Yes, it’s possible for newborn babies to get head lice, though it’s generally more common in school-age children.
If a newborn has contact with someone who has head lice, however, the lice can spread through head-to-head contact. This can happen in as little as 30 seconds. Though the evidence is minimal, it is possible that lice may also spread through bedding, hats, and brushes.
You may want to avoid sharing these items while a member of your household has lice.
Lice typically cause itchiness. You can check your newborn’s hair, paying close attention to the scalp to see if nits or lice are visible. You may want to use a magnifying glass to help you.
A good idea is to use a comb with fine teeth to brush through the hair, collecting any lice or nits.
Nits are unhatched lice and are darker colored than lice. Nits will also appear to be attached to strands of hair. You may also see lice droppings on pillows or clothing.
On the skin, you may see small itchy bumps or scratch marks.
You can treat lice in your newborn yourself when you spot them.
According to the UK NHS, you can use the following to treat headlice:
- wet combing
- medication lotions
- medicated spray
However, check any instructions to make sure the products you use are suitable for a newborn.
It’s not necessary to wash your laundry on a hot wash.
Other treatments that are also not recommended since there’s little evidence to support them include:
- permethrin
- lice repellents
- electric combs
- plant oils or herbal remedies
Also, it’s important not to use chemicals as a preventive measure since this can encourage resistant strains of lice and can also cause irritation to the scalp.