MA - Toddler Dies after Lice Treatment (Mayonnaise and a plastic bag) Goes Awry

[PrimeSuspect]

I have trouble imagining the stupidity of putting a toddler to bed with a plastic bag under any circumstances.

I agree! I hope the police check if there actually was any evidence of head lice too!

 

[Indy Anna]

So, what time did the parents put the baby to bed Friday night? Even if they put her to bed at midnight, I can't imagine not checking on her way before 3:00 P.M. She had been dead for some time, according to the reports, but someone was administering CPR when LE arrived. Also, they used a plastic shopping bag which would fit very loosely on a toddler; it would easily come down over her face as she moved around in her sleep.

This story just doesn't seem credible to me. How old is/are the other child(ren) in the household, I wonder. IF something else happened that resulted in the baby's suffocation Saturday afternoon, whether accidental or intentional, the lice treatment may have been a ready excuse since another child had been treated for lice. The other child's head had been shaved, but the family probably came across many other remedies while they were researching treatments.

 

[brighidin]

Um, cops called at 3pm the next day????

Definitely want to give the time line a strong side-eye.

would have thought that a shower cap would have been safer alternative for a very young child ....... MOO

Agree. My daughter had lice 2x last year (showed up a week after spending time at local children's hospital...both times. ugh). I did the shampoo but I also did olive oil, a shower cap, and then a bandana tied over that. I don't think I ever left it on for more than 2-3 hours during the day.

I would absolutely wish lice on my worst enemy because it ain't no joke. If my daughter had been 18 months, or even in kindergarten, I would have shaved her head -- way easier than dealing with the above mentioned steps. That being said, who puts a slippery substance on a kid's head, ties a bag on the head, and sends them off to sleep?! I'm no scientist, but shouldn't it be obvious that the slippery mayo will move the bag around.

Poor baby.
Poor parents.
Imagine having to live with knowing you did that.

So sad.

 

[MsFacetious]

Every person on the planet knows you don't leave a baby with a plastic bag.
Every thing you buy that comes in a plastic bag has a warning on it.
You would have to be seriously STUPID or intentionally negligent to do this.
Yes, I see charges here. Absolutely. :twocents:

If that is true, Then something is up.. But I am leaning towards the baby being down for a nap around that time and maybe the same treatment used as was used the night before. That sounds practical to me.

The EMT's said she had been dead for "quite some time."
If she had died within the previous few hours they wouldn't have said that.
She was clearly too dead to attempt to revive her. That's pretty dead.

 

[RT51]

I tried that treatment on my daughter at age 7, and I still wouldn't have put her to bed with it!

 

[musicaljoke]

The child died as a direct result of the actions of the parent. Stupidity is not a defense in court.

 

[musicaljoke]

The EMT's said she had been dead for "quite some time."
If she had died within the previous few hours they wouldn't have said that.
She was clearly too dead to attempt to revive her. That's pretty dead.

I don't doubt that the attempts to revive her were purely theatrical.

 

[TrackerSam]

The cops were called at 3 pm? I wonder if they meant putting the child down for a nap, but no it reads friday night the toddler went to bed with the mayo and bag. Possible neglect charges if these hours are real. I can not even imagine any child of any age wanting to sleep with a bag on their head.

Could it be that an ambulance was called the next morning and the hospital alerted the police? If I found my child unresponsive, I wouldn't call the police, I'd call 911. The 911 operator would call an ambulance without alerting the police since no crime was being reported, IMO.

After re-reading the story IDK. Mom would know the child would need a diaper change in the morning. Still don't know why the police were called. I've called 911 due to medical situations and the police never came out.

 

[Maiko]

I can't imagine why the put her to bed with plastic any where near her face! For crying out loud!

They will have to live with this the rest of their lives, it's tragic...especially for the little one.

 

[Donjeta]

Could it be that an ambulance was called the next morning and the hospital alerted the police? If I found my child unresponsive, I wouldn't call the police, I'd call 911. The 911 operator would call an ambulance without alerting the police since no crime was being reported, IMO.

After re-reading the story IDK. Mom would know the child would need a diaper change in the morning. Still don't know why the police were called. I've called 911 due to medical situations and the police never came out.

JMO but I think it might not that uncommon for the dispatcher to direct the police to respond to a 911 call where they report a child not breathing in sketchy circumstances that may or may not turn out to warrant a suspicious death investigation.

 

[tlcya]

Don't know about other areas but in mine (ex was firefighter) when 911 is called 911 center sends police fire and ambulance to injury, aid, or death calls. Reason being, firefighters are also EMTs here and usually have better response time. They arrive and begin adminstering emergency aid (CPR), sometimes police have arrived first and are taking control of the scene, preparing the way for stretchers, getting basic initial info. Then ambulance usually arrives shortly after firefighters and take over the life saving efforts and transport victim to appropriate hospital. In cases of death, if any emergency responder starts CPR efforts they continue them, even if the victim is not going to respond and they continue to try until arriving at hospital where victim is officially declared dead.

I don't know if it is similar there or if responders attempted CPR or immediately discerned those efforts would be useless because as stated in articles, the child had obviously been dead for some time.

Like I said. This story has enough red flags that I am glad it is being further investigated.

Whether criminal negligence or plain utter stupidity without malice, the outcome was horrible and this baby girl died when there was absolutely no need or reason.

Here are some links that are out there which discuss this home remedy and some do not contain any info on how this is NOT an appropriate method to use on young children and do NOT warn against leaving young children unsupervised while administering. While it would seem to be quite obvious to all of us that this method has it's risks and should be undertaken responsibly there are people out there who literally are just that dumb as to not think it through for themselves.

http://www.wackyuses.com/lice.html

1. Apply the selected suffocant generously to the hair, making sure the hair and scalp are saturated (for petroleum jelly, approximately two ounces should be sufficient).
2. Cover the hair with a close-fitting shower cap. Leave the cap on for eight hours (the exact time needed to kill the lice is unknown. Some people have reported success with shorter times). Avoid treatment while the infested person sleeps, as the cap may become a suffocation hazard.
3. Remove the shower cap and wash the hair with shampoo to remove most of the suffocant (petroleum jelly may be hard to remove, and we are not certain of the best method to do this, but commonly suggested methods include rinsing with a mild degreasing soap like Dawn®, or baby oil).
4. Remove all nits and any live lice as discussed under the Nit Removal section.
5. Wash hair thoroughly with shampoo to remove the remaining suffocant.

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/headlice/treatment.html

For adults, you can cover with some plastic wrap, but this is NOT recommended for children.
Leave on for about 8 hours, this is what pediatricians recommend. You cannot leave it on for just a few hours, like olive oil, because it would not be efficient enough. This will depend on the grade of your infestation and how well you coat the hair with the mayonnaise.
It should NOT be left overnight on children, as they might grab a hair and eat the mayonnaise, which would not be safe, as the mayonnaise turns rancid after a few hours out of the fridge.

http://headlicecenter.com/head-lice-mayonnaise/

You will also need a shower cap, because after you place the mayonnaise on your head, in a thick layer being careful to cover your entire scalp and all the roots of your hair, it will need to sit for 8-10 hours on your head, without the lice being able to run away or get a fresh breath.

http://www.household-management-101...ead-lice-yes-instructions-for-proper-use.html

 

[MsFacetious]

Cops come out for every single call here.
When my Mom had her seizure the cops came.
Then again it takes 4 cops to pull over a little old lady here.
So maybe my area isn't the best comparison?

 

[ScarlettScarpetta]

Cops come out for every single call here.
When my Mom had her seizure the cops came.
Then again it takes 4 cops to pull over a little old lady here.
So maybe my area isn't the best comparison?

Not here. We have had the ambulance out a few times over the last 10 years. Cops only come if they are needed.

 

[nycgrl]

In my experience, if it's a serious medical issue, it's whoever is closest to potentially offer basic life support.

My gut tells me criminal charges will follow. The timeline is super hinky, imo.

 

[Nova]

I hope it's clear I have no problem with non-chemical (well, actually, EVERYthing is composed of chemicals but you get what I mean) solutions, if they work. Our children managed to get through childhood before the current lice epidemic.

To me the issue is lack of supervision, not the use of mayonnaise over a prescription solution.

 

[Leis80]

No not a crime, just extreme stupidity.

 

[WideOpen]

I am sorry this little child died and her parents were negligent. I agree with others who question putting an 18mo baby to bed with a plastic bag at all. And who doesn't get immediately alarmed when their normally healthy child isn't up at the crack of dawn? Not checking on baby until close to 3pm, that is just hard to believe. Very sad for everyone involved.


O/T

just sharing my lice lessons
I have six daughters who all had thick, long, beautiful hair as children. We would end up with lice 1-2X a year and it was horrid, painful, and exhausting. We bought the awful chemicals that never worked and cost a fortune, unsuccessfully tried the mayo and olive oil
(kids still will not eat mayo) and then found a real cure...

TEA TREE OIL mixed with shampoo-lather and leave in 15-20 minutes. Rinse and forget it. Do a retreat at 7-10 days. The bugs die within this time frame and I never had to pick out nits. I did not go crazy laundering and today do not even bother laundering bed linens, stuffed animals, and such. I think the eggs even die after the first treatment but we do a re-treatment just to make sure.
Get yourself a good pure brand of TEA TREE OIL and try it-always be sure to read up and educate yourself on its uses. (I tested it by picking out a live bug/bugs and putting the mixture on them-yep dead dead in no time)
All the girls are grown and no lice for years here. Now I have a 6yo granddaughter who recently got it at daycare and treatment was no stress-worked like a charm-in 20 painless minutes.

 

[Mountaingazer]

Also if you put a couple drops of tea tree oil in your shampoo and conditioner, it works as a preventative measure should you come into contact with lice. They will stay away and not set up shop on your head. They have had quite the epidemic of lice in my daughter's class this year, she is the only one who has not had it (knock on wood) and I am sure it's because I put a little tea tree oil in her shampoo /conditioner.

 

[musicaljoke]

Also if you put a couple drops of tea tree oil in your shampoo and conditioner, it works as a preventative measure should you come into contact with lice. They will stay away and not set up shop on your head. They have had quite the epidemic of lice in my daughter's class this year, she is the only one who has not had it (knock on wood) and I am sure it's because I put a little tea tree oil in her shampoo /conditioner.

Tea tree oil is very toxic if used incorrectly. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, given that you can't be sure how it will be used.

From the Poison Control Centre:

"If someone may have swallowed tea tree oil, call the Poison Center right away at 1-800-222-1222. Don’t wait to see what will happen first, as swallowed tea tree oil can cause dangerous poisoning in less than thirty minutes."

http://www.poison.org/poisonpost/winter2010/teatreeoil.htm

 

[Mountaingazer]

Tea tree oil is very toxic if used incorrectly. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, given that you can't be sure how it will be used.

From the Poison Control Centre:

"If someone may have swallowed tea tree oil, call the Poison Center right away at 1-800-222-1222. Don’t wait to see what will happen first, as swallowed tea tree oil can cause dangerous poisoning in less than thirty minutes."

http://www.poison.org/poisonpost/winter2010/teatreeoil.htm

Her doctor approves, he is the one who suggested it. To be clear I put two drops in the bottle of a shampoo and conditioner combo, not two drops every time. And yes tea tree oil can be very dangerous if ingested, but my daughter is eight and has never attempted to eat shampoo.