Once a Week Take a Peek

Do you check your child regularly for head lice? Head lice prevention techniques and regular checks can help stop the spread of head lice. If your child has had head lice recently, weekly checks are a must - but even if they have never had it before, checks are just good practice to protect your child and those around them.

Head Lice Prevention tips by Lice Squad Canada

If you want to avoid getting head lice there are some easy things that you can do.

The following steps will help.

Step 1.   Educate your children. Have a talk about head lice with your kids. Let them know the things that they can do to avoid getting head lice.  Children are most susceptible to getting lice and usually bring them home from school, camp or day care. Use tools such as an educational coloring book or web site to show pictures and share information. Lice Squad Canada can provide you with both.

Step 2.  Avoid head to head or hair to item contact. Keeping the hair up and away from other people's heads is the best thing that you can do to avoid getting head lice.  Sharing hats, combs, towels, and other hair items is not advised. Keep in mind that you may also get head lice from car seats, bus, plane and train head rest. Never try on hats in department stores and don't share head gear for sporting events.  If you must share then use a hair net or do a visual inspection first. Wiping, vacuuming and blowing the item off before use is also a good measure to take. There are some prevention products available that will leave a scent on the hair but these are not 100% effective. They do help but must not be completely relied on.

Source: The National Pediculosis Association,^® Inc.

Step 3.  Take a peak once a week. Catching a head lice infestation early is key.  It helps to avoid a sever infestation, the spread to others  and makes getting rid of lice much easier.  This will also stop others in the family from getting lice. Build a regular head check into your family's weekly hygiene practice. Check-A-Head and avoid the spread. 

Step 4.  Report a head lice infestation ASAP. Tell your school, camp, day care or other families that you have been in contact with so that they too can check and treat if necessary.  If you don't speak up lice may spread and continue to go around and eventually you may get it back too.

Step 5.  No Nit Policy. Ask your school if they do regular head lice screening or education. Checking children after any school break upon return from summer holiday, winter break and March break is essential to stopping and lowering lice cases in most schools. Camps and day care centers can also benefit from this as well and can modify their screening times to suit. Does the organization allow children with lice to attend? What is their protocol or reporting like? Another helpful thing to do is hold a head lice education day. If your school, camp or organization does not do these things suggest that they consider it as this will help avoid and decrease lice infestations in the general population.

For more information check out The Facts of Lice located on the resource page at www.licesquad.com

Head Lice online resources:

www.kidshealth.org
www.kidsheadlice.com
www.headlice.org
www.licesquad.com

Written by Dawn Mucci. Dawn is the founder of Lice Squad Canada Inc. A pesticide free head lice erradication franchise. She is a mother of three, certified aromatherapist and advocate against the use of pesticides. Lice Squad Canada's mission is to end the stigma associated with head lice and to stop the over use and abuse of pesticides on children and our planet.