Anyone who has had a kid go to summer camp knows the danger of bringing home more than dirty laundry. One kid with head lice checking into a bunk of 9 other kids is like the Typhoid Mary of Insects. It is a rare child that can avoid infestation in a small space for 6 weeks. We’ve seen camp directors who have dealt with every aspect of childhood and teen drama get the same look on their face as Marlon Brando in “Apocalypse Now.” The horror. The horror.
So, what can you do to make sure this does not happen to your kid? Or at least give them a fighting chance?
Ask your camp to bring in a professional at check in and check out. Many camps have staff and campers from all over the world. One head transporting lice can reek havoc. We usually find somewhere around 10% of the population coming in with head lice, sometimes more with all girls camps, sometimes a lot less with all boys (less hair). If lice is discovered, they are dealt with before they can become an infestation. The lice professionals then follow up to make sure the problem is in check and summer can commence in peace.
Have the kids checked for lice previous to going to camp if there aren’t lice professionals doing the check in. Occasionally you come across an amazing camp nurse who can spot a nit across the dining hall but sometimes they just aren’t experienced. We are. Better to have them going in clean with a shot at keeping it that way.
Send them to camp with lice preventative products. You can buy all the lice shampoos and conditioners and oils and preventative gee-gaws in the world but unless the child is bald or made of plastic, smelling bad to a louse will only get you so far. However, it is something in your favor and way better than doing nothing.
Tell the camp nurse if your child has had a recent infestation even if they have been treated. Lice treatment shampoos are unreliable, particularly against resistant very prevalent “super lice.” A couple of missed eggs and the camp will be crawling with lice in a matter of weeks. It can’t hurt. It can only help.
Send them to camp with a good quality lice comb. Have the kids run a wide tooth comb followed by the lice comb quickly through every section of hair on their head every week or two. This could stop a louse at the gate or at least keep it from turning into an infestation before they get home. We always recommend the Nit Free Terminator Lice Comb which we sell at our treatment center.
Make pony tails mandatory (Better yet, cut it off!) Look, we know how the girls like to keep their hair long but hair that is bound is that much harder for a louse to get to because the insect needs to grab onto something to climb up to the scalp. Plus if they do get it in their bunk, it is sooooo much harder to spot a problem and deal with long hair, especially if untrimmed.
Emphasize the importance of not sharing. Hats, brushes, hair accessories or pillows. Try to keep their heads off of the other camper’s bunks. Or…..especially with the younger girls…..each other’s heads. Lice do not jump. They don’t fly. They run. They need a bridge to the head. Even in a bunk full of heads with lice.
Do not rely on lice treatment shampoos if lice are discovered on your child at camp. Remember those previously mentioned “super lice” ? They are resistant to traditional lice treatment shampoos. Eggs get missed. Get the kid to a local professional or it can turn into false sense of security followed by giant regret.
Check their heads as soon as they are home, preferably by a professional. Do it while their laundry is still contained and they have not mingled with other people in the family. This way if you do discover little hitch hikers, your clean up will be minimal. We can treat most camper’s heads with our hot air flow treatment technique using the Airalle device in about an hour and a half. Don’t let the summer camp’s lice issue become your entire family’s problem.
We would be stunned if we found a summer camp that did not have some kind of lice experience. Sometimes its good to know what you are up against because a little proactive can go a long way. And, in the end, if you are in the Boston area, you can always call us for a professional set of eyes to make sure you don’t have any extra campers on your kid’s heads. This is what we do.
Have a great summer!
The Lice Aunties 
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