Help! Is it lice?

[IamCoupongirl]

Maybe I'm paranoid about her new preschool....but my 2 year old keeps scratching her head. I asked her if it itched, and she said yes. I looked at her scalp, and it was a little pink (from scratching) and a little flaky. I'm thinking maybe I didn't rinse her shampoo well enough this morning....or maybe I shouldn't have use the Gerber Body/Hair Wash (seems a little harsh, but it was handy this morning).

Anyhow, fast forward to tonight. We came in from playing outside in the yard, and I saw a brown/black little bug on my sleeve. I caught him and tried to look at him up close. I compared it to the lice pictures online, and it looks very similar, only "my" bug is dark brown (almost black). Is that possible?

Also, I combed my dd's hair and didn't find any lice or nits, but as I was combing (with the dog at my feet), I looked down and saw another brown/black little bug on the surface of my dog's fur, just laying there. I scooped him up, too, and now I have 2 little critters in a plastic container as I frantically search the net for clues.

Ideas, anybody? Oh, I'm 14 weeks pg, too, so I'm scared of the chemical shampoos they sell for lice. Sigh.

[IamCoupongirl]

bump

I'm sitting here on pins and needles hoping somebody knows somethin'!

[Czen:)]

My oldest had lice twice while in primary school. For us it was the nits that we're easy to see. Look in the hair behind the ears for little tiny white things stuck to the hair shaft. They don't flake off, but have to be pulled off. In doing the treatments I don't remember the actual lice, just the nits.

Are you aware there are ways off treating lice without putting pesticides on your childs scalp? Its a little more time intensive, but so worth it. Let us know what you discover. If it is lice I'll try and remember the whole treatment process for you.

[Moon]

Black bugs on you and your dog........could it be fleas?

[IamCoupongirl]

Nope, not fleas! I know what those look like. Fleas jump. These things crawl. My husband thinks they're ticks? I still have the phantom itchies from worrying. :

[intymama]

Lice can turn the color of the hair where they are living. Look for eggs on the hair also. They are usually little oval kind of white dots on the root of the hair. If you have a thin comb, comb her hair over a white surface and check on ehat lands there. I come from a third world country and got them twice . Good luck

Jula

[EFmom]

Sounds like it might be ticks to me, too, if the dog has them. Yuckkk, no matter what they are but double yuckkkk if they are lice!

I've called the ped probably 10 times over lice scares, I'm so paranoid. I think I finally have a good handle on what they are supposed to look like. The eggs stick to the hair shaft at the root--you have to pull them out. They don't just brush off. It's probably just flaky skin you saw on your dd's scalp.

[mom at home]

lolasmom,

My dd's head itched a lot when she had lice. It seems like she was scratching for quite awhile before I knew she had lice (until I actually saw the little critters crawling around in her hair). I'm sure she had the nits before then. It did cross my mind that it could be lice, but we were in the process of moving back from overseas. I discovered them about 4-5 days after we got home. I do remember her scratching like crazy on the plane -pity the poor person who sat in her seat next. Once I saw the adult lice, I discovered the nits. It wasn't that bad too get rid of them, but it was summer so she wasn't in school and as heat is the most effective way to kill them, I hung everything I couldn't wash on the line for a couple days (we were in the middle of a heat wave and it was HOT).

You DO NOT have to use those horrible chemicals. I would stay far away from them. They are carcinogenic and they are resistant to lice anyway. What we did worked wonderfully. First, I soaked her head with olive oil and tea tree oil and let it sit for awhile. This can smother the adults, but doesn't necessarily get rid of the nits. But it does aid in getting the nits out of the hair (helps them slip off the hair). This is the most essential part -you HAVE to get every nit out. I just used a fine tooth comb and my fingers and pulled every single one out. It took about an hour or more. Then we washed her hair in Desert Essence tea tree oil shampoo and conditioner. It's majorly stinky but it totally repels them and will keep them from reinfesting. The whole family used it every day for about a week. I also added more tea tree oil just for good measure. They never returned.

It's actually totally amazing that I never got them as we slept together every night after we got home and were even sharing a pillow.

You've got to be diligent to get all the nits and clean the house and bedding thoroughly, but other than that, it really wasn't that big of a deal. I did put all her soft and furry toys in a garbage bag in the garage for a couple weeks, but luckily we hadn't unpacked our house yet after returning home so her toys really weren't an issue.

good luck and let us know what they are.

Alison

[mom at home]

oops, I don't know why this triple posted...

[mom at home]

l