update on worried about lice

Canada
July 25, 2007 6:18pm CST
i had posted a message the other day about my ex having 4 kids with lice in his house and him not cleaning properly. anyway i said, i'm looking out for my daughter's health and i'm not letting her go this weeken. i want to make sure the house is lice free. with a little convincing he agreed. but then he calls and says, how about i take her camping so that way she won't be in the house. i asked and where are all the blankets for the tent and pillows that you plan on taking with you. he's taking all the stuff from inside the infested house to bring with him, so that doesn't solve the problem. i don't think he's even washed them . i don't think he understands the point of keeping her with me this weekend
3 people like this
12 responses
@bhappy2 (327)
• Australia
25 Jul 07
First of all lice do not live in houses they live in people's hair. Secondly, they really only like clean hair. Lice are becoming a big problem these days and are getting more difficult to control. Young children put their heads together, wear each others hats etc and, bingo, head lice. My grandsons use conditioner and a nit comb every night in the shower and they have eliminated the problem. Get your children to put a good dose of conditioner in their hair and then comb it out with a nit comb. I believe the conditioner suffocates the nits and they are then removed with the comb. Also because the hair is coated their eggs can't stick to the hair. Hope this helps with your children's nit problem.
• United States
26 Jul 07
Yes they can get on furniture and bedding. Why else would you have to wash everything that the infected person touched. And you are correct in that they only like clean hair, (which kills the, only dirty people get lice theory). I remember only 2 times my older kids had it and all that washing clothes and hair and picking out the nits and treating the furniture.. Wow, I am glad that is over, but then again, I have a 5 year old going to school this year..lol
2 people like this
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
27 Jul 07
Most lice feed on blood about every 4 to 6 hours, but they can survive up to 3 days off the scalp. So yes, lice can live in a house, but they don't live past 3 days. But the problem is, during those 3 days, if someone lays on the floor where someone with lice has just laid, they could get lice. And if someone has a small teddy bear or any stuff toy at that and the person who has lice laid on it, there is a good chance that someone else that uses that toy right after can get lice. And then that is how it spreads. I know lice feeds on blood, but it can be spread and fall off on house furniture and so on. That is why it's always good to vacuum for a week straight after head lice has been noticed and to wash all things that are washable and even vacuum the couch and stuff.
2 people like this
@biwasaki (1745)
• United States
26 Jul 07
Last year, both of my daughters got lice from another little girl that they were playing with. It was an absolute nightmare to get rid of, especially since they were 3 and 2 at the time. The lice shampoo treatment didn't work at all. I finally bought a lice comb and sat them in the bathtub, put conditioner in their hair, and combed through it for HOURS until I got rid of them all. Even after that, I combed through their hair every night for a few weeks just to be sure that they were all gone. Personally, if it were my daughter I wouldn't allow her to go camping. I'm sure she'll want to play with the other children, and even though the chances are slim, she may still get it from them. I mean, think about how children play, they put their heads together to look at things and hug each other or wrestle. It would just be too much of a risk for me.
@biwasaki (1745)
• United States
26 Jul 07
I forgot to add that a friend of mine is a hairdresser. Her daughter has long hair, so to avoid head lice she braids her daughter's hair tightly and then hairsprays her head all the way down to the end of the braid. She said that the lice can't grab on to the hair because the hairspray makes the hair shaft too slippery for them to grab on to.
3 people like this
@hoghoney (3747)
• United States
26 Jul 07
OH my dear I dont blame you for not letting her go. He should be more careing for your daughter so that she dont get it also. you are such a great mommy. Hugs
3 people like this
• Canada
26 Jul 07
First let me say that my kids have had lice, and it was truly a nightmare to get rid of. And just when we got rid of it, ew'd get it back from some other kid at school. I swear I washed all the bedding in my house twice a week between Chrismtas and the end of the school year. I am so glad it's nto happenign now that school is over. Where I live, they don't make you stay home from school because of lice. lice is not considered a health risk, only an iconvenience. Don't be surprised it children's services isn't that worried about lice, either. Having lice does not mean you aren't cleaning properly. In fact, the lice problem is getting larger and larger now because the lice are becoming immune to permethryn, which is the killing ingredient in most lice shampoos. So, please don't give your ex-husband a hard time for not being clean because of a lice problem - that is likely not true. I know it wasn't for us. Lice can live up to two weeks away from hair. They do not jump or fly, however. So, your daughter could go camping if she brought her own bdding and didnt' hare a tent with the other kids, and didn't touch heads with anyone or share a hat or towels.
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
27 Jul 07
Dang, where do you live? Because every place I have lived, you can't be let back into school unless you use the shampoo and bring proof of purchase and an empty bottle. I use to work at a daycare, several at that, and the lice was a big deal. You are sent home and have to be away for the 24 hours and use the shampoo. And that was the health departments rule for all daycares and schools. And by the way, lice can only survive 3 days off the scalp.
2 people like this
• Canada
27 Jul 07
I live in Canada. When my son had lice, they sent home documentation about it, including directions on how to deal with it, and a very strongly worded request that he not return - but they did admit they couldn't make me keep him hom (I did anyways). There is different views on how long they can last off the head. I have never heard as low as three days - I have heard anyqwhere from one week to two weeks. Those who say it can be up to two weeks usually add the caveat that the lice are very slow moving by then, but can still be alive and get back on the clothing.
1 person likes this
• United States
26 Jul 07
WOW where I live, you can't even send your child to school if they have a fever and if a child is found at school with lice, the parents are immediately called to pick up the child and they have to have been treated as well as have no nits before they can return to school. I agree that its a nightmare dealing with them. Been there done that.
2 people like this
@wiccania (3360)
• United States
25 Jul 07
I wouldn't let her go either. Lice isn't easy to get rid of once it's there, and if it's an all out infestation it's even harder.
3 people like this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
25 Jul 07
Hey I wouldn't let her go if I were you, those things can get pretty bad and if your daughter has long hair, that makes it worse. Since it is your ex. what about asking someone who handles your case. Because if this was a school issue, she wouldn't be allowed to go to school. So if the public school protects children from getting lice by not allowing the infected person in school, why should she have to go with her Dad and take that chance of getting infected?
• Canada
25 Jul 07
good point about the school thing, thanks. i'll tell him that so he just doesn't think i'm trying to be mean by not letting her go.
2 people like this
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
27 Jul 07
You are doing the right thing. I would also tell him that it really isn't all that hard to rid the lice. All he has to do is take all bedding and wash every single thing. He also needs to vacuum like crazy in every room. And most important, wash everyones head and hair stuff. Then spray all the stuff toys and couches and all that down with the lice spray. Some people get really stressed when it comes to lice and then they panic and then get over whelmed and don't end up cleaning everything right. It really only takes one full day of doing everything step by step and then repeat in a week. I would keep her away for 2 weekends, just to be safe. Daycare and schools will send her home for 24 hours and then they even ask for the bottle of lice shampoo for proof that her head was washed with the lice stuff. So I hope she doesn't get it. Tell him to do everything the right way and then things should be good.
1 person likes this
@KrisNY (7590)
• United States
26 Jul 07
Oh that is too bad- I mean for the kids that live there- Lice is terrible- I would not let her go either- then you will have to deal with that when she comes home- Hopefully he will wash the walls, blankets , rugs, furniture- etc. soon- or those poor kids will get it and keep getting it!
• United States
26 Jul 07
Oh hun, I can COMPLETELY understand. My oldest daughter who was 3 at the time (she is now almost 10) kept getting lice from her fathers house. I went through this for roughly 5 months. I would clean clean clean at my house just to make sure (didn't ever find any lice on the remaining 4 of us though, thankfully). I bought the lice spray and sprayed what I couldn't wash in hot water and dry in a super hot dryer. It was awful. Every 2 weeks, I was treating that poor baby's hair for lice and using that nit comb to get them out. I thought it was awful because she wasn't in day care (I did daycare from my home and did a constant check on the kids there just to make sure--once you get a case of those things, they are super hard to get rid of in the house). We were spending 20-30 bucks every 2 weeks getting this stuff done. My ex was saying that they were coming from MY house because HE didn't have them. I asked him to then explain it to me how it could be coming from my house because the rest of us didn't have them--and my hubby has long dark hair and a full dark beard and mustache. He couldn't and wouldn't listen to me so I kept up with this til New Years Eve (all of this started in August). I was due to treat her hair again and I looked in her head to see if she had any nits and sure enough she did (she had been with her father xmas day and the day after). So I decided to let it go and not say a word. Sure enough, her father was calling me that evening saying that he was brining her back. I was like 'Why? Is there anythign wrong?' And he explained that the lice were back and I explained that I had just treated her head less than 7 days ago so I could NOT as per directions on the box, treat her head again that soon. I stated that I understood why he wanted to bring her back and that if needed I could take her to the family doctor to see what they recommended and that SOMETHING had to be done because these lice were coming from SOMEWHERE. So when he brought her back a couple hours later, he had gotten a buzz cut and had virtually NO hair. I had read somewhere that putting mayonaise in a lice ridden head and putting plastic wrap over the hair over night would kill off those critters by the next morning. So that it was I did. I told my daughter I was making a Jessie Salad (her name is Jessica) and she was fine with it. Washed the mayo out of her hair the next morning and ran the nit comb through and NEVER had another problem. This child still REMEMBERS all of this---even the Jessie Salad part. It used to break my heart to sit in the bathroom floor with her and take that comb through her hair several times a week to make sure we got all the nits. The sink would be COVERED with them. Good thing is though---after her father did the buzz cut to HIS head, there wasn't EVER another problem with the lice. At least I made my point. I hated being that way though but he just wouldn't understand any other way. I wish you luck with the ex on this---they can be a tough breed.
@kayrod2 (1304)
• Australia
27 Jul 07
I think he needs to worry about fixing the problem in his house before the camping anyhow. Doesnt he want it all cleared up? I know i would. It isnt fair on those other kids for a start, and wouldnt be fair on you or your daughter if she was to get them. Hope he fixes the problem soon. Best wishes
1 person likes this
@hopejordan (3561)
• Australia
28 Oct 07
like i said to another women not to long ago i don't know if you have it in your country but where i am from Australia there is a comb called nab comb and it is battery oprated and there is a compartment and you put the comb througth the hair and if you catch the lice or eggs it goes into the compartment but when your finished you have to put a solution in the compartment to kill them then you wash it out with warm water then you can use it on someone else. thankyou for this discussion
@AbbyLSRN (18)
• United States
19 Oct 07
I don't blame you for not taking your daughter over there until the problem is properly resolved, but my dear, head lice do not live in peoples houses. Head lice cannot live away from the warmth, and food the host provides for longer than 24 hours. It used to be thought that a nit could hatch away from the human. We have since learned that the nit (lice egg) needs the warmth of the head in order to incubate. Much like a chicken sitting on an egg. Therefore all the time spent cleaning the laundry, house, and bagging up stuffed animals would be much better spent making sure all lice and nits are manually removed from the child's head. Furthermore, all family members and close contacts should be checked in order to rule out exposure issues, and if found to have head lice, properly treated. Head lice are spread through head to head contact. Not from sheets or pillows. In all actuality, when the children come in contact while tossing and turning in their sleep, is the way the lice get passed from one to another.Be careful in choosing a product if your daughter is found to have head lice. Please choose one that is non toxic. Another way to check is by running a lice comb through the hair. We recommend the Terminator. Please continue to check her for three weeks after the suspected contact with an infested person. Keep in mind that getting head lice is not a hygiene issue, and having head lice should be no more embarrassing than having a case of the chicken pox. For more info about head lice visit www.licesolutions.org