What do i do about a child in my class with Lice?

Question

I have a 2 1/2 year old in my day care class that repeatedly comes back to school with lice. Mom has said she has done everything the doctors have told her to do as well as what the lice medication directs. Does anyone have any other ideas on how i can help her rid her home and child of this problem?

Answer 1

Ok, obviously the mother is not getting rid of the lice in the home. She needs to throw out stuffed toys, or wash them, wash and dry bedding, sheets, pillows, clothing, everything in the child's environment. Spray down bed and carpet with lice spray.

She probably is not getting rid of the eggs (nits) and they will keep hatching new ones. I teach 2nd grade, and another teacher I work with is always paranoid about getting lice from kids in her class. She uses what is called a ROBI comb. They sell these at Wal-mart for around $20, but they are worth the investment. The comb sends an electric or magnetic signal down the hair shaft and sort of zaps the little critters and the eggs and kills them! Lice and Eggs! Here is information about the comb: http://www.schoolhealth.com/shop/pe_90273.asp

I don't know about your school, but at mine, children who have lice or nits cannot come back to school until a nurse checks their head and confirms the child is free of lice and eggs. They should not be around others as lice spread so easily especially with young children. And if you suggest the ideas I've given you, and the child continues to have lice all the time, you really should call Children's Services and the Health Department. They need to be involved in helping this child. No child deserves to be infested with bugs. And the mother is not doing her job. This is a form of neglect. They will go in and show the mother what needs to be done and how to be a better parent. You are required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect.

Good luck.

Answer 2

The only way to become rid free of lice is to wash bedding and all. Spray the Rid lice spray on the carpets, and treat each person in the family. My doctor gave my children Lindane shampoo when they got lice from day care. You cannot use this in a child under 2 years old though. The only other option after cleaning the house, spraying things, and treating and combing out the nits ( nests) is to retreat in seven days and make sure you go through the hair thouroughly to get any nits or lice out of the hair(if you wait more than a week chances are that eggs have already hatched, meaning you will have to retreat again). Try to use mayonaise after treating the hair. Get a shower cap and leave the mayo on under the cap for like 30 min. I was told this helps kill the lice and make combing out the nits easier, though it make hair very oily. If after all this and retreating doesn't work then the only other option is to shave heads bald. If you are a generous person you could volunteer to go to this house and try to lice free the home with these recommendations. Just be sure to treat your own head also and retreat to be safe. What everyone else has told you should help ans they are all pretty correct, if none of thos helps the only other option for the family is to shave heads, or ask the doctor to help treat kids at the office and see about getting the house thouroughly cleaned then retreat again. Oh and even the car should be sprayed. Ask if they are frequently going to another persons house, maybe they are getting it somewhere else too. If this be the case that other family may need to be treated as well. This happens to even the cleanest of people so she should not be ashamed, reassure her of that too. I hope this helps you! Good Luck and God Bless!

Answer 3

Strange as it may sound lice thrive in clean hair and allowing the child to return to school while the problem is there apparent is not such a good idea for both the sake of the child with lice as well as the other students in the preschool.... If prescribed medication is not working the mother should have a go at the old fashion way of picking the lice and eggs out with a lice comb especially after using specific louse shampoo available at all local drugstores. Sometime this routine may have to be followed for several days until the child is lice free. There is no such thing as uncontrollable lice infestations only allowable

Answer 4

Just as some bacteria are now immune to certain antibiotics, some lice are immune to certain of the medicated shampoos. The child's mom may need to use a different shampoo.

Other remedies include putting olive oil or mayonnaise on the child's hair and wrapping her head and leaving it on overnight before washing it off. It is supposed to smother the lice. She will need to wash all bedclothes in soapy water and dry it in a hot dryer or put it in a sealed plastic bag and leave it for about two weeks. (Lice don't live long off the human body.) Generally if the bedclothes are taken care of, carpets and other furniture are not a major issue.

Here are a few links that should help. Good luck with it.

Answer 5

Some strains of lice are now showing resistance to the medicated shampoo, much like bacteria can become resistant to common antibiotics. If she is certain she is treating properly, she may need to contact her pediatrician or the county health department in order to get a different medication.

Typically school policies prevent the child from returning until they are nit free. If you are not checking the child for nits when she returns to school, it's impossible to know if she was properly treated and this is a new infection or if you are still dealing with the original infection.

Also, be sure all family members are being checked & treated. If she is only treating the child, it's possible other family members have it and are reinfecting her.

Answer 6

Lice can be illusive... I would check with the mother to be sure she is doing the following:

- Shampoo with Rid or other well respected lice shampoo.
(*** It's absolutely imperative that she follow up with another shampooing in 10 days.***)

- Lice combs don't work, she will need to pick out the nits by hand. have her daughter sit on her lap and watch her favorite TV show while she works through every strand of hair and make sure she flushes all the nits.

- Boil ALL combs and brushes in the house.

- Buy a spray and spray carpets, couches, car seats, etc. etc.

- Wash ALL bedding in HOT water.

- Bag up all stuffed animals and 'send them away on vacation' for 3 weeks. (Buy 1 special one as a friend while they are 'away').

Tips for you as a daycare provider:

- Make sure to remind the children not to share hats, combs, and hair accessories, etc.

- When the children are napping make sure there is plenty of space between where the children sleep. Make sure to vacuum often and use disinfectants regularly.

GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 7

Use a nit comb and then kill the lice. Or shave the kid's hair off. That is what my Mom did when I got lice once.

Answer 8

In the meantime use teatree oil shampoo on your daughter to prevent her from getting lice.

I worked in a school and had to do lice checks all the time. Never did I or my family get lice. It was recommended to me by a doctor.

Answer 9

She must be missing something.

She has to vacuum THOROUGHLY - including carpets, beds, sofas, automobile seats/backs and HEADRESTS. Thoroughly wash all bedding, linens, clothes (including hats), jackets. Stuffed animals should be washed, too. Wash all combs, brushes, hair fasteners.

If it's that persistent, there's probably cross-contamination in the family. Everybody should be treated (mom & dad too) and ALL NITS dutifully combed out. "Another no-no with lice medicines is the use of hair dryers, including blow-dryers. Many pesticides work by leaving a residue on the hair that continues to kill lice and nits for several days. The heat from hair dryers may deactivate the chemicals and undo all of your efforts."

Refer them to this website for tips:
http://www.drgreene.com/21_640.html

Answer 10

when i worked in a school we had them use mayo and put a bag over there head and let them, sleep with it on it suffacates the lice...but the doctors shopuld do something and obviously the mom isnt cleaning properly enough u have to get rid of EVERYTHING