I have a one year old who will not sit still long enough for me to take her temperature under her arm and I am not sure I can do it rectally. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good thermometer that is both quick and (more importantly) accurate?
We use a temporal thermometer. They are least expensive at Walmart but here's a good article: http://www.exergen.com/medical/pressrel/dec03.htm
I haven't gotten to where you are yet, but a friend of mine who is a peds nurse recommended the temporal thermometer. (I think it's by exergen.) It's a little pricey, but she says it's pretty accurate because it won't be affected by ear infections and such. She has one herself and verified it rectally at first and said it was dead on. They are available at babies r us. I'm waiting for when my daughter gets too squirmy to get one myself.
I use to use a digital one and do it rectally on my son, but as hes gotten older I have stopped that. I tried the braun ear one, cost a fortune nad was never accurate (i took his temp right before doc one day and it was reading 3 degree lower). ANyway, I decided to try another brand, and believe it or not I went with the Walgreens brand, 19.99 which was more then half the price of the other one. It is extremely fast, and accurate (i took his temp before doc again, and it was exact the same as the doc reading). I think its the best 20 bucks i have ever spent.
B.
I have not had any luck with the ear one either. I have an awesome one that is made by Vicks. It is a rectal one and it only takes a few seconds. It is shaped so that it can't be inserted too far and has a light up display so you can read it in a darkened room. I couldn't find it in a store and had to order it from drugstore.com. There is also another type of thermometer that you scan across your child's forehead. I wan't one but they are around $40.
I use a Vicks digital thermometer too and it was about 8 or 9 bucks. I do rectal because it is accurate and I think silly to spend alot of money on a thermometer. Just get some of the plastic covers and put plenty of Vaseline on it. They hardly even notice it.
I have a forehead thermometer and you just press against their forehead to get a reading. Its fairly accurate and i am able to get my daughters temp..without her howling out when i use the axillary or anal therm.
Just a piece of advice...I was told by the hospital where my children are born that it is no longer recommended to take rectal temperatures. Too often the bowel is ruptured. I have 2 girls and their temps have never been taken rectally, by myself or their doctor.
K.
I have the temporal thermometer and it's hard to get the right reading on it. I can do it 5 different times and get 5 different numbers. It's very quick - you just swipe it across their forehead to get a reading. I just usually take the average of all the numbers, but it is a little frustrating. I was considering getting an ear thermometer but I don't know how accurate those are. The temporal is also hard to move across the forehead sometimes if your child is sweaty & sticky. At least I know if they have a fever or not with it.
My daughter doesn't sit long enough for the under arm too, so I do the temperature rectally using a Parents brand digital therometer I bought at target for $5. It works great and is very accurate. Rectally it takes maybe a minute or so. I have also tried the ear therometer, but those are not always so accurate because babies ear canals are not fully developed.
You can buy the ear thermometer at Target, they literally take seconds and they are the most accurate ones out there. I swear by mine.
M.
