Keeping Your Newborn Safe from Super Lice

With something as terrifying as a “super mutant” strain of lice has been identified in 25 states, you might not feel great about sending your child off to school or daycare this year. Regular lice in your child’s school already seem to take on a super mutant speed of their own. Each year around 12 million kids between the ages of 3 and 11 will contract lice. However, if you have a newborn in your house, it is twice as important to monitor all children coming in and out of the house for this issue.

Keeping Your Newborn Safe from Super Lice

The good news is that the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention say lice is not actually a health hazard since no diseases will be transmitted through an infestation. But the concerning part is that in newer studies, we’re learning that what scientists knew as inevitable is occurring. Lice are becoming seriously immune to our current treatments. They have also developed what is known as a KDR, or Knock-down resistance. This KDR makes it increasingly difficult to completely rid your children and your home of an infestation. So for now, if current over the counter remedies don’t seem to work, you’ll need to see your child’s pediatrician to help combat them.

The states which have seen infestations of super lice.

How to Prevent Lice Infestations

It’s an easy title with a difficult to near impossible set of tasks to monitor and manage. First and foremost always remember that a lice infestation is nothing to be embarrassed about. Always remember that head lice are not indicative of poor hygiene or other health hazards. Prevention is so, so difficult because children are often in close contact. So before you send your little ones off to school, let them know what they need to do and how important it is. Especially if the newest member of your household has a head full of baby fine hair!

Teach your children to stop sharing items that touch the head. Combs, brushes, hair accessories, helmets, scarves, towels, hats and even earbuds. For younger children, show them similar items when you’re having the talk.

If your children’s school reports a head lice infestation, try to catch it early before it reaches your children.

• Check all of your children’s hair. Try this link for expert information on diagnosing head lice at home.
• Inspect all household items that could be infested with lice and nits. Including towels, bedding, rugs, chairs and more.
• Closely inspect your children’s clothing for lice and nits.
• Reinforce the need to avoid sharing items that touch the head.
• Tell your children to stop any head-to-head contact until the school is lice free.

When it comes to your newborn baby, if you know of a lice infestation in your area, the best thing you can do is make sure that your newborn doesn’t lay in any of the places that your other children frequent and vice versa. For now, keep your other children out of ‘newborn only’ areas.