Sharing hats can transfer head lice.

That cursed Santa Hat

Children love to get into the spirit of Christmas and that sometimes means wearing a Santa hat. Unfortunately, that Santa hat can transfer lice to many kids when it gets passed around. This actually applies to any hat for that matter – be it the Santa hat or a baseball batting helmet. Any head garment can give lice to others.

Lice are an Equal Opportunity Hat Lover

How many times do you see people trying on hats in the store? What about kids sharing batting helmets or baseball hats?  It happens all the time. Just last week I treated a girl who had a mild case of lice. After treating her I told the parents that she had had lice for about 10 days or so and they looked on the calendar to discover that was the day of softball tryouts.

Tips

Do NOT share hats with anyone! Here are some quick tips on lice prevention hat etiquette:

-       Do not pass around the Santa hat. Your child looks cute in it but it’s better to just leave the hat at home.

-       Be careful with plays or shows that multiple children aren’t wearing the same wig or hat (or any costume piece for that matter).

-       Buy your own batting helmet and don’t let others borrow it. This applies also to any sport that uses a helmet, such as hockey or horseback riding.

-       Don’t share bike helmets with the neighborhood friends.

The holidays are a time of giving and receiving. Just don’t give lice to your friends. They won’t thank you for it. And believe me, you don’t want Santa to bring you lice – it’s worse than getting coal in your stocking.