Head Lice and the No Nit School Policy

There are many public schools that have very strict “no nit” policies when it comes to dealing with head lice. Though it may seem extremely unfair that your child is sent home a second time, even after you have treated them for head lice, the policy is aimed an eliminated the spreading of lice to other children.Many school officials, including school nurses may lack the expertise necessary to determine if nits are active or inactive, therefore if they spot nits in a child’s hair they send them home until all the nits have been removed. This is why it is so important that parents use meticulous care during the nit removal phase after head lice treatment.There is some controversy over the “no nit policy” implemented at schools. Excluding children based on nits in the hair that may not even be a live infestation can actually have lasting emotional problems for that child. On the other hand, it is reassuring for the parents of other children, that a child that is infested with head lice won’t be allowed back in school to spread it to others. Despite the fact that there is some opposition to the “no nit school policies” there are some advantages to it.For communities to actively control head lice infestations, there has to be a universal protocol when dealing with it. This is one way to help prevent head lice from becoming epidemic in school or daycare settings. With the “no nit “ head lice policies, those who are responsible for checking to ensure a child is free from head lice will not have to guess if the nits represent a new infestation, they simply don’t allow the child back in schoolThough it is true that a child who is isolated due to a head lice infestation may have some emotional problems due to the isolation, the problems that may be posed because of ridicule by classmates and friends could be much worse.All this is not to mention that most healthcare specialists believe that the number one cause of a re-infestation is failure to remove nits from the hair. Nit removal is very inconvenient, but necessary. Not only does combing the hair with a nit removal comb ensure that head lice and their eggs are removed, failure to do this can result in having to repeat the treatment several times, multiplying the inconvenience of treating head lice.

Best Gifts For A Baby

You are a new parent and you want to make sure you buy the absolute best for your baby. There are many options out there, so what do you pick that will not only help your child grow, but help them have fun too?The first type of gift you want to get for your baby is anything that causes intellectual stimulation. These are gifts which get the small mind of a baby working in overdrive, helping to create a healthy mind as they grow older. You should introduce games with various shapes, colors, and songs to your baby as young as possible.Take the baby to the beach for their birthday. They can play in the sand, enjoy the water, with you holding them of course, and play around with other babies who are enjoying the sand as well.A special blanket for your baby is a great gift, and depending on the type of personality, they may hold onto the blanket for a lot longer than their first couple years. The blanket is something the baby will identify with very quickly and it will eventually have a place in a memento box one day.You want your baby to know that bath time is fun, so get them a gift that will allow them to play in the bath. You can get them special shampoo and soap meant for their skin, or a bunch of toys that the two of you can play with in the bathtub.Give your baby the gift of music. Studies have shown that a baby introduced to music, particularly classical, at an early age, grow up to have well-formed minds that nurture many mental abilities including problem solving and creativity. There are many CDs out that actually cater to a baby and are the best bet to buy over the usual music CD.Get the baby something that is personalized. It can be a jumper with their initials or a blanket with their name stitched into it, because like the blanket, it is something that they will save throughout their lives and it will bring back warm feelings of being a baby long ago.Try and find the best gift you can for your baby and make it something that will help them nurture their minds and bodies, as well as teach them about having fun. They are your baby and they deserve only the best.

Is Commercial Lice Cures Safe?

There was a time when over the counter lice cures was the best way to treat head lice, but today there are some serious questions surrounding the use of these shampoos and creams. Not only do they contain a pesticide that may build up in your system and cause eventual harm, but also they do not seem to be working as well as they once did.It is speculated that head lice are becoming immune to the poisons in over the counter and prescription lice treatments, making them much less effective as lice cures. More often we are seeing people having to treat head lice several times with these medicated shampoos, without managing to get rid of the head lice.As a result, today many doctors are recommending that head lice be treated with natural head lice cures. This is especially true for children, as the long-term affects of these treatments that contain insecticide are not really known yet. The standard procedure for a natural lice cure involves using a non-toxic treatment on the hair, and then manually removing the lice and nits with a specially designed comb. These natural lice cures not only appear to work better, but they are not exposing your child to the toxins in commercial lice treatments.However, there are some precautionary measures that should be taken when treating lice, even if you are using natural lice cures.If the person who is infested with lice has lacerations on the scalp, especially if these sores are oozing puss, it is very important that you consult with a healthcare practitioner about how to treat the condition. This is a sign that the scalp has become infected because of scratching, and an antibiotic ointment may be necessary to clear up the infection.Another thing to keep in mind is that you should never use any type of poison or flammable substance on any part of the human body, including the hair. This can lead to injury or death.Many years ago it was common practice to use gasoline or kerosene on the hair as lice cures, but this practice is far too dangerous and should never be used. Every year children are maimed and killed because a parent used this procedure as a lice cure. Never use anything dangerous on yourself or your children. If you are looking for lice cures, there are far too many out there to even think about using a flammable and dangerous substance.Always choose a safe and non-toxic lice cure to rid your family of any head lice infestations.

Rid Your House of Headlice to Prevent Reoccurring Infestation

Naturally when you discover that someone in your home has headlice, the first thing you want to do is begin treatment, but it is also important to pay attention to your house as well. When someone in the household becomes infested with headlice, it is not uncommon for the rest of the family to catch it too. Headlice is extremely contagious and when people live in close proximately, these tiny insects readily pass between the house’s inhabitants. For this reason it is extremely important that if one person in the house has headlice, that all family members be closely checked for infestation. There is a high likelihood that most if not all members of the household will have headlice.Even when all the people in the house are treated, the problem doesn’t really end there. You also have to de-louse the house itself, and all personal belongings. Treating a headlice infestation can be a tedious task, but very important if you don’t want to be dealing continually with the problem.The proper way to rid your home of headlice is to first, treat all those who have been infested, after treatment, have each person put on freshly laundered clothing. Buy a new comb to use after treatment; do not use a brush or comb that was being used before treatment.If you do not want to replace all your combs and brushes, it will be necessary to let them set in boiled water for at least an hour. This includes all hair accessories as well. If it is not possible to disinfect them with boiling water, place them in a plastic back, seal it and do not use the items again for at least 2 to 3 weeks.All bedding and clothing must be washed in hot water, and dried on a high heat setting. This will kill any lice that may be clinging to the clothing, or linen. Don’t’ forget about blankets and stuffed animals. Again, if the items cannot be washed, seal them in plastic bags for a few weeks.It will also be necessary to vacuum all carpets, and furniture, as well as mattresses. If you would like to take extra precautionary measures, you can buy insecticide designed specifically for headlice. Spray the furniture and mattresses with the insecticide and let dry before allowing human contact. Though these may seem like extreme measures, keep in mind that it is not uncommon for people to repeatedly become infested with headlice, due to contact after treatment with a live lice in their living environment. There is nothing quite as irritating as treating the whole family, just to find a few weeks later that the headlice infestation has returned.

Persistent Headlice Infestations

Today it is becoming more and more common for headlice treatments to fail. When this happens, the reoccurring infestation becomes evident within a few weeks after treatment. Persistent headlice infestation can go on for months, and in a few cases, even years. Not only is this an incredible amount of trouble, it can actually be emotionally traumatic for the person who has the headlice infestation, as well as others in the household. Usually the reason behind a persistent headlice infestation is the direct environment the person is in. It may be that they are being re-infested through household items that were not treated, or someone who they are in close contact with has failed to treat their condition and is still spreading lice. Another problem that is being seen frequently is that the common shampoo and cream treatments are no longer 100% effective in treating headlice. This is partly due to the fact that the lice are becoming immune to the insecticides in the treatments, so they are no longer killing lice the way they once did.Persistent headlice infestation can be a big problem. For one thing you can only safely use the medicated treatments so often before they become a health hazard, in addition the emotional stress of having to continually treat all members in your household for headlice will take its toll quickly.To best fight headlice infestations it is imperative that it be treated properly from the beginning. Treat the hair and carefully remove all the nits from the hair shaft with a specially designed comb. Always vacuum the carpet and furniture in your home immediately after treatment, and you will also want to wash all bedding and clothes in hot water. Soak combs, brushes and other hair items in very hot water, or completely discard them and buy the items new. Aside from these steps, you may want to let all people you, or your family has been in contact with, know that there was a headlice infestation and that they should check to ensure that they do not have them.This will help to eliminate the possibility that the headlice will be passed back and forth between people who are frequently in each other’s company. If you have children in daycare or school, call and let them know that your child was exposed to headlice.Another very important step is to retreat the hair after a week. This will help to rid the head of any newly hatched lice; in addition, keep checking at least every other day for a reoccurring infestation, even after the second treatment.Also speak with your healthcare provider about what you can do to eliminate headlice.

Treatment for Pediculosis

Pediculosis is a condition in which a human is infested with some form of lice; this includes body lice, head lice and pubic lice. The most common pediculosis condition is head lice. Lice are tiny parasite insects that can be found in the hair and on the scalp of an infested human. These insects need human blood to survive; they will also stay close to the skin for warmth and moisture. Head lice move very quickly, thus the reason for how easily they move from one person to another. Anyone can have a pediculosis condition; it is not an indication of poor hygiene, and head lice do not limit themselves only to those on the lower economic level. The main symptom of pediculosis is itching, and at times the itching can be very irritating causing excessive scratching, that in turn, leads to sores and possibly infection. Though itching of the head is a sign of head lice, be aware that it may not always show up right away, and in fact, may take weeks before the lice are irritating the scalp to the point of causing excessive itching.If you should discover someone in the family has head lice, all members of the household should be checked for pediculosis. By doing this you can stop the infestation then, instead of family members giving the lice back and forth between treatments.The usual way in which pediculosis is treated is with shampoos and creams, containing chemicals that kill the head lice, but not the nits. With these treatments, it is important to treat the hair again within 10 days, as well as vacuuming all carpets and washing all clothes. You will also want to replace brushes, combs and other hair accessories, or soak them in very hot water for at least an hour.There are some home remedies for pediculosis that may work better without exposing your family to the toxins in the medicated shampoos. In addition to being safer, some evidence now points to the possibility that the over the counter and prescription cures for head lice are no longer 100% effective and may require several applications to produce the desired results. If you find that someone in your family has a persistent case of pediculosis, you may want to consult your healthcare provider about alternative options for treating the infestation. This is especially true if the person with head lice is a child or a pregnant woman.

Lice Cures – A Home Remedy

If your family has ever had to tackle head lice, and you’ve searched endlessly for lice cures that work, you know very well how frustrating the process can be. This can be even more of a nightmare if you have tried several different, over the counter; lice cures that failed to rid your family of lice. If you use an over the counter lice cure, you could end up spending hundreds of dollars every time someone in the house brings home head lice, and then there is a chance that the treatments won’t even work. A better alternative may be to try a home remedy. Most of the time, home remedies are much less expensive, safer and more effective for killing lice. There are several, safe, non-toxic home remedies that you may wish to try before sinking hundreds of dollars into over the counter, or prescription lice cures.Of the many lice cures that are, one home remedy that has been recommended by pediatricians is the use of real mayonnaise. To use mayonnaise as a lice cure you must saturate the hair and scalp in mayonnaise, and then cover the head with a shower cap. The treatments must be kept on for several hours. When it is time to remove the mayonnaise, you simply wash the hair with dish soap a couple of times, and then use a specially designed comb to remove the dead lice and nits. After treatment, it will be necessary to thoroughly clean all of the surfaces in the home. Vacuum all carpets and furniture; wash bedding, clothes and coats. Anything that cannot be washed should be stored in an airtight plastic bag for at least two weeks. The process should be repeated every four days for about two weeks to ensure that the head lice infestation is under control.There are several home remedies that are said to work good as lice cures; they include using olive oil, or tea tree oil as apposed to mayonnaise, and regular use of a shampoo that contains coconut oil is suppose to work wonders for keeping your household free of head lice. The most important step you can take in preventing head lice infestation in your home is to educate your children on the risks of sharing personal items, such as brushes and hats, with other children. Head lice spreads by the hair having physical contact with a louse found on clothing objects, furniture, combs, etc. If your child is sent home from school with head lice, don’t panic. With some careful research are sure to find good lice cures that works.