Lice - Orland Park,IL

Updated on January 11, 2012
K.L. asks from Orland Park, IL
15 answers

OK, here's my dilemma and I need some advice. The 2 families we are closeset to have lice. We all hang out a lot with each other and our kids play together and one family got it and then gave it to our other friends. So far we SEEM to have dodged that bullet somehow but I am nervous now. I have heard horror stories of how those things take forever to go away and how you think you have gotten rid of them and then you find them again and how it can take months to get rid of them. Anyway, my one friend and I take a local class through the park district together with our kids every session and she is signing up for the class that begins middle of January even though it's only been a couple of weeks since they found the lice and aggressively began treating it. She thinks they got a mild case. Our other friends who had it first thought they had a handle on it and then found more. I really want to take this class but now I am afraid to because I can't keep our kids apart during class and what if they are still carrying it and don't know? She asked me what I honestly thought last week and I told her that I felt that if she thought she had it under control and had followed the instuctions and recommendations on the treatment box and felt like it was OK to do the class she should and I would just hope for the best. Since then my husband came home from work where he asked his coworkers about it and they said it's a nightmare and don't go near our friends for 1-3 months. Now I really feel like it would be irresponsible of her to sign up for class this session but I feel guilty saying that to her especially since she has expressed to me that she feels very isolated this time of year. What would you do?? Thanks!

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So What Happened?

So far the responses I have gotten are really helping me put this in the proper perspective, which is what I needed. Thank you so much. We are going to take the class and I will not tell my friend that I don't think she should. She has good judgement! Still, that one response about it being a nightmare is definitely going to have me taking a defensive approach to this thing. Thanks for the advice!

More Answers

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K.D.

answers from Provo on

It's just lice. They aren't as hard to get rid of as you might think --just follow the box to the letter and be very careful about getting all the eggs. Even do an extra treatment to make sure you got them all. They don't have a communicable disease, they have a nasty pesky little nusiance that they are treating and trying to take care of. She already feels isolated, so being isolated and treated like a pariah for something that isn't even her fault will just make it worse. Keep a close eye on your kids to catch it at the very start if they get them (and they already might...) and cut your friend some slack.

5 moms found this helpful
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L.C.

answers from Allentown on

My daughter had lice this year and it was a total pain to get rid of; but it's just annoying, not dangerous. I can't imagine that your friends should stop doing normal acitivities because of this! If your kids don't have it, go with prevention: wash their hair with tea tree shampoo, keep a detangler (with a few drops of tea tree oil) in their hair as lice can't/don't like to lay eggs on slippery/oily hair. I also suggest combing their hair with a METAL lice comb and checking the hair behind the ears and neck every day to ensure your kids haven't gotten them.

4 moms found this helpful
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E.C.

answers from Boston on

Going through the same thing with a child I babysit. The main thing your friend needs to do is retreat her childs hair 10 days after because that is when any nit that was missed will hatch and it will start all over again. Also as a preventative for you and your kids I would make sure there hair is back in ponytails and hairspray there hair for a while. Lice dont like hair with product in it and dyed hair and they cant jump from head to head it is transfered from like hats and brushes. Dont use anyone elses stuff. I have a friend who sends a zip lock bag to school in the winter for her kids to put there hats in at school to make sure hats dont touch others. I thought that was a great idea. Good luck and hopefully you dont get it and me in my case!

3 moms found this helpful
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S.L.

answers from San Francisco on

Kim D. is right: if they are aggressively treating then you should be fine. To be sure, check your kids, but I would bet they won't get it. My stepdaughter came twice for a visit, with lice, and my daughter did not get it even though they shared a room and a bathroom. My husband just treated it and made sure he combed her hair out daily.

On the one occasion where my daughter did get it, at preschool, I treated twice, combed out twice daily, and got rid of it no problem. The worst is putting your home on what I call "lockdown" lol, in which all toys, pillows, etc. are bagged and all linens washed...the dog went into hiding, it was so intense! But no problem getting rid of them.

2 moms found this helpful
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B.G.

answers from Champaign on

I really have to agree with Lisa, Susan and Kim. It's a pain in the butt and it kind of sucks, but it's not going to hurt you or your kids and it is something that you can get rid of!!!

I'm very sorry that Erin had a bad experience as a child, but she is definitely in the minority. Of course you are going to hear about the horror stories, but really, people get lice, it sucks, they deal with it and move on with their lives.

I use to work at summer camp. All the kids were checked on the way in to camp, and it still happened. I can remember watching tv while my mom sat and combed out my hair and my sister's hair. It was not fun, but we got through it. My son got it in preschool a couple of years ago. We did a treatment right away. We washed everything, put the stuffed animals in garbage bags and tied them up, vacuumed, sprayed the beds, all that stuff. We repeated a treatment as soon as we could, and checked a few times after that, just to be safe.

It is a pain in the butt, but seriously, don't stop living your life just because your kids might get it. Chances are they will at some point, but in the mean time don't keep them from having fun.

2 moms found this helpful
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L.M.

answers from Chicago on

I haven't read the responses so I don't know if someone suggested this already.

Buy some Tea Tree Oil and put it in your kids hair before the class - put a couple drops on your hands and rub it in. A small bottle (at Meijer) cost about $6. Lice don't like the smell and may prevent them from jumping onto your kids head. Then put the hair in a braid. Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful
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M.M.

answers from Providence on

I shop in an online wellness store that has every day products. there is a shampoo with tea tree oil.... the oil acts as a natural antibiotic and repellent against the lice... my friend, Kim, told me that a lot of kids in her son's class had it... but because she used the shampoo on her son regularly he did not catch it...

1 mom found this helpful
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A.Y.

answers from New York on

If anyone happens to get lice, DO NOT USE A TREATMENT SHAMPOO.
It is a long tedious process but use a nit comb and remove everything by hand.
Be sure to look at headlice.org before deciding on what route to take.

1 mom found this helpful

J.S.

answers from Jacksonville on

Middle ground maybe. I would casually suggest that they treat their kids hair right before they go. If my daughter had lice, that's what I would do. That way I knew for sure that they weren't spreading it. Medicated head, clean clothes, and respray the car...yep then chances of transmittal is very slim.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Minneapolis on

You don't say what the class is. If there is no "direct" physical contact, or a reason your friend's kids will be sharing hats, clothing, pillows, coats, sleeping mats, stuffed animals, laying or sitting on carpeting, or sharing combs, brushes, headbands, or sitting on cushioned chairs/furniture used by many, then chances are very low they'll (friend's kids) give lice to others. Lice is transferred primarily through direct contact and primarily they hide in fabrics and hair.

In short, you stand a greater chance of getting lice if your children go to her home for a visit and bring it home in their hair and clothes, than sharing a class with them where they are just sittting together in a room for activities.

Remember, you are probably coming in contact with lots of people out in the public who are infested with lice and other things much worse, unbeknownst to you but you don't catch it because you are not physically interacting with them.

True, movie theater seats are one the most popular way adults get lice, it is pretty rare. Lice is mostly a grade school problem because kids wear each others things, share brushes and combs, roll around in pillows, cushions, and rough house.

I say don't worry about her being there unless the kids are going to be that close where it's going to be a problem. I'd avoid going to her house and car(cushion seats ya know) for 3 weeks though. That's where you'll likely get "it."

One trick you can do to see if you have lice infested clothes etc. is to hang them in the bathroom and run the shower hot to get the steam going. Lice hate moist heat and will come out of the seams of the fabric items to seek relief.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.K.

answers from Dallas on

I had lice as a child and it was a friggin' nightmare. We worked for months to get rid of it. We did shampoo treatment after shampoo treatment, spent hours at a time doing the shampoo/combing it out. Washed all the linens, cleaned carpets with special spray. Everything. Those suckers would not go away. When we thought they were gone, they'd come back. Eventually, I had to cut my long hair off, because we couldn't get rid of it any other way. It only takes one viable egg left in your hair to become infested again.

If everyone in your friends house had it, then it was not a "light" infestation. It was all over their house - every pillow on their couch, in their bed, in their carpet, in their clothes. However, if only one of them had it, they could possibly have gotten rid of it fairly easily (maybe).

I agree, steer clear of them. Of course, there is the argument that kids will come in contact with kids with lice at school and never get it. However, I wouldn't take the risk if I KNEW there was a chance they had it.

My head is itching just thinking abou this!

1 mom found this helpful
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K.I.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I haven't read the responses but what you can do to protect your family is use a lice repellent shampoo ( sell at Walmart) and or put a couple of drops of tea tree oil on a spray water bottle, shampoo ,a conditioner etc...lice hate this smell.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.J.

answers from Chicago on

Having just gone through this in our own household I will say it is indeed a nightmare. If you have girls, put their hair in a ponytail or braids to avoid it swinging around as much as possible.

I know you have gotten a lot of advice on here, so I will keep this short.
The rule at school is the kids could be in school, with nits, but if a live one was discovered they had to go home. So, delicately asking your friend, if she has gotten any creepy crawlies lately may help you decide if you want to be around them. Personally, we did as little as possible, and luckily my whole family did NOT get them, but we stayed away as much as possible until the whole ordeal was over.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Chicago on

I am like you and I think it's a big deal!!!!!!! From what I understand it isn't that easy to get rid of.! While I wouldn't avoid signing up for the class, keep an eye on your kids and make sure they don't share anything. Also, take preventative measures and use lice defense shampoo, I do and some hair mouse and hair spray. Lice like hair that is clean and not oily and sticky.

1 mom found this helpful
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S.2.

answers from Raleigh on

Oh man. Lice. What an AWFUL word!

I'm on the side that thinks is a big deal. My daughters had lice when they were 3 and 4 and it was a friggin nightmare (to quote another comment below). I did everything you were suppose to do to clean their (our) heads til they were lice free. I washed EVERYTHING in our house that could be washed, threw out sooooo much stuff that couldn't be washed well. Sprayed all our furniture that couldn't go into the washing machine. Hell I tell ya!

Then 2wks later I saw more on one of their heads! Are you kidding me?!?! I had to do it all over again. What I wanted to do was just cry. Well, actually I think I did that first...then cleaned everything again!

Our LR furniture was getting old (9yrs) and I wanted new stuff anyway, but hubby and I decided to just go out and get it then so we KNEW the furniture was lice-free.

ugh. eebie jeebies!! If it's too late, and your kids will be playing w/ hers shortly (before they know for sure they're clean....for weeks) then make sure your kids hair is up/braided and spray it w/ hairspray. Lice want clean hair, not rough/hairsprayed hair.

I wish you a lice-free home for years and years to come!

1 mom found this helpful
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