Grandchildren and nits!

My grandchildren's school is constantly having infestations. My DIL checks regularly and will use lice shampoo (not sure of the name) and use a tea-tree oil shampoo in between as preventative.

The problem is that the lice and nits also get into their bedding, their jackets, etc, and if they are not washed properly, then they hatch and start the whole process all over again. Some parents are not as diligent as others, which is why there are constant re-infestations.

All you can do is suggest options, poor kids. Does their school send home notices to the parents?

For a triple whammy, my hair is always up, I use hairspray and put tea tree oil in my shampoo. I never get them and school children always surround me lol

I think this should be a matter like vaccines. Free treatment, easy to collect when needed, national nit day or something. Same with worms. Eradicate them for good

Sadly not everyone gets itchy or would know they have them

As an ex infant teacher, this was an on going problem. We were told to recommend heavy conditioner and to leave it on the hair.
We had several traveller children. They never had nits. Their hair was combed through with nit lotion and tightly plaited.

Conditioner works really well to get rid of the eggs, when my children had them, as long as I had conditioner and a good comb I could get rid of them in one setting and I'd check after 7 and 14 days to be sure

Our kids would get nits every August in primary school.. as soon as the new term began.
As soon as their classmates were old enough to be showering and washing their hair independent of their parents supervision it stopped.. never had nits in secondary school!!

Blimey! I’m so glad neither I nor my son ever had nits!

We got the microscope out and had a proper look and then took great pleasure in murdering them.

I didn't ever want my children to think they were somehow at fault

Weirdly I don't think my eldest or youngest have ever had them

It happens though, young children tend to touch heads a lot

DD and I had nits when she was about 10. It took ages to get rid of them, every time we thought they'd gone back they would come. Meanwhile her brother, who was about 7 and avoided washing his hair as much as possible, was hardly affected. I think I combed a total of half a dozen lice out of his hair. They really do prefer nice clean hair.

Mine were terrible for getting them. I used to condition and nit comb their hair weekly whether they had them or not

my 3 children never had nits and 1 sibling, out of 7 of us children, had nits once and our mum was horrified when that sibling came home with a note from nitty norah. Mum always had a derbac comb handy, just in case

Some parents just don`t know how to check and get rid, it was easy in my day, the knowledge was passed down. Some of these parents just don`t care and everyone else suffers

I don't think you can do it without back up from home. Unfortunately.
Time consuming. Not everyone can be bothered or has the energy to be persistent and vigilant.
😬

MrsKen33

As an ex infant teacher, this was an on going problem. We were told to recommend heavy conditioner and to leave it on the hair.
We had several traveller children. They never had nits. Their hair was combed through with nit lotion and tightly plaited.

Thanks for this, it’s a really good idea. The second girl has beautiful thick wavy hair and there have been times when she’s come that her hair has been literally crawling with them. We have a little routine that they sit in front of me whilst I go through their hair with a nit comb and whilst I’m doing it they get to choose what to watch on TV. Makes a change from 3,000,000 games of hide and seek and fairy steps, giant steps!

Thanks all for your advice, I will definitely try the tea tree oil / tea tree shampoo for myself and the conditioner and hair up for the second girl. Sadly their Mum just isn’t interested. They must be ‘those kids’ at school, who have them constantly and give them to their classmates, which is why I am worried about them being bullied. Only the middle two children of the four are our biological grandchildren, we used to have the oldest too and love her as our own, but sadly we no longer see her very often now. When we had all three (before the baby was born) the nits were an occasional issue, but now as we/their father only sees them at weekends, we treat them, but they go home and are re-infected by their eldest and youngest siblings, not helped by the fact they share beds at home.

You try getting rid of nits in Afro hair😂

BlueBelle

You try getting rid of nits in Afro hair😂

Oh my goodness, I’ll bet it’s terrible to get rid of them from Afro hair

My DGD is mixed race with the big Afro at 24 this is now smoothed and contained.
I have brought he rup since the age of 4,I remember even now the tears,the screaming the poor child endured in order to keep nit free,her hair always plaited and up,we where lucky she never had them.

My son never got them both his sisters did, a couple of times and both with long Afro hair it was a big old nightmare

I think part of the problem is that schools are not allowed to identify who has head lice and a generic letter goes home to check your children's hair. When I was at school the nurse checked everyone's hair from time to time and a note was sent home. The treatment stuff was disgusting.

I remember a summer stay in Seville, one year, when I wanted some vinegar for salad dressing. Apparently, there was none to be had anywhere in Spain - as there was a widespread outbreak of nits and everyone was using it as a hair rinse!

ElaineI

I think part of the problem is that schools are not allowed to identify who has head lice and a generic letter goes home to check your children's hair. When I was at school the nurse checked everyone's hair from time to time and a note was sent home. The treatment stuff was disgusting.

Oh yes, I got called in by the school nurse to look at a head louse on DS's head. I'd never seen one before, it was really interesting 😁