More Embarrassing than Lice??

What could possibly be more embarrassing than head lice?! Oh, just you wait! My teen daughter was broken out in... bites! Tons of bites ALL over. I checked her room / bed and didn't find anything. We went to the doctor and got pills for her to take for whatever outbreak it was. Soon after, she was laying in her bed and saw one... a bug. She Googled it and quickly found a match. She had bed bugs!

Click for Photo Credit

I researched the crap out of the topic! I read about treatment options, local laws, etc. Our property managers are not required by law to treat. I also didn't want chemicals in my home. I found that even our city page offered Diatomaceous Earth as a viable home treatment option. I happened to have some on-hand! So we started with sprinkling known infestation areas, putting a heavy line of it between rooms and then just a light sprinkling on the carpet throughout the house. We tried to vacuum daily. That can be quite a task!

Some things you probably didn't know about bed bugs:

Germs are Bugs, Too

I was one of those kids in school that got lice over and over and over again. My mom was disabled and had a hard time combing through all my hair. She tried taking me to salons for help. Salons do not take kindly to anyone bringing lice into their establishment, with good reason. I remember being treated with shampoos many times. Please, do NOT do that! Read my other lice posts for reasons why.

My eldest daughter recently turned up with lice (again). Much like me, she has had many infestations. In the past, she has been treated with nasty shampoos and even ovacides. I've since done the research on those and they are seriously some scary things to be putting on our kids' scalps. She had plans she didn't want to miss, so she (for the second time) opted to shave her head. She wears it really well!

And then there's the stigma associated with lice. Let me be quite clear, anyone can get lice. And you know what? We all get all kinds of bugs! Ever had a flu bug? How about a "stomach bug?" Or "that bug that's going around?" But people feel embarrassed and ashamed about lice in their family. The only difference is that lice don't go away on their own.

Germs
Click the pic for Photo Credit

If your kid(s) turns up with lice, try not to freak out. Remember, that is still your baby... they just have "a bug." If your child has been around other people recently, tell them! By keeping it to yourself, you're only giving the lice a chance to spread, maybe even back into your own household again. And don't keep taking your child places! You wouldn't want to expose people to any other "bug," lice is no different.

Be honest with your kids. I discovered a bug on Sasha as we arrived at a play date. I immediately apologized to our host, explained and excused us. Yes, Sasha was crushed. Yes, I was disappointed. But my friends, I hope, appreciated that we did not want to expose their babies or their household to lice.

For lice treatments, please see my lice posts or check out Head Lice.org. Since Sasha was wearing her swim suit and expecting to play in water, I brought her home and stuck her directly into the tub to play... while I combed, trimmed and then fine-combed her hair. I'll continue to fine-comb it (in the tub, because its the best / easiest distraction for us) at least once per day until I'm sure they're gone. On the second day I was still finding babies, but no adults. She won't go to any play dates or have any friends over (we had no plans anyway). Yes, that can be a pain. Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease was a pain, too!

What emotions are associated with lice for you?

Sunday Surf: Parenting, Non-Parenting, and icky stuff

It was a normal week, with a few appointments. I found a bunch of links, though. I like limiting my list to 3 links, though, so here are 3 of them... I should already have material for next week!

What Everyone's Missing in the Attachment-Parenting Debate

Attachment parenting isn't about breastfeeding or babywearing or cosleeping. It is about responding to our children. This article shares some history - from before the well-known Sears book. Its pretty cool!

An open letter to all parents from a non-parent.

You might have already seen this one since it is making the rounds no Facebook, but it is just too funny to miss - if you haven't already seen it. It might even be a good one to share with your non-parent friends to help them understand why you might not have quite as much of an attention span for them these days.

FDA Asked to Take Ban Use of Pesticide for Head Lice

This was coming people, I knew it was coming! I've posted before, Lindane is bad! I have lots of posts about lice and how to treat it naturally.

Consider this: The EPA banned the use of Lindane in pesticides, but the FDA still allows it to be used on children's scalps! It is seriously scary stuff. Go read the article! I'll be so glad when the news reports that Lindane HAS been banned completely!

I'm joining Authentic Parenting and Hobo Mama for Sunday Surf. Share your best reading of the week, and link up your post at either blog!

For more great reading, visit Hobo Mama or Authentic Parenting for the latest Sunday Surf and linky.

Happy Surfing!

LiceMeister® Comb

September is Head Lice Prevention Month. I've offered up many facts and warnings about lice as well as advice on how to prevent and battle infestations. Today I want to review for you a tool: The LiceMeister® Comb.

All Natural Topical Lice Treatments

September is Head Lice Prevention Month. I've already discussed the reasons not to use chemicals on your babies' heads as well as what to do instead. I bet you're wondering, though... what about other home remedies?

Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise
Photo Credit

If not chemicals, then what?

September is Head Lice Prevention Month. It is a timely reminder. I've said quite a bit about the importance of alternatives to chemical treatments for lice infestations. But if not chemicals, then how to you get rid of head lice and their nits? Well the NPA and I are here to tell you! Note: The NPA emphasizes the importance of education in advance of outbreaks. I couldn't agree more!

The NPA's Ten Tips for
Head Lice & Nit Removal

'Cuz if you don't get 'em out
...you've still got 'em!
© 2004 NPA
with my comments added in italics

1. Work under a good light, such as a lamp or the natural sunlight from sitting by a window or going outdoors. I often had a lamp and a flashlight when working on Sasha's hair and I swear it was still not enough! Natural light is best, but that didn't work for us. Ultimately we used the light in the bathroom.
   
   

Why Treat Lice without Chemicals?

September is Head Lice Prevention Month. It is a timely reminder. This week, I'd like to explain why you need chemical-free options for fighting lice. You're not actually treating lice, you're treating your child.

No matter what you do...

Be Sure To Provide a
Non-Chemical Choice For
Children, Families, and Yourself!
© 2002 NPA

Why?

Back to School - Head Lice Awareness

September is Head Lice Prevention Month. It is a timely reminder. If you have children in day care or school settings (and likely if you were ever there yourself), you're fairly familiar with the process. Someone is found with lice. Then every student is checked and sent home until they can be cleared of the lice.

As of Monday, my daughter was on her 8th day of school. Half of her class was sent home with lice, including her. Thankfully for us, the nurse only found 1 nit that she believes to be "dead." It was nearly to the end of the hair shaft, so it is likely from the bout we had last Spring.

Have you checked your child for lice lately? There are some important steps you can follow to prevent a lice outbreak in your family.

Sunday Surf: Lindane

I've received a couple of links from The National Pediculosis Association®, Inc. recently that I've been saving to share with you. I just needed to take the time to collect my thoughts. While writing this post, I did collect more links to share here.

First up, Pharmalot reports Itching For Change: Lice & Pharmaceutical Products. The Stockholm Convention banned Lindane production and agricultural use a couple of years ago. Lindane is a neurotoxin. Lindane has shown up in foods from all over the world. This did not, however, include pharmaceutical use. That means that lindane can still be used in lice and flea treatments. That means people are putting a neurotoxin on the scalps of their children. The article explains some scientific studies, a California ban on lindane, law suits, and some history. It is interesting reading.

lindane
Photo Credit: Dea Bee

The World Health Organization classifies lindane as "Moderately Hazardous." It is presently banned in more than 50 countries, and in 2009 was included in the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants, which bans its production and use worldwide (except for pharmaceutical use).

Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part V

I bet you thought I was done when I posted Life after Lice, didn't you? Well guess again. Sasha had lice for two and a half months! There were a few times in there that I thought we had made it through, but then found more.

I don't want to make other parents worry even more because we had a hard time, but I also want to present a true view of our battle. I have spoken with Deborah from The National Pediculosis Association®, Inc. several times. I do not know what I would have done without her continued support. Every time I reached the end of my rope, Deborah dragged me back.

Life after Lice

Sasha loves this wind-up bear Gran bought for her. It plays the Teddy Bear Picnic song. When we discovered the lice, all of her stuffed / soft toys went into a plastic bag and were set aside. Out of sight, out of mind.

Sasha, asleep on her Teddy Bear
November 2010

Today I finally grabbed a toy out of the bag for her today. I wound up the bear and set it up against Ronni's bed. Sasha was so excited to see it! I left her playing with it. A few minutes later, she brought it (and Daddy's Elmo she recently got off a shelf) to me. She wanted all of them in my lap and promptly nursed to sleep cuddling with the two of them.

Sasha, sleeping with Elmo & Teddy Bear
February 2011

I'm so glad her life can become more normal now. I thought she might have totally forgotten about the toys in the bag, but she did NOT forget about this bear!

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Check out all my posts under the lice category, but here are the posts in this particular series:
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part I
  
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part II
  
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part III
  
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part IV
  
• Life After Lice
  
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part V

Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part IV

My LiceMeister® Comb arrived in the mail along with an extra half dozen LiceMeister® Critter Cards. I plan to hold on to those and give them to anyone with questions about lice. When I got the package out of the mailbox, it brought with it a renewed confidence that I can beat these lice!

When I got the comb out of the package, I immediately felt a difference! The handle is larger and heavier, easier to handle. It just feels like quality! The cleaning tool didn't make sense when I saw it online in the videos, but when seen in person it did. It is like a flosser. I couldn't see the string in the video.

I had been thinking about ways I might be able to get to Sasha's head with her awake. I put her into her high chair (a kind of special treat as we don't use it often). Then I started her off with crackers & laughing cow cheese. Then cucumber slices. Every time she'd get restless, I'd go find another snack. I was determined to do her hair in sections, properly. I did pretty well until the last 2 inches in the back. She had fig bars. She had snap-pea crisps. She had italian cookies. She had generic fruity pebbles. When she initially showed interest in the comb itself, I gave her the nit comb from the old kit, it had only been run through my own hair (no lice) so I figured she could play with it. She mostly used it to pierce her snacks. She kept putting food in her hair. Crackers on the comb was odd, but I can work with that. She also had graham snacks.

Every snack I could find to distract while combing!
Plus a comb!

I did find that I couldn't really hunt for nits while I combed, not with her awake. I'll plan to pick while she nurses and comb in the high chair. We may go through a LOT of snacks in the next week! I hope this approach keeps working for me.

I finally called Deborah and we chatted for half an hour. She gave me some really interesting pointers! Use scotch tape rolled around your fingers, and while holding a part in your child's hair, tap the tape on the scalp. You'll be able to pick up tiny lice and SEE what you're getting. On that same note, you can vacuum your bedding, but you can also use tape or a lint roller on your pillow cases. Her important point was not to get so exhausted doing laundry that you have no patience left for combing.

Day 2: So first I'd like to say that the "7-10 days" I kept planning was not from The National Pediculosis Association®. I think maybe it was from the comb set I had purchased. Deborah encouraged me to not be too hard on myself. Also, lice can be eradicated in one sitting (it just isn't likely to happen that way with a 1yo). The more I thought about it, though, the more I figured I needed to cut myself some slack. I've been on a bit of a roller coaster with this lice thing.

By the time Sasha nursed to sleep last night, I was falling asleep myself, so I didn't get to hunt for nits. Tonight I set Sasha up with some dinner in her high chair in front of the television and started on her hair. I managed to quickly get through all the sections again... and found hardly anything at all! In fact, I never found anything that I could definitely confirm was alive! I don't want to get all celebratory just yet. I was using a cup of soapy water and that always makes it harder to identify, but then last night I was still getting stuff on the paper towel when I wiped the comb. Tonight... nothing identifiable. This new comb rocks our socks!

Dinner & a Show
More Combing Distractions

Meanwhile, my ex-husband let me know he spent hours picking nits out of our son's hair and doesn't want to do it again. He was checking whether we had deloused our home yet. I do still seem to have some bites on my inner arm. My head still itches. Deborah really thinks I need to use the comb to screen myself. Many adults can comb their entire heads in the shower, but from talking to me she knew I'd want to do it where I could see the results. I'm simply too curious. And it is very common for the mother to be the one re-infesting the little ones. I have to keep thinking I don't have them, but I will be screening myself... probably tomorrow. Ronni will be coming over tomorrow night, finally! It has been several weeks, thanks to being snowed in, since he has been over for a visit.

Day 3: It is Friday and my weekend to have Ronni. Between fetching him and fuel after work and being exhausted, I'm letting myself off the hook for a night of combing. Plus it is the weekend, so I will have plenty of time to comb her again tomorrow. I hesitate to believe that we've won the battle quite yet.

My kids, sharing some yogurt.

Day 4: I found 1 live louse while nursing today. Then tonight I set Sasha in her high chair with a bowl of yogurt and some graham sticks for a combing. I only found 1 more live louse. I'm stinking at nit picking, but the comb still rocks!

Yogurt and Graham Sticks for a combing.

Day 6: That's right, I skipped a day. Again. But I feel good about how she is looking and the opportunity just did not seem to present itself. So tonight I heated up some frozen veggies for Sasha & I to share for dinner. She had her portion in her high chair and I did a fairly quick comb-through without doing the sections. I did not find a single... anything! Some food remnants from snacks through the day, but no lice. Not one. I haven't found any nits while nursing, either. I've been checking a little, too. Nothing. I'm still a little hesitant to celebrate just yet, but I gotta admit... I'm getting excited! I love you NPA!

Day 8: I've been flipping through her hair when she nurses, haven't found anything. I got the combs out this morning, though, and did find 3 adult lice. And she was fighting me all the while. I don't know why I'm not spotting any nits. Oh, and Sasha seems to be sick again. Ugh! She has another fever.

Skin-to-skin has been the best solution for Sasha's fevers
soothing, and brings the temp down

Day... 11? (Saturday): Wednesday night was fever, up and down all night. Thursday fever ALL day. It never got too high. Friday night, she was clammy. Saturday morning she woke up with a rash on her scalp! My dad had tried to tell me that lice will burrow into the scalp if left untreated, but I'm sure he is... well he is Dad. He gets some crazy ideas sometimes. Through the weekend the rash spread all over her body. It seems to be Roseola. Still, I took some time to comb through her hair on Saturday. I got some nits and 1 or 2 lice. Is this just going to be an ongoing thing? Maybe. She wasn't very agreeable to being combed.

I combed / inspected Sasha's head every other day or so. I haven't seen anything for several days, but she has really been fighting the comb. I'm hesitant to celebrate. I also haven't had any bites on my arms, to that is another good sign. My scalp doesn't itch ALL the time anymore, either. I did run the comb through some of my hair, though I should have lubricated it more. It just pulled / broke my hair, mostly. If I find the lice again, I'll continue this series, but otherwise... I'm going to consider this the conclusion of my Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice series! I'm glad I could share this experience with you. I hope I didn't bore you.

I'd like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement, especially Deborah from NPA! I'd also like to pat my husband and myself on the back for not letting lice keep us from being affectionate with our daughter, which was the original point of my series. I would hate to think that some bugs could make her feel unloved, though I'm sure many children with lice feel that way!

Remember, if lice find their way into your life, don't feel like you have to hide it. Tell those that may have been effected (you might stumble upon the source)! There is no shame in lice, especially if we all refuse to feel shame for lice! One more reminder: The NPA recommends a weekly comb screening of your little ones. I know we'll at least be on the lookout more regularly. If you can catch them fast, it makes for less work to rid yourself of them.

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Check out all my posts under the lice category, but here are the posts in this particular series:
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part I
  
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part II
  
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part III
  
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part IV
  
• Life After Lice
  
• Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part V

Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part III

Preface: This post is filled with links and information rather than my personal story. I hope you find the info helpful and interesting.

I am on the edge of my seat, waiting for my LiceMeister® Comb to arrive! I think I may have to brave the 19° weather out there to get to the mail box. The tracking doesn't say it was delivered and I thought it would come to my door, but it is well past noon and it isn't here. The roads are awful, though!

Meanwhile, I've been checking out the links that Deborah Altschuler, the President of The National Pediculosis Association®, sent to me in an email. Some great listening and reading, though some of it is irritating. Let me share and explain.

Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part II

Day 1: Sasha hardly napped. I worked on her head some (as I said in my previous post in this series), but she was restless by the time I got to her head and didn't sleep long. I didn't get much.

Day 2: Sasha slept until nearly noon! By 7 o'clock, she finally went down for a nap (I am going to be up all night with her!). She even rolled onto her belly, so I had good access to the back of her head. There aren't SOOO many. I wound up mostly using a normal fine tooth comb and picking lice out by hand (even the tiny ones). I kept having to pick them out from beneath my finger nails to flick into the hot soapy water. Ew. Every once in a while, I'd tug a hair and she'd roll her head over. That was convenient. Except once she rolled it, I saw a large louse, and then she flipped her head back. Ugh.

Attachment Parenting a Child with Lice - Part I

I'm sure most homeschoolers (of whichever sort) hope to avoid the lice infestations so common in elementary schools, but it can still happen. For us, Sasha was exposed at Girl Scouts or may have gotten it from her sister after she got it at Girl Scouts. Or, who knows, maybe Ronni got it somewhere else and he is the one that exposed others through Girl Scouts. It is impossible to know for sure.

At least between my two kids, I suspect the culprit to be the big hit holiday gift: Pillow Pets. Ronni got a dog one for Giftmas. Sasha loved it. A lot. So they shared it a bit. Then Sasha (with a Gift Card from Giftmas) got her own Ladybug Pillow Pet, upon which they also both laid their heads.

I had been checking Sasha. I even saw specks in her hair (and should have known better), but no movement. Then one night I was holding her while cooking dinner after work when I saw it... a full grown adult louse. Initiate Freak Out. I did not throw my daughter down and keep her an arm's length away from me. I figured I had them, too. After all, we share a family bed. Lucky for Elmo, he has never had them. I have this suspicion that some people just don't get them. My ex-husband never got them, either, even when the entire house was infested. So that was Thursday evening and it was late. Elmo was already asleep in bed so he couldn't check my head and I couldn't change the sheets (we don't have backup sheets). I had been checked a couple of times the week before, but came up clean. Still, the instant I found that one louse my head itched uncontrollably. By morning, I had scratched myself until my scalp bled.

Sunday Surf: Mostly Food & Friends

I'm fighting off some sort of sick and Sasha seems to be swept up in it already. So far we're doing alright, though. Here are the links I found worth sharing this week:

• We've just been faced with lice on our toddler. I was really crushed at first and I'm working on a blog post all about the experience, but it will take a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I found this great site: The National Pediculosis Association®, Inc. Chemical treatments aren't approved for children under 2 and I am not sure I'd choose that route anyway. The NPA is supportive of using comb-out only and offers a lot of great info.
  
  
• I'm just not quite sure what I think of this one. NPR did a piece on how Big Babies Helped Shape Early Human Societies. However, they talk about how our babies are (and have been for so long) SO big that we needed a village to raise a child, saying
  

  "The whole expression that it takes a village is in part rooted in the fact that we have really big infants that are pretty helpless," he says. "If we wanted to get anything done, we have to hand them off."

  What do you other Attachment Parents think of that theory?
  
  
  
• Muffin Tin Monday looks like a fun, healthy idea for feeding little ones. It is a weekly link up all about serving healthy food to kids using muffin pans or liners. I like how this kind of mixes the idea of a Bento Lunch and a Monkey Platter. Okay it really is just another take on Monkey Platters, but I'm tying it in with Bento because I like Bento. So sue me.
  
  
• I have a good friend that rocks the kitchen. She is posting a recipe every Friday and plans to add relevant articles along the way as well. I love her budget cooking approach and she has a good sense of humor, too. So... if you can't afford anything but potatoes this week, she has your fix. Sound like help you could use? Check out DragonTamer's Recipe Weekly.
  
  
• Speaking of cooking, Tara posted a new article on Sustainable Baby Steps about choosing Cast Iron Cookware: The Eco-Friendly Choice. The article provides the whys and hows. I've always been a bit intimidated by the idea of using cast iron cookware, but now I've added cast iron skillet to my next grocery list. We use non-stick junk that gets scratched. We use it beyond when we really should, then we toss it. Meanwhile cast iron lasts for generations and (did you know??) it is non-stick after you season it!
  
  
• I have another great cooking friend, go figure because I don't consider myself to be too much of a wiz in the kitchen. Anyway, Byn also has a food blog going. This one, however, is about clean eating. She is posting recipes every day that she is actually using in her home with her family. She tries to include pictures with all of her posts, too. Check out 365 Days of Clean Eating. So far, she doesn't think clean eating is raising her food budget.
  
  
• I have yet another friend (really! I promise!) with a couple of really bright, funny, homeschooled boys. She also happens to be great in the kitchen and loves to use the Crock Pot. Anyway, her older boy took video of his younger brother doing a goofy dance in an attempt to embarrass him. Fail. The little brother loves it and I'm trying to help it go viral! It IS a cute video:
  

It occurs to me that every one of these blogs I linked involves homeschooling families. I homeschooled Ronni through third grade and was somewhat involved in the local homeschooling community back then. I've been friends with most of these women since then.