A mom's guide to treating lice (don't panic!)

Lice. That one word can strike fear into the chillest mom on the playground. You start itching just thinking about those parasites being in your house, on your sheets, and especially on your child. However, when kids get together in crowds, lice happens. It doesn't matter if you shower every day, or have a smell test for your child that results in a weekly soak -- everyone can get lice. You can live in a mansion or in a one-room apartment, lice is an equal opportunity infestation.

More from The Stir: 5 Must-Have Remedies for Your First-Aid Kit

So when it happens to you (or hopefully just your kid, but it could also happen to you), here's how you handle a lice infestation in your home. Follow these five steps to empower yourself, take care of business, and try not to freak out.

1. Cancel All Your Plans

Until you're lice-free, you don't want to risk infesting anyone else. Which also means don't invite anyone over to your house. It's just not fair to spread this kind of love. Besides, you're going to be busy.

2. Check Your Head

And everyone else in your household. If one kid has lice, chances are other people in your home have been infested as well. The best way to check is to take a fine-toothed comb and stand above each person's head, slowly combing through. If you see anything -- and I mean anything, white, brown, or black -- on that comb or on the person's scalp, consider them infested. This is what you're looking at, and it's hanging onto your child's hair for dear life.

3. Strip the Beds, Cars & Kids

Lice can hang out on pillow cases, sheets, blankets, and especially stuffed animals. Anything that can go into a hot water wash should be sent there immediately, including any clothes worn by the infested in the month prior. Anything that cannot should be sealed in a plastic bag for at least two weeks and not let out a moment sooner. Unfortunately, you're going to need to do the sheet washing ritual for at least three days, longer if the lice is still making a dramatic appearance in your child's (or your) hair. Additionally, if your child is in a car seat and you can remove the cloth layer, wash it as well. Alternately, close that car seat up in a bag for two weeks and borrow another. Some people have their cars professionally cleaned, but that can be overkill. What's not overkill? Throwing out any combs, brushes, hair clips, or hats the infested person has used in the month prior to discovering the infestation.

More from The Stir: Diet Book Teaches Kids Fatties Don't Need Friends (PHOTOS)

4. Nit Pick

You can hire someone to do this for you (and if it's your first time, you might want to), but if you purchase a special steel comb, you can do it yourself. You'll need a bowl of warm water, a comb, some type of tea tree oil or lavender spray mixed with water to wet the hair, and a load of paper towels. First, wet your child's hair with one of the above mixtures. Then, starting at the front of your child's head on either side, comb through hair keeping all the comb's teeth touching the scalp. After you comb each section, wash off or wipe down the comb. You will be able to see nits and eggs either in the water or on the paper towel. After you've thoroughly combed the entire head, dispose of water and paper towels outside, away from anything that could become infested again. Repeat this every day for one week, then every three days after until you have two sessions where you see no nits or eggs AT ALL.

5. If All Else Fails

It shouldn't, if you follow these instructions. But if it does, repeat all of these steps again. Or, call in a pro if you just can't take it anymore. Search for "Nit Pickers" and you should find someone willing to come to your home and take charge. And remember, once your home and family are all louse-free, you really will be able to relax again.

Have you ever had to treat lice in your house?


Image via {studiobeerhorst}-bbmarie/Flickr


Written by April Peveteaux for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.

More from The Stir:

City Offers Free Condoms for Kids? Why not?

13 Totally Gross Things I Don't Want My Kid To Do in Public

Crying it Out: The Debate (VIDEO)

This is What a Stay-at-Home Mom Does All Day