Opinion: Lice advice from one Hamilton mom to another

I think I would have been OK if I went through life not knowing what lice look like.

But now, they haunt my dreams.

I think I would have been OK if I went through life not knowing what lice look like.

But now, they haunt my dreams.

Last week, lice came into our house via our little kindergartner. It was a harrowing experience, to say the least.

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The cleaning, the picking, the washing, the screaming (my daughter’s), the combing, the confusion (mine especially), the fighting, the crying (mine and my daughter’s) and the utter exhaustion (everyone in our house) is enough to drive the sanest person mad.

Let’s not discount the shame one feels, either. It was pretty heady that fateful morning.

The moment I saw those godforsaken bugs in her hair, I immediately entered a state of bewilderment.

I had absolutely no idea where to begin to tackle this problem.

Of course, I’d heard other parents bemoan their experiences with this detestable creature but I think I always thought in the back of my mind that ‘that won’t happen to us,’ so I let their advice and their experiences enter one ear and exit the other.

As it happened, I had to conduct an early-morning interview that dreadful day for a story I was working on and it just so happened my subject was a mom. Even though she’d never spoken to me before, her mom sense was up and she could tell that something was distracting me. 

I should set the scene here: I was hiding in my closet in a futile effort to block out the chaos ensuing in my house that morning, with my computer and a little dog who is terrified of vacuums on my lap and phone to my ear. Not exactly the ideal situation to be conducting an interview.

She asked if I was ok. So, because I was feeling pretty raw and lost in the situation with the lice, I told her what was up.

It was like she swooped in to rescue me: she immediately reassured me that all Hamilton moms have been through this or will go through this and I will get through this.

Then she told me how she handled this very situation several times before.

It was a wake up call for me. Her kind words and lice coping pointers filled me with purpose and gave me direction; I now knew the tools I needed to battle these demons and protect my family from here on out.

This conversation also served as a reminder to me just how valuable a resource moms are.

Since becoming a mom, I have to admit that I’ve shied away from joining mom groups outside of my own mom squad made up of my lifelong friends who had kids around the same time I did.

I adore my squad and rely on them heavily but sometimes I think in our own little bubble, our resources can run a little thin.

So when I hung up the phone after conducting a lovely interview, I flew into action; confident in my ability to obliterate this pest from our lives.

I (with the help of my husband and life partner) killed it. I mean, *fingers crossed*, we took care of business and they haven’t made a reappearance.

So, in an effort to help other busy moms out there who are in the midst of juggling a million things when they’re hit with this massive roadblock, I want to share with you some of the things I learned in this process.

My hope is that it gives you the same kind of confidence and support my fellow mom gave me that dark, dark morning.

1. As soon as you see a bug, take a deep breath. Take a few minutes to get over the shock. (It’s pretty shocking when you first see them; I actually yelped!)
2. Abolish all shame and feelings of embarrassment: it’s so easy (and normal) to feel this way about an infestation, especially given the stigma of lice that we all grew up with. But this happens ALL THE TIME and TO EVERYONE.
3. As soon as you’re able, get to your pharmacy. There are some natural remedies to be found for treating lice and there are a number of places to find them, but over-the-counter treatments have come a long way in recent years and the pharmacist is a wealth of information for using them safely.
4. Treat your child’s head and be sure to pick out as many dead eggs and nits as possible. You will have to pull them out one by one. It is so time-consuming and it is probably the worst part of this entire process, but diligence in this in the days and weeks to come will go a long way to making sure you won’t have to go to war on lice again anytime soon.
5. Contact your child’s school and/or child care provider so they can tell other parents. In the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) kids can return to school 24 hours after treatment. Here’s some more information on the HWDSB’s website on handling lice.
6. Heat will be your best comrade in this battle. Bedding, towels, clothes, coats, scarves, toques, hats etc, should be washed in hot water and dry everything on the highest heat. Items like stuffed animals, pillows, and hats, can be thrown in the dryer at high heat for 20 minutes.
7. Vacuum everything. Twice.

In terms of prevention:

1. Lice like clean, product-free heads. Maybe wash hair less and use some gel or hairspray.
2. Tea tree oil is said to repel lice. Put a few drops in yours and your child’s shampoo. They also make detangling sprays with tea tree oil (which is what we’ve been using and so far so good).
3. If your child has long hair, try and keep it in a ponytail, bun or braid for school.

When in doubt, call your mom. Or another mom. Or reach out to one of Hamilton’s moms’ groups. They just seem to know these things. 

I don’t claim to know things about motherhood or parenting — motherhood has taught me that I really don’t know anything about anything — but as a collective, I’m pretty sure we could conquer the world.