You've probably heard of head lice, but what will you do if one of your children's friends gets them this coming school year? Will you know what to tell your children, what to watch out for, and how to treat them if these little crawlies show up in your household? Here are some suggestions from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Lice are very tiny insects. In fact, you can barely see them. Full-grown lice can be as large as a sesame seed, and they're brown and gray in color. Baby lice, called nymphs, are smaller and will mature to adulthood in about seven days. Lice eggs, called nits, are about the size of a grain of sand and are white or clear.

Who Gets Lice?
Lice live on children more often than on adults because kids play together closely and often share personal items. This gives lice the chance to move from one person's head to another, leaving behind their eggs, or nits, that hatch in a week or two. Contrary to popular opinion, lice can live on anyone, even if you bathe and wash your hair every day.

How Can We Avoid Them?
When lice are at school or hitching a ride on one of your children's friends, it's best to advise your children to avoid physical contact with other kids and to not share personal items such as hats, towels, headphones, combs, brushes, bedding, scarves, and hair ribbons. Lice can use their sticky little feet to cling to these items and travel to other hosts. If your child does get lice, there are a variety of effective over-the-counter treatments available, such as shampoos, cream rinses, lotions, and fine combs to assist in manual removal of the eggs.