What is the best kind of thermometer to use on a baby?

Question

My daughter is 4months old and we use a vicks digital theremometer but i think she needs a baby one i have one for babys for the ear but the doctors says not to put anything in there ears plus im afraid ill hurt her i need to buy a better one i just dont know what kind i thought there was some for adults and some for babies please help me thanks

Answer 1

You can use a regular digital thermometer under her arm (as long as you can keep her still long enough). Hold her arm down gently. The reading will be off by 1 degree F (too low), but it is acceptable to use. Most doctors will ask you what kind of thermometer you use, but I didn't know about the degree difference until I talked to my doc.

Answer 2

Rectal thermometers are the most accurate for babies under 6 months. I got a digital one in Walmart for about $5. Since we also have a 6 year old, I got a sharpie and wrote RECTAL on the case of it, just so no mistakes happen. To use it, lay a towel across your lap, then lay the baby face down on the towel so her bottom is at the edge of your lap. Put a little bit of vasaline on the end of the thermometer, and put it inside her bum about 1/2 an inch. It'll give you a reading in less than a minute, and then you can re-diaper her. It's not fun for either party, but it's the most accurate, which is more important in the long run.

Answer 3

Hate to say it, but an old fashioned rectal thermometer is still the most accurate by far. I have an ear thermometer, and a forehead thermometer that is supposed to take a reading by the heat from your childs temple...wrong! Everytime i take a temp, it is consistently a different reading. The old fashioned rectal temps are very small, and do not hurt baby at all! I usually put a dab of vaseline on the end (more for my own piece of mind), gently insert the tip, and wait. A few of them on the market today are digital, so they beep when they are done. Takes no time at all.

Answer 4

I use a Vicks digital thermometer, too, but mine is specifically designed for rectal temperatures. I also have a digital ear thermometer, but I can't seem to get an accurate read on either of my babies (13 months and 2 1/2 yrs) with it -- I've been told that especially on babies under 2, their ear canal hasn't fully formed so it is difficult to get an accurate temperature reading that way (although that's what they use at the pediatrician's office). I really like the rectal Vick's digital thermometer, though, because it is short and shaped differently to help prevent you from inserting it too far.

The "correct" way to use a rectal thermometer is to lay the baby on her tummy on your lap to do it, but I always do it at diaper changes, that seems to work fine for me. I just put a little bit of vaseline on the tip and then put it in and it will beep when it is ready.

Remember, though, rectal temperatures are 1 degree higher than oral temperatures. Axillary (underarm) temperatures are 1 degree lower than oral temperatures, too, if you are using an underarm thermometer. At least, that's what the package insert says.

Good luck!

Answer 5

The best temperature for a baby is taken rectally. The core temperature of the body is what you want. Armpit, mouth, and forehead, and ear temps can be as much as 1 or 2 degrees off, which can be crucial for a baby. Lay her on her belly in your lap, lubricate the thermometer with petroleum jelly, and gently insert the thermometer into her rectum not very far at all. This is the most accurate reading you can get because it's measuring her internal temperature.

Answer 6

You don't need to get a thermometer made for babies. You can continue using the one you have already. It is best to take an infant's axillary temperature (armpit temp). The ear thermometer shouldn't hurt her, it is too big to fit deep into the ear, so if she will not hold still long enough for the axillary temp then use the ear one.
Rectal temps aren't recommended because the rectal tissue of infants is very fragile and you can tear them.

Answer 7

The one for the ear is fine...what the doctor means is not to put anything into the ear canal...the ear thermometer does not go IN the ear, just in the opening of the ear.

Answer 8

there are thermometers for babies and adults. but it doesnt matter which one you use. the best place and the most accurate would be a rectal temp. anywhere else is gonna read lower then the internal temp of the baby. if i remember correctly.....in the mouth is 2 degrees lower, the ear is .8 degrees lower, and i cant remember the one for the armpit. Sorry.

Answer 9

I would still suggest getting an ear thermometer. I found taking my son's temperature with the ear thermometer was easier than the thermometer that you put under their armpit, mostly because the ear thermometer took the temperature in less than 10 seconds.

I don't see anything wrong with using the ear thermometer, my son's pediatrician uses one

Answer 10

We use a $5 digital rectal thermometer from the grocery store and it is great. It is very fast and accurate.