When it comes to the tiniest pests, cold weather can be a valuable regulator. Now that it’s winter, the temperature drops will kill off some portions of the creepy crawly population and send more into dormancy or hiding.
Unfortunately, those bugs living on warm-blooded mammals (like humans) can still thrive in the winter.
We’re talking about lice; winter offers these little monsters a few special ways to spread.
‘Tis The Season For Hats & Hoods
Head lice are one of the great horrors of both parenting and the school system.
However, contrary to widespread rumors, they can’t fly or jump. They crawl and love opportunities to crawl from one head to another.
According to US News, they’re typically spread through contact, including indirect contact, like sharing hats or brushes.
Here’s the problem with that. Our kids head into their classrooms in winter wearing knit caps and/or hooded jackets. They often take off those items and hang them in a shared closet.
Then, the creepy little crawlers hanging out on one hood or another go traveling, and by the time your child puts his coat back on for recess, he could already be helping them carry out a transfer.
If It’s Social Season, It’s Lice Season
Any time kids gather together closely, whether for camp, school, daycare, or playgroup, there’s enough contact to help head lice carry out their insidious mission of spreading from house to house.
They’re helped by the CDC, which advises more relaxed school rules on lice. Now, a child identified as hosting the creatures is no longer sent home immediately. Instead, they finish the school day and go home for treatment.
There are some excellent reasons for this, including that it’s easy for someone who isn’t a medical professional to misdiagnose the presence of nits (lice eggs) where there are none or mistake empty shells on an already-treated head for hatchable nits. Since lice don’t pose any serious health risks, it’s not advised to cheat kids out of educational time, and being sent home early also adds undeserved stigma.
Still, that means more time to share headspace, including on the bus at the end of the day.
What Should Parents Do?
Reduce the risk of infestation by reminding your kids not to share hats or brushes. Remind them that this applies even if their hair is super messy from going out on the playgrounds in the wind and even if their best friend’s new beanie is super cool.
Ask teachers if it’s possible to keep coats separate, and remind your child not to trade coats or place their head next to another child’s at nap times.
Check your child for lice regularly, and if you find lice or nits, let the school know so that other kids can be checked to avoid a reinfestation cycle.
If you find lice, an over-the-counter or prescription treatment can kill them. Follow directions closely, and use a fine-toothed comb to remove any nits.
You’ll also need to wash bedding and clothes on high heat. Items that can’t be washed, like plushies, can be sealed inside a plastic bag for two weeks to kill any lice.
What Schools Should Do
Schools should notify parents if there are known cases of lice, so parents can check and treat their kids.
Shared areas should be regularly sanitized, and teachers should discourage sharing of hats, combs, and coats. Teachers should, if possible, try to keep heads apart during naptimes.
However, the American Association of Pediatrics advises schools not to do whole-class screenings. According to the National Association of School Nurses:
“Classroom screenings are often inaccurate, not cost-effective, and notification to others may be a breach of confidentiality (Pontius, 2014). Schools should not exclude students for active infestation or when nits remain after appropriate lice treatment. School nurses should advocate for evidence-based prevention measures that include assisting parents with identification of lice/nits and teaching students, parents, staff and community effective prevention measures.”