The Gift of Nits

It will be "lousy" if there are lice in my house. 

First break out in daycare EVER (I'm on the 3rd kid at this home daycare) about a month ago.  Two notes home from school, and a scare at my sister's today.

I am freaking out and shining a flashlight in Leilee's hair every 3 minutes while she sleeps.  I am confusing nits and dandruff.  It's not like I can wake her up and slather her head with mayonnaise right now!  I am washing everything anyway. 

Errghhh....   Someone please console me and tell me I am overreacting. 

I picked my share of nits and sent my share of head lice notes home at my last job.  But I've never been the mom that has had to deal with it all at home before. 

This is not how I would have chosen a lesson in humility. 

Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 10, 2011 at 7:57 AM

    We went through head lice twice when my children were young. One was a childcare situation; the other was at school a few years later. I was overcome with anxiety as both of my girls (with very long hair) got them. It was a really, truly uncomfortable time. Mayonnaise didn't work. The drugstore products didn't work either. The only thing that worked was a concoction provided to us by our family doctor that had a stronger concentration of the poison needed to kill them. I read about a business who now does lice/nit removal for an hourly fee. They treat it like a doctor visit and try to normalize and regulate the process (for both the children AND parents). I wish they had that service when my children were young. I'm very sorry about the scare - but please know...the world won't quite if they get them. And, you'll empathize or think of things in a very different way. It will be okay...either way. Good luck, Red Dirt Kelly

    ReplyDelete
  2. Masked MomDecember 10, 2011 at 11:15 AM

    Here's hoping you escape bug-free. In the meantime, years ago I read a hilarious piece by Marion Winik about lice infestation and I was just going to paraphrase it, but turns out the entire thing is available online at http://consumer.healthday.com/encyclopedia/article.asp?AID=646328

    The piece has little to nothing in the practical advice department, but that's available everywhere. It has lots of giggles, empathy and you're not in this alone-ness, which will probably be just as useful at this point.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TangledLouDecember 10, 2011 at 7:22 PM

    I have no consolation for you. Dandruff moves, lice don't. We've gotten a few of those letters home, too, and they send me into just as much of a panic. I think I would just shave everyone's heads.

    ReplyDelete
  4. NicoleDecember 11, 2011 at 9:01 PM

    Thanks everyone! Looks like we are okay... although I did get a lot of stuff washed and cleaned up anyway. Checked with daycare yesterday, and I was reassured by them.

    ReplyDelete

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