Which Thermometer Should You Trust? 🤒📏
Ever taken your kid’s temp with different thermometers and gotten totally different numbers? 😩 Or used the same thermometer twice and seen a big change? Before you toss them all out—let’s break down why this happens, which thermometers are best at different ages, and what actually matters when checking for a fever!
🌡 Quick Thermometer Guide:
✔️ Rectal (Gold Standard) – Best for babies under 2, especially under 3 months.
✔️ Oral – Accurate, but wait after eating or drinking.
✔️ Ear (Tympanic) – Not great for babies under 6 months.
✔️ Forehead (Temporal) – Convenient but finicky; technique matters!
✔️ Underarm (Axillary) – Placement is key for accuracy.
💡 My Rule of Thumb:
Under 2 years: Rectal for accuracy.
2-5 years: Ear thermometer.
5+ years: Oral thermometer.
Remember: fever is a symptom, not a sickness—so knowing how to monitor it right is key! Want my full fever guide as a pediatrician + mom? Watch my deep dive on channel! 🎥
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Which thermometer do you swear by? Drop a comment below! ⬇️
#FeverFacts #ParentingTips #PedsDocTalk
Wait, so, none?
It’s my childcare that cares about the number. Rectal was our choice, but now, he just fusses way too much. Childcare will call me for a low-grade, make me pick him up and not return for 24 hours of no fever. That’s actually, at least 2 full days by their policy. So, for us, the number is important. I do agree with everything you talked about though. 🙂
How about using the IR thermometer pointing at the rectum? Would it be any better?
Forehead has been useless for us (toddler currently 3 years old). We’ve gotten normal readings in the past with rectal over 102. Switched to ear now that he is older but currently shopping for a new one because honestly I don’t trust the numbers I always get. Looking forward to when he can hold a thermometer in his mouth…edit: just got the Braun thermoscan 7 replacing our Frida Baby 3 in 1 (the one we have always had) Suffice it to say the Frida Baby is still saying 97.1 but the Braun confirmed our suspicion of a fever and read closer to 101 AFTER we already gave him Motrin. Maybe we just got a bad one, but night and day difference it seems between the two in terms of reliability.
But then they tell you if 38.5 give a medicine