Parenting

10 Tips On How To Deal With Head Lice In Kids – It’s Every Parents Nightmare!

This is a sponsored post about dealing with head lice in partnership with Know Your OTC’s. We’re sharing tips on how to deal with head lice in kids, it is necessary for parents to know about it, and to learn how to get rid of lice should it happen to their kids!

10 Tips On How To Deal With Head Lice In Kids - Its Every Parents Nightmare

It is really gross to think about bugs in your child’s hair, but with 6-12 million reported cases of head lice every year, I am sure that it happens very frequently at your child’s school and around your neighborhood! I am fortunate enough to not have had to deal with lice with my kids (*knocks on wood, says a prayer*), but the reality is that it has nothing to do with cleanliness and remains a common threat to both of my kids.

Dealing with head lice is last thing that we want to do as parents, so learning how to get rid of lice and their eggs quickly and effectively is a MUST. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a few safety tips for parents that use over the counter (OTC) medicines that kill head lice. First, here are a few head lice facts you should probably know…

girls kids play

How do you get head lice?

Lice is passed on from person to person, so it can be pretty easy for kids to receive it from, or give it to their friends. Preschool and elementary aged kids are most likely to get head lice, due to the nature of their environments. They can come into contact with lice at school, using shared costumes, coats and hats, at sleepovers, or any place that they are around other kids. 

What does head lice look like?

Get ready to be grossed out. Head lice are tiny insects, about the size of a sesame seed, only 2–3 mm long. They have pale gray bodies and can multiply fast, laying as many as 10 eggs per day! They feed from the blood on the scalp and lay their eggs close to it, this is why we must quickly learn how to deal with head lice in our kids! 

Wondering how to prevent your child from getting lice?

There is no 100% sure fire way to stop lice from visiting your child’s head, but there are a few things we can do to try to prevent it the best we can. Do your best to limit your child’s contact with lice by washing hair with shampoos and conditioners that repel lice, have kids bring their own linens to sleepovers, and make sure they are not sharing hats, hair brushes, towels, and scarves. Prevention can be helpful, that way, you won’t have to worry about how to deal with head lice!

beautiful brown girls kids friends African American

10 Tips On How To Deal With Head Lice In Kids – It’s Every Parents Nightmare!

If your child already has lice, you’ll need to take some steps to get rid of head lice. Know Your OTC’s suggests that you consider using an FDA approved over the counter medicine to kill head lice and their eggs. Permethrin is an OTC that kills head lice and nits, and is most commonly found in Nix or Piperonyl Butoxide products. Pyrethrum Extract is a two ingredient OTC medicine that kills lice, nits, public lice, and their eggs, and is most commonly found in Pronto or Rid. Read through these 10 tips on dealing with lice from the American Academy of Pediatrics:

1. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that parents learn about the active ingredients in these medicines and be sure to follow the directions on the package exactly as written.

2. Never let children apply the medicine. Medicine should be applied by an adult only.

3. Do not use medicine on a child 2 years or younger without first checking with your child’s doctor.

4. Do not use or apply medicine to children if you are pregnant or breastfeeding without first checking with your doctor.

5. Always rinse the medicine off over a sink and not during a shower or bath, so the medicine doesn’t run off the head onto other areas of skin. Place your child’s head over a sink and rinse the medicine off with warm water (not hot water).

6. Never place a plastic bag on a child’s head.

7. Do not leave a child alone with medicine in his or her hair.

8. Store medicine in a locked cabinet, out of sight and reach of children.

9. Check with your child’s doctor before beginning a second or third treatment. Your child may need repeat treatment 7 to 9 or 9 to 10 days after the first treatment depending on the medicine.

10. For more information about how to deal with head lice, ask your child’s doctor if you have any questions or if treatments you have tried have not gotten rid of lice.

Dealing with head lice in kids, tips to kill lice and nits

I know, I know, lice is the last thing that we want to talk about having in our homes, but the reality is that it can happen to anyone. For more information about how to deal with head lice, prevention tips, and how to get rid of lice, visit the American Academy of Pediatrics. You can also learn more about the active OTC medicines Permethrin and Pyrethrum Extract, which both treat and kill head lice and nits. Ahhh, the joys of parenting!

girls kids play

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1 Comment

  • I think an appropriate age for kids to decide on their own hairstyle is when they’re old enough to do it themselves, which was in the 6th grade (first year of middle school) for me. That’s 11 or 12 years old if I’m not mistaken. A pre-teen kid in 6th grade is likely straightening &/or curling own hair instead of having her mother come in her room & comb her hair into pigtails before a day at school like when she was in 2nd grade.

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