Your Child Has Head Lice

Every parent has been there. Their child comes home with a flier talking about head lice at the school and what to do about it. They may have even been called to pick their child up because they are in severe need of a thorough lice treatment. If this is the first time you have had to work through this, or even if it's old hat for you, there are some things you should consider when working through this problem.

Talk To Your Child About Head Lice

The first thing you'll want to remember is to keep your child on top of what's going on. Don't make them feel bad and don't make blame yourself. This isn't because of a hygiene issue, these come around to children because they tend to play very closely together and share items. Head lice aren't attracted to dead skin or other issues that will come up when a child hasn't been properly taken care of.

They are quite simply parasites that feed off of a person's blood. You'll want to explain to your child why they shouldn't use their friend's brush or hat. Next you'll need to let them know about their lice treatment. Many people will suggest taking your child with you to help pick out the product you will use.

Find A High Quality Lice Treatment

If this is your first time using a lice treatment then you're going to want know a bit about the products used to treat head lice. You can ask your local pharmacist to try and find out what products they suggest for you to use. If you have a parent friend this is one of the best places to start as there is a good chance they have ran into the issue before. You can also check reviews on the products you are considering.

In addition to this you should consider the many natural treatments and home remedies. When you do treat make sure to use a special comb that will help you get rid of the parasites and their eggs. You will also want to follow any directions that come with your product so that you don't have to retreat.

Reward Your Child For Finishing Their Lice Treatment

Head lice can make both a parent and a child have strong feelings of shame and guilt. This shouldn't be the case as these parasites can affect any child at any time and when one kid gets them in a class they tend to spread quickly. Make sure your child doesn't feel as though this is their fault and encourage them to stay away from sharing certain personal items.

Beyond that, it's a great idea to establish a reward for them once their treatment has been finished. This will give both of you something to look forward to after they have a clean scalp. A great suggestion would be to choose something the two of you can do together and bond over when the treatment is finished.