Prevent Head Lice So You Don't Have to Treat it!

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) on Monday released a study which urges schools not to send children home when head lice, or nits, are present. ”Most researchers agree that no-nit policies should be abandoned,” the report reads. “No healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school time because of head lice.” While I’m not sure I agree with this new policy, I’m certain it will be discussed and debated in the school offices and between parents when school starts within the next few weeks. But I have a better idea: prevention. Why not prevent an infestation with products like Zippity Doo’s, which would eliminate the missed school time, missed work/wages by parents, and let’s not forget the cost of treatment and the use of chemicals to treat lice.

Officials of Zippity Doo’s™, in favor of the just-issued new guidelines on lice are emphasizing that the best way for parents to deal with the problem of lice is to prevent it altogether. ”We agree with the recommendation that ‘no healthy child should be excluded from or allowed to miss school time because of head lice,’” said Zippity Doo's representative Lorraine McNamara. ”We also believe that children do not have to get to the stage where they are infested with lice and thus even have to think about missing school or other activities.”

I recently read a number of $2,700 of direct and indirect costs to treat a lice infestation in a household. This average number holds true if you consider the story of a colleague who recently told me that when her daughter was sent home from preschool with head lice, almost everyone she asked said to go straight to a private clinic to pay for treatments. After two rounds of visits for the treatment and follow up, the grand total was $850, added to the 2 days of missed work for the mom who is a contract employee and gets paid for hours worked. Coincidentally, at the follow up appointment, the clinic recommended Zippity Doo’s to prevent future infestations.

As I scratch my head because we’re talking about head lice, I’m wondering why these medieval bugs are still around, and how we get rid of them. Until we figure that out, let’s prevent head lice before our kids get them with products like Zippity Doo’s™. Just like we eat healthy to prevent disease, we should treat hair before head lice is a problem. ”Parents, school nurses and school officials should be aware that head lice can be prevented,” said Ms. McNamara. “Prevention is much preferable to treatment and will help keep lice out of the classroom and other areas where children gather and can spread lice to one another.”

With four busy, active children, I consider myself very lucky to have escaped the call from the school that one my children has head lice. Of all the issues parents deal with, I’ve heard from so many Moms (and Dads) over the years that head lice infestation is one of the most stressful, time-consuming and costly issues that affect a household. At a suggested retail price of $9.99 per bottle, Zippity Doo’s offers a shampoo, conditioner, styling gel and leave-in detangler, as well as a surface spray that parents can use on items children frequently touch, such as hats, helmets, brushes, and bedding. Compared with the cost of even a few hundred dollars to treat head lice, why not buy Zippity Doo’s that you would use anyway?

It is available at Target.com, CVS.com, Akin’s Natural Foods and Chamberlin’s Natural Foods, Dahls Foods, Value Drugs (NY) and other drug, grocery, mass merchandise or beauty supply stores. More information about Zippity Doo’s hair care products for lice prevention, created by Laurus Enterprises, is available at www.zippitydoos.com.

From - Diary of a Blue Suit Mom