Have you ever found lice in your kids' hair and NOT reported it to the school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much all live are super lice and don't respond to shampoo or chemical treatments. Don't even bother. We go to a lice center and they have a heat treatment plus combing that has worked every time.

You can also do it at home and save a lot of money, but it takes diligence. I became good at nit combing the hard way, but now if I ever spot nits in my kid's hair (and I check weekly), I am confident I can take care of it at home. Key is multiple treatments and careful nit checks and nit combing.

The nice thing about treating it at home, in addition to not costing hundred ever time there is a lice outbreak, is that it is way less stressful for your kids. My kid knows that nit checks/comb outs are a time when she gets to sit and watch whatever TV she wants, and I'll give her a smoothie or milkshake to sip on while I do it. It takes the stress out of it and just makes it a normal grooming thing. She no longer minds the metal nit comb (which she used to absolutely hate) and in a weird way it's bonding time. We do it every Sunday evening during the school year.

I don't understand your argument at all about going to a place stressing your daughter out. How often are you finding lice? It only takes them about an hour total and my daughter gets to pick a movie to watch while they do her head of waist length hair. We've only had to get her treated twice ever, so not often. There's no need for multiple treatments or weekly nit combing. They treat her head, the nits and lice are gone, and we leave. We haven't had them come back, but if they do we wouldn't have to pay again because the service is guaranteed.

One good reason to go somewhere is that I also want my head checked and I don't trust my husband or 9 yo to do so thoroughly, as the nits are super hard to see with my hair color. We also have an au pair and it's super awkward for me to check and comb out her hair, so I'd rather have a professional do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have only ever known one person in my life that ever had lice, and that was decades ago, just a boy in school who was almost homeless, alcoholic dad and his mother had run away, so he rarely bathed.

School shaved his head and he got to come back to class next day.

Cannot imagine anyone in this day and age having lice. How gross!

Most of the kids I know who have had lice are upper middle class white girls between ages 7 and 12. They have long hair, they use lots of hair accessories, they have sleepovers. That's where the lice are and how they spread, not from some traumatized neglected child who was humiliated at school.

Soo gross. Lice is so rare, so they must be around some really dirty people to get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I’m sure I’m alone in this, but yeah lice are annoying but they’re also…. Wait for it…. Harmless. They don’t spread disease. Kids are rightfully not excluded from school just for having lice. Like…. if your kid comes home with an itchy head, treat it and move on. No one is dying or behind hospitalized because of head lice.

They’re also…wait for it…disgusting.

Yes, of course they are disgusting. But lots of things about parenting are disgusting. Was changing diapers a sunny delight for you? That's life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have only ever known one person in my life that ever had lice, and that was decades ago, just a boy in school who was almost homeless, alcoholic dad and his mother had run away, so he rarely bathed.

School shaved his head and he got to come back to class next day.

Cannot imagine anyone in this day and age having lice. How gross!

Most of the kids I know who have had lice are upper middle class white girls between ages 7 and 12. They have long hair, they use lots of hair accessories, they have sleepovers. That's where the lice are and how they spread, not from some traumatized neglected child who was humiliated at school.

Soo gross. Lice is so rare, so they must be around some really dirty people to get it.

It's gross but not even a little rare. Lice is always circulating. And it's not about dirt, just exposure to lice. They aren't dirt, they are bugs. And they are not more attracted to dirty or unbathed people -- everyone I know who has had lice is a clean person. A clean person who then got lice from another person, who likely was also clean.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No what’s wrong with you??

OP here. Nothing -- we always tell the school. But it's obvious some families don't and I'm trying to understand why.

Girl, how often are you getting lice!?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our DCPS reports lice. I still deep condition and comb out my kids’ hair with a flea comb every 2 weeks, no matter what. I assume lice is just endemic at school; there’s always a chance of outbreak, and I’d rather catch it early. I have found that many parents do not understand how to properly treat lice, so the same outbreak just keeps going around.

Our DCPS constantly has lice circulating among the long-haired girls but thus far it hasn't hit my short-haired boys.

I also think the girls like to do each other’s hair and tend to be more affectionate (hugging/leaning heads together) so it spreads easily among them.

I’m being serious when I say it’s endemic— I assume at least a handful of kids, if not more, have lice in every grade, at all times. You don’t see signs of lice until late in most kids so by the time they’re seen, they’ve been there a loooong time. Weeks, usually. So that’s why we do the regular comb out. Lice is not such a big deal if you know how to deal with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No what’s wrong with you??

OP here. Nothing -- we always tell the school. But it's obvious some families don't and I'm trying to understand why.

Girl, how often are you getting lice!?

If you're at a school where it circulates, it's not uncommon to find nits at least once a year, even taking preventative measures.

It's the families that are checking frequently and doing regular nit combing who are most likely to find it and report it.

Between 3 kids, our family has found lice four times (twice in each of my girls, the boy has never had it). The first time we didn't catch it early because we didn't know to look for it. Every time after that we've found it during weekly nit combing and reported it immediately so that other parents could know to look and hopefully catch it early.

[Anonymous]

I mean would all of you be cool if there was a lice infestation in your office and your hair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I’m sure I’m alone in this, but yeah lice are annoying but they’re also…. Wait for it…. Harmless. They don’t spread disease. Kids are rightfully not excluded from school just for having lice. Like…. if your kid comes home with an itchy head, treat it and move on. No one is dying or behind hospitalized because of head lice.

They’re also…wait for it…disgusting.

And? How is this a public health emergency that requires schools to track, notify parents, and exclude children from school? We don’t even do that for the flu, which spreads like wildfire in classrooms and actually kills 100+ children every year. Lice are super gross. They’re also not dangerous. Lots of things about kids, schools, and parenting are gross. I bet half of these parents who are losing their minds over something as harmless as head lice send their kids to school on Motrin when they had a fever the night before. Now there is something that could actually inadvertently cause another child in the class to be hospitalized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean would all of you be cool if there was a lice infestation in your office and your hair?

As someone who got lice from my kid when there was an outbreak at her school, I would be miserable if their was lice in my own hair.

But also there's a reason lice circulates in elementary schools but is really not common most other places. Do you hug your colleagues regularly, lie down on the ground with your heads touching, wrestle, or play with each other's hair? Do you often share hoodies, hats, or hair accessories? No.

So if a colleague had lice, I'd feel bad for that colleague and would want them to treat before coming into the office, but I actually wouldn't worry that much about it. When my DD and I got it, DH didn't even get it and he lives with us and hugs us both and had laid in bed next to DD in the days before we caught it. But he has short hair and doesn't share brushes with DD, whereas I did, so I got it and he didn't.

Adults don't have to worry that much about lice unless you have a kid in elementary, because that's where it lives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I’m sure I’m alone in this, but yeah lice are annoying but they’re also…. Wait for it…. Harmless. They don’t spread disease. Kids are rightfully not excluded from school just for having lice. Like…. if your kid comes home with an itchy head, treat it and move on. No one is dying or behind hospitalized because of head lice.

They’re also…wait for it…disgusting.

And? How is this a public health emergency that requires schools to track, notify parents, and exclude children from school? We don’t even do that for the flu, which spreads like wildfire in classrooms and actually kills 100+ children every year. Lice are super gross. They’re also not dangerous. Lots of things about kids, schools, and parenting are gross. I bet half of these parents who are losing their minds over something as harmless as head lice send their kids to school on Motrin when they had a fever the night before. Now there is something that could actually inadvertently cause another child in the class to be hospitalized.

Agreed. The parents at our school keep talking about "tracking" lice in the classrooms. I honestly don't know what they are talking about. I do think people should report it and that the school should let families know when there are cases, because I don't want to get it. But I don't really care if the school does anything beyond that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much all live are super lice and don't respond to shampoo or chemical treatments. Don't even bother. We go to a lice center and they have a heat treatment plus combing that has worked every time.

You can also do it at home and save a lot of money, but it takes diligence. I became good at nit combing the hard way, but now if I ever spot nits in my kid's hair (and I check weekly), I am confident I can take care of it at home. Key is multiple treatments and careful nit checks and nit combing.

The nice thing about treating it at home, in addition to not costing hundred ever time there is a lice outbreak, is that it is way less stressful for your kids. My kid knows that nit checks/comb outs are a time when she gets to sit and watch whatever TV she wants, and I'll give her a smoothie or milkshake to sip on while I do it. It takes the stress out of it and just makes it a normal grooming thing. She no longer minds the metal nit comb (which she used to absolutely hate) and in a weird way it's bonding time. We do it every Sunday evening during the school year.

I don't understand your argument at all about going to a place stressing your daughter out. How often are you finding lice? It only takes them about an hour total and my daughter gets to pick a movie to watch while they do her head of waist length hair. We've only had to get her treated twice ever, so not often. There's no need for multiple treatments or weekly nit combing. They treat her head, the nits and lice are gone, and we leave. We haven't had them come back, but if they do we wouldn't have to pay again because the service is guaranteed.

One good reason to go somewhere is that I also want my head checked and I don't trust my husband or 9 yo to do so thoroughly, as the nits are super hard to see with my hair color. We also have an au pair and it's super awkward for me to check and comb out her hair, so I'd rather have a professional do it.

Because I have three kids, they have to check all the kids and adults and treat everyone who has lice. Many hours- at least 3 for my family. But they do guarantee it for 30 days and I need that guarantee. Yea, some or one of the kids has gotten in 2-3 times. Now I am always putting my daughter’s hair back, not sharing catchers gear, no bike helmet sharing. Hopefully we are aging out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much all live are super lice and don't respond to shampoo or chemical treatments. Don't even bother. We go to a lice center and they have a heat treatment plus combing that has worked every time.

You can also do it at home and save a lot of money, but it takes diligence. I became good at nit combing the hard way, but now if I ever spot nits in my kid's hair (and I check weekly), I am confident I can take care of it at home. Key is multiple treatments and careful nit checks and nit combing.

The nice thing about treating it at home, in addition to not costing hundred ever time there is a lice outbreak, is that it is way less stressful for your kids. My kid knows that nit checks/comb outs are a time when she gets to sit and watch whatever TV she wants, and I'll give her a smoothie or milkshake to sip on while I do it. It takes the stress out of it and just makes it a normal grooming thing. She no longer minds the metal nit comb (which she used to absolutely hate) and in a weird way it's bonding time. We do it every Sunday evening during the school year.

I don't understand your argument at all about going to a place stressing your daughter out. How often are you finding lice? It only takes them about an hour total and my daughter gets to pick a movie to watch while they do her head of waist length hair. We've only had to get her treated twice ever, so not often. There's no need for multiple treatments or weekly nit combing. They treat her head, the nits and lice are gone, and we leave. We haven't had them come back, but if they do we wouldn't have to pay again because the service is guaranteed.

One good reason to go somewhere is that I also want my head checked and I don't trust my husband or 9 yo to do so thoroughly, as the nits are super hard to see with my hair color. We also have an au pair and it's super awkward for me to check and comb out her hair, so I'd rather have a professional do it.

Because I have three kids, they have to check all the kids and adults and treat everyone who has lice. Many hours- at least 3 for my family. But they do guarantee it for 30 days and I need that guarantee. Yea, some or one of the kids has gotten in 2-3 times. Now I am always putting my daughter’s hair back, not sharing catchers gear, no bike helmet sharing. Hopefully we are aging out.

**they have to treat all adults and kids in the household for the guarantee. It’s a racket. But I am paying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Man, I’m glad my kids school isn’t like this! DCPS. There was a case of lice in my kid’s class last year. They sent a message to all parents and then the nurse was in the class every single morning for over a week checking every single head. If you had lice, parents were called and told to take you home and treat. My daughter never got it (thank god, I’m afraid of bugs) but I always braid her hair in the morning and for over a week it was clear that it had been redone each day - the nurse was taking her hair down and checking, and someone was rebraiding it (maybe the teacher? Not sure).

I was so grateful they were so thorough. Especially after that experience, I would always tell!

I could see how you wouldn’t if you knew the school wouldn’t do anything.

Maybe DC elementary schools are better about this because they also have PKs and they have blankets for taking naps? It’d be so easy for lice to just run rampant if they weren’t diligent.

Huh, we are in a DCPS that has a current lice outbreak and they don't do any of this. It was actually hard to get them to even send a notice out to families about it -- I think the PTO had to push. They are definitely not sending the school nurse in to do lice checks every day, and the nurse isn't calling any parents or sending kids home (I do not think they are allowed to do this). There's also no way they'd be unbraiding and rebranding kids' hair daily -- this would take forever.

I believe it is DCPS policy to, at most, let parents know lice is circulating and to check their kids. I am very, very skeptical that what you are describing here would be permitted in a DCPS elementary school for a host of reasons.

Glad your DD never got lice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty much all live are super lice and don't respond to shampoo or chemical treatments. Don't even bother. We go to a lice center and they have a heat treatment plus combing that has worked every time.

You can also do it at home and save a lot of money, but it takes diligence. I became good at nit combing the hard way, but now if I ever spot nits in my kid's hair (and I check weekly), I am confident I can take care of it at home. Key is multiple treatments and careful nit checks and nit combing.

The nice thing about treating it at home, in addition to not costing hundred ever time there is a lice outbreak, is that it is way less stressful for your kids. My kid knows that nit checks/comb outs are a time when she gets to sit and watch whatever TV she wants, and I'll give her a smoothie or milkshake to sip on while I do it. It takes the stress out of it and just makes it a normal grooming thing. She no longer minds the metal nit comb (which she used to absolutely hate) and in a weird way it's bonding time. We do it every Sunday evening during the school year.

I don't understand your argument at all about going to a place stressing your daughter out. How often are you finding lice? It only takes them about an hour total and my daughter gets to pick a movie to watch while they do her head of waist length hair. We've only had to get her treated twice ever, so not often. There's no need for multiple treatments or weekly nit combing. They treat her head, the nits and lice are gone, and we leave. We haven't had them come back, but if they do we wouldn't have to pay again because the service is guaranteed.

One good reason to go somewhere is that I also want my head checked and I don't trust my husband or 9 yo to do so thoroughly, as the nits are super hard to see with my hair color. We also have an au pair and it's super awkward for me to check and comb out her hair, so I'd rather have a professional do it.

Because I have three kids, they have to check all the kids and adults and treat everyone who has lice. Many hours- at least 3 for my family. But they do guarantee it for 30 days and I need that guarantee. Yea, some or one of the kids has gotten in 2-3 times. Now I am always putting my daughter’s hair back, not sharing catchers gear, no bike helmet sharing. Hopefully we are aging out.

**they have to treat all adults and kids in the household for the guarantee. It’s a racket. But I am paying.

That is a racket but I get why you deal with it.

We don't live close enough to one of the lice centers for it to be convenient, but there are a number of services that will come to your home. The one we used, I can't remember the name, but they had a good deal where they would do a thorough lice and nit check for $50/head. If they found any signs of lice, it was $150-200 (depending on length of hair) to treat, and the $50 for the check was applied to the cost of treatment. Still expensive, but it made me feel good having them do a thorough check. So when they said DH didn't need treatment, I believed them (because it's not to their benefit to lie or play fast and loose with that).

They also let me watch all the nit checks and talked me through what they were doing, and now I feel much more capable of checking and preventing than I did before. Highly recommend the home services for this reason!