wash ALL the bedding, clean the house , spray the carpets, etc. . It was so frustrating. I actually contacted the Department of Health for our state and they are the ones that told me even more important than shampooing is doing the comb out every night for at least two weeks. HTH

[Mama Stu]

When I said I feel for them I was talking about your brother and his GF. I didn't make that clear . lol sorry.

[Mama Stu]

Maybe they could tell the other parents that they feel like the girls are passing them back and forth and that they would be happy to shampoo both girls together so that the cycle gets broken. Now I am really going to shut up and let someone else give you advice. LOL

[Jillianleanne]

Thanks! I will let them know about the stuffed animals. I am not sure how often they are combing her hair out. They said that the kits they use you have to repeat after 2 weeks to make sure they are gone.

Originally Posted by Mama Stu Are they combing her hair every night with a fine tooth comb for two weeks? The nits can rehatch if this is not done. Also tying up any stuffed animals in a trash bag for two weeks helps. I don't have any advice about how to approach the other parents. Maybe they can not afford the shampoo and thats why they haven't made an effort to get rid of them. I feel for them. My DD who is 20 now kept getting them from school when she was in the third grade. We spent over a thousand dollars in a three month period because we have seven kids and every time I would wash ALL the bedding, clean the house , spray the carpets, etc. . It was so frustrating. I actually contacted the Department of Health for our state and they are the ones that told me even more important than shampooing is doing the comb out every night for at least two weeks. HTH

[Jillianleanne]

They discussed that but they said that if they shampoo her hair and then she goes back into the house she may just get it again and since the parents are unwilling to admit that she even has it that they won't clean the house, wash the bedding etc.

Originally Posted by Mama Stu Maybe they could tell the other parents that they feel like the girls are passing them back and forth and that they would be happy to shampoo both girls together so that the cycle gets broken. Now I am really going to shut up and let someone else give you advice. LOL

[zookeepermel]

Maybe they should show the other parents the lice on their childs head, give them a bottle of shampoo (or offer to shampoo/comb them both as prev. suggested) and tell them about washing sheets, pillows, stuffed animals, etc. I'm sure I'm a little more blunt than some, but as a parent, I could not let this continue. I'd be as tactful and non blaming as possible, but enough is enough. The other parents may be offended, but your brother and his GF will be doing the little girl a favor.

[cearhart]

My DD had lice for almost 3 years, when she was living with her dad. It was so sad.. Finally I cut off most of her hair washed her hair every couple of days with the lice shampoo. Bought her a new pillow washed EVERYTHING in SUPER hot water, toys, stuffed animals, bedding. Sprayed her bed with lice killer even though about buying her a new mattress. Does this little girl go to school or daycare that has the lice? If the daycare finds out they won't accept her maybe if she had no where to go it might give a reason to get rid of it. I would do all the advice I gave about and STAY away from the other child, by all means possible, till it was gone. I also used tweezers on my dd's hair to pick out the lice. It was HORRIBLE!!!! Best of luck!

[smoothiie1206]

Tell them to try Lice Ice. You can google it. My DD got them once from school. You use as directed and then mix some of of it with water to spray in their hair everday as a preventive. I got mine at Walgreens.

I had tried everything and this is the only thing that I found worked.

[janet30176]

My girls were also one of the ones constantly getting lice from daycare and school.I was afraid to keep using the lice kits since they are a pesticide and you would have to send the box top to school or daycare everytime they had to be treated to prove you did it.I started soaking thier hair in oil 2 to 3 times a week and letting them sleep in a shower cap.Not the most pleasant but it finally did the trick and no more worry of pesticides. I went to once every 2 weeks for a few months and also did all the cleaning and bagging of toys.The oil was not as expensive and far less harmful to my girls.