Prevention
Tips for Avoiding Head Lice
Teach avoidance. Lice crawl and very slowly at that! They do not jump from one person to the next. Head-to-head contact is the quickest way to get head lice from an infected person. Kids hug. They lean in close to tell secrets. They put their heads together to have conversations in loud hallways and on noisy buses. The first step in prevention is teaching children to keep their heads away from other people. Lice cannot crawl from one head to the next if the heads never touch.
Hats, scarves, jackets and earmuffs piled together on a bus seat can transmit lice from one child to the next. Jackets hanging together in a common public area or tossed into a pile on the playground give lice the opportunity to relocate. Tell your child to keep all outerwear away from ‘community’ piles.
Understand some things are not for sharing. Hats, scarves, brushes and combs should never be shared. Children sometimes think it is safe if they only share these items with a ‘best’ friend. They must be taught lice are not particular about relationships.
Never allow play dates to hang out in your child’s bed. They could be leaving head lice behind
Take precautions at sleepovers. Children must each use their own sleeping bag and pillow. Lice can often be found in an infected child’s bed. Two heads sharing a pillow can be a prime opportunity for lice to travel. When your child returns from a sleepover, place the sleeping bag and pillow into the dryer for at least 30 minutes. If a stray louse has climbed aboard, the heat will kill it.
Pulling the hair back in a pony tail or braid will help close a bridge of opportunity for that invites head lice to spread.
Using “Lice Free Products” that are designed to repel head lice is recommended and can be an extra layer of protection to help your children stay lice free.
Weekly checking of your child’s head for lice is recommended. Using the ‘Nit Kit” makes it easier to identify and diagnose lice in its early stages making it much easier to get rid of.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact Nit Free Noggins. http://www.nitfreenoggins.com/facts-of-lice/prevention.html