Creepy crawlies...

[stephwhiz]

I have to confess something that I haven't shared with you ladies...my kids both had headlice a few weeks ago. I have combed them three times daily most days and have treated them with RID and a generic brand and am now using shaving cream on their hair every day or two. Yes that's right shaving cream! It seems to have worked better than anything else! My DH read about it on the internet and I tried it and it strips their hair and makes it sqeeky clean!

I have been a nervous wreck over this and of course paranoid. DH and myself do not have them (yet) and that's a praise report! The kids both had them and I am still combing them daily and sometimes finding empty eggs shells and very rarely tiny, tiny bugs. I called the RID hotline because the two treatments didn't fully treat them and they said that I could keep combing stuff out for a while. I have washed all linens in hot water several times and vacuum all the time. I have also sprayed everything and have some pillows and stuffed animals in quarantine in bags in my basement.

I also am using Tea Tree Oil Shampoo and conditioner on them too. I think all of this combined is doing the trick it just takes time.

Please pray that God will take these nasty things before they drive me crazy!! Like I said I have not seen any "full size" bugs in over 16 days so that is a blessing! And the tiny bugs are ones that have recently hatched and cannot lay eggs until they are full grown. Hopefully we will catch them all before then.

Any suggestion from you ladies would be greatfully appreciated. DD has a dr's appt next Thursday for her 5 year check-up so if things are not gone by then I'm going to talk to her dr. about it. By the way I have no idea where they got them from.

Thanks ladies!

Stephanie

[kanaclark]

luckily, we made it through kindergarten this year without Gabe getting them, but it seems like I kept getting them from people when I was in elementary school.

Someone told me one time that african american's will not get lice. when i asked the ped. about this, she said it's not just them, anyone who has naturally oiler hair that "normal" is less likely to contract the little boogers. seems they can't attached to the hair shaft.
With that in mind, maybe give the kids a good old "hot oil treatment" when you know they're all gone. don't know if it would help, but in theory, it seems it would.

since the itching is the only symptom they have, and they're not a "serious danger", i worry more about ticks and spiders where we live. Gabe keeps his hair buzzed (he wants to be a marine when he grows up, so it's high and tight now too, "to get used to it", LOL) so we can see pretty much anything that crawls in his head.

I'll prbably buz the other two when they're older just out of conveinance though. I think Gabe's short short hair has kept a lot of problems down.

best wishes, though. and don't let them drive you nuts, they can. (the lice, not the kids, although if they're like mine, they can too, )

[harmony5]

So far, my children have been spared. But I do remember a time when all 5 of my mom's kids (including me, of course) had it at one time!!! Imagine all the combing over a white pillowcase she had to do!

Lori

[JeanineAnne]

Our daughter got them in preschool....mayo was what worked for us

I know how you feel though. I never had them as a child, but it was so stressful when Raegan got them.

Hugs to you and hope they are totally gone soon!!

Something people forget, if you have pets, you might to check to make sure they didn't get it.

We have never had them, but my neice has. She got them when she was in 4th grade. Image her embarrassment. Girls at that age are so picky anyway. My SIL had an awful time w/her. Her hair was down past her butt, so it took a long time to comb through it. The nurse told her she probably got it from sharing a comb or brush at school. We get updates from the school whenever they have a child that has them to let parents know. I will be praying for you all. I know it can be tough on Mom as well as the kids.

[stephwhiz]

Thanks for the prayers and info ladies! I really appreciate it. I am down to picking them once a day now and have not been finding anything except dirt and cookies -- ha-ha! My kids play outside all of the time and get all dirty plus Autumn always gets food in her hair too.

Stephanie

[stephwhiz]

JeanineAnne how did you use the mayo? Did you leave it on overnight or for an hour? I've read both ways. Thanks, Stephanie

[JeanineAnne]

I think around 2 hours (the first time, I forgot about it ~ we were playing a game together and lost track ). I was amazed about how well it worked. We used mayo every other day for about 5 days (three treatments) and have never seen them again....plus her hair was amazingly soft!!

[breezykc2]

also, adding about a teaspoon of pure tea tree oil to your washing machine with each load of clothes/blankets/pillows/and stuffed animals is great for disenfecting safely! I would make sure to wash the stuffed animals and pillows twice and dry thoroughly with tennis balls in the dryer before quarantinging them! They can grow in stuffed animals! I would also treat your carpet and your furniture....we kept having problems where I worked awhile ago and found out if was from the carpet and couches being cantaminated....ergh! Have the carpets chemically cleaned everywhere and before you do that, clean your couches by washing and spraying with heavy duty upolstery cleaner! Good luck!

[stephwhiz]

Thank ladies for the helpful hints. I have been vacuuming the couch and carpets not spraying them with upholstery cleaner--I'll do that. Thanks again! Stephanie