If you do decide to treat them yourself, do not even bother with Nix. Joke of a product. Ivermectin lotion will knock those m’f’ers right out. You can get a generic OTC tube at Walgreens, CVS etc…or name brand Sklice. Same stuff.

Use the whole tube. After you treat, COMB. The cheap nit comb works just fine, but you gotta use it! Don’t give these damn things a chance. Stick your kid in front of a movie, give them a lollipop or something, then section out the wet hair and comb right at the scalp alllll way down. Comb til you can’t comb no more. If you’re a lunatic like me, you can go a step further and strap on a headlamp, section the hair again, and pull the sticky little nits off each strand with your fingernails. Psychotic, but effective. And lastly, the follow-through after treatment HAS to be legit. The lice know if you’re slacking, I swear. You’ve got to keep re-combing and re-checking…show no mercy.

Side note: I also bought a LED light magnifying glass off Amazon, which can help in the search but is honestly more fun to use to check out what the hell you just pulled off your kid’s head.

The biggest shocker for me was just how SMALL these things are. Practically microscopic. You expect to take a look at a few spots on your kid’s head and see them…but unless they’re larger adult lice, good freaking luck. Thick hair? Dark hair? Curly hair? Godspeed. I think that’s one reason the lice live on at our school because the bugs and nits are absolutely the teeny tiniest things you’ve ever seen, and a naked eye “look-and-see” by a parent (especially when you don’t even know what you’re looking for) hasn’t been enough to catch an already active case.

Ugh. I hate them. So much.

Has anyone found success being screen-free in the evenings? Like...parents, kids, teens...everybody. We're all face-first in our phones once 5PM hits (guilty too) and missing out on the ONE time of day when we're all together. Tips to get everyone on board?

Kids are 7 and 3, and I'm a SAHM who is overstimulated, overtouched, and not exactly feeling like she's in her "Sexy Era." Once a week, max twice. Morning is an absolute NO GO. I'm not a morning person for literally ANY activity, but the likelihood of my kids waking up and/or busting in just absolutely kills my vibe. (Actually...it can't kill it cause it never even started). I've had to really battle to get my husband to understand that one!

@dyslexiadoc I'm going to check out your recs! @GetInTheCar we just completed testing for my daughter with her public school - also 1st grade and does ALL of what you describe. We suspected she was having trouble, but her struggles really started coming out of the woodwork early in the fall. We enrolled her in 2x a week tutoring as well, and it's been her only source of progress, albeit slow. The school has finally identified her as having "surface dyslexia" - a subtype, also called orthographic or dyseidetic dyslexia. I have a meeting with the school specialists and admin board in 2 weeks to learn what support she'll be given next year, since it won't kick in until 2nd, and I'm sure I'll learn more about my involvement then and can share! It's a whole new world for us of things I certainly don't understand, but I've adopted the attitude of the more information experts can give me on my child, the better I can support and help.

The small successes I've had at home have been based around consistency and choice of materials. Making reading a routine. Period. And sometimes bedtime is hard because they're tired and just want to comfort and snuggles...not the work! So find the time where she can be most engaged, with fewer battles for her to fight.

As for materials, one thing I've learned is that not every "early reader" or "first reader" book is created equal. Beginner Bob Books were a critical starting place and from there the I Can Read! My First - Shared Readers have been a good transition - they're the yellow label ones. But even then...not all. Read them first, find where you think she might get too hung up and or see if it's a feasible challenge. And even if they seem too easy, building the confidence and feeling the success that comes from completing a book or two books is so important. I've also found that for my daughter, subject matter is important...she doesn't want to read what I find cute or "classic" - she's more excited to read what she's interested in! Even though I hate the weird "Shimmer and Shine" characters (and it literally pains me to buy those), she's pumped that there's mermaids and sparkles and jewels and whatever.

At what age did you stop brushing your child's teeth and let them do it independently? We tried letting our daughter do it for a stretch of time because it was something she really battled us over... that backfired with multiple cavities. When does it become an age-appropriate task to pass on to them without the big dental bills?

What is your FAVORITE bra that you've found now that you're left with your post-baby boobs? Like...actual bra...not a bralette or a sports bra...