Head lice are tiny insects that often show up in children's hair. Head lice transfer from child to child quickly and easily. If your infant acquires head lice from a sibling or friend, you can treat her to remove the lice infestation without using harsh chemicals that could be harmful to her health. While lice do bite the skin and feed on human blood, they do not carry disease, according to Baby Center, so a lice infestation is not a large cause for concern.
Step 1
Check your infant's head for the appearance of lice. If your child has been exposed to lice, make sure that you see lice present on his head before treating him. Look closely at your infant's head, separating the hair to look for small, brown bugs on his scalp.
Step 2
Shampoo your child's hair. The Ask Dr. Sears website suggests starting with a pesticide-free lice shampoo. Ask a pharmacist to help you find a lice shampoo that contains dimethicone, a safe, naturally occurring silicone polymer. Dimethicone is non-allergenic and will not irritate your baby's skin.
Step 3
Comb your infant's hair. Use a specially designed lice comb, which you can find at drugstores, to slowly and carefully comb through your baby's hair. Be prepared to spend up to several hours combing your child's hair. As you comb, remove lice that become trapped in the comb's teeth and place them in a cup full of soapy water to kill them.
Step 4
Repeat the combing process every other day for 10 days. You can repeat the dimethicone shampoo after nine days if you continue to see lice on your infant's head, according to the Baby Center website.
Step 5
If your child still has lice after 10 days, contact his pediatrician to discuss alternative treatments.
Tips and Warnings
- Wash your baby's bedding, towels and stuffed animals in hot water and dry them in a hot dryer. This will kill lice and lice eggs where your child sleeps and plays. Vacuum areas that come into contact with your baby's head that cannot be washed, such as car seats and couch cushions, to remove lice and eggs.
Things You'll Need
- Dimethicone lice shampoo
- Lice comb
