Growing up, my mom used mercury thermometers in the mouth or armpit. Now we use a digital thermometer in the ear for the kids. I need to do some more research on thermometers... although usually when my kids have a temperature, it's a really high one and you don't even really need a thermometer!
How do you take temperatures when kids are sick?
wonderful pomelo / 30692 posts
We have the Bruan temperal scanner (the one that does the forehead). I like it because it seems so much easier than the ear one we had, and so far seems pretty accurate!
pear / 1531 posts
We used to use a really expensive Braun ear one, but last time he had a fever we noticed it was off by like 5 degrees when compared to the rectal thermometer. Not sure what we will do going forward. I don't trust it now.
grapefruit / 4321 posts
We have a temporal one, but you don't swipe it on the head, you just direct it at her forehead and push a button. It's quite consistent and almost always shows my temp at 97.5 which is my normal, so I trust it. If it's scary high we confirm with a rectal.
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@raintreebee: Holy moly, off by 5 degrees?! What were the two temps?
pear / 1531 posts
@mrbee: 97 and 102! We tried it several different times! So weird. For a long time we just used the ear one, but I knew that it couldn't be right because he was so hot....Now I wonder how many low grade fevers I missed!
hostess / wonderful watermelon / 39513 posts
Temporal and we also double check with a rectal if it is high.
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
@raintreebee: Wow, that's a huge miss!! I think we also use the Braun ear thermometer... it's usually pretty accurate, as far as I can tell. But now I'm having second thoughts!
grapefruit / 4278 posts
@raintreebee: I can never get our braun ear thermometer to read correctly either. I've actually never used it on LO because I couldn't get an accurate reading on myself, and he's three now. I take his temp rectally when I need it to be accurate, he's too squirmy to get a good underarm reading. I need to look into a temporal thermometer I think.
pomegranate / 3438 posts
Ear thermometers can be tough to use. You have to pull on the ear a bit as you stick the thermometer in. Otherwise you won't get an accurate temperature. My husband always has problems. He took lo's temp and only got 98. I took it and it was 102.
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
We have a temporal one, but I use it as an initial reading and then will do rectal to confirm.
GOLD / wonderful pomegranate / 28905 posts
Digital ear by Braun. If I need to call the ped they always ask for a rectal confirmation. Our temporal is super off. It changes by 2-3 degrees depending on where on the head I take the temp. I'll use it for a quick read but don't trust it.
pear / 1531 posts
@KT326: thanks for the tip. i'll try that. i certainly am not ruling out user error!
pomegranate / 3438 posts
@raintreebee: our pediatrician had to tell us how to use it because I was afraid of hurting him! Now whenever he sees the thermometer he wants me to take his temperature so even though I feel like I'm being rough he must not be too traumatized 
hostess / wonderful apple seed / 16729 posts
Good question. I registered for the ear one but my sister sent me $10 rebate for one of the temporal ones. They market the product as 'pediatrician preferred'.
If anyone wants the rebate, it's here. http://www.exergen.com/babythermometer/Exergen-MothersRebate-BabyThermometer-Dec312015a.pdf
grapefruit / 4584 posts
I usually use a Braun war one, but keep rectal and armpit/oral ones around in case I want to compare because a temp seems off (LO seems hotter or cooler than the reading).
I thought I read that temporal scanners had the highest margin of error, but I know our ear be has occasional been wonky (like if LOs ears are waxy)....seems like we manas can't win!
grapefruit / 4056 posts
I use an ear one on DS (3), axillary on DD (8 months)- in the hospital I work at we almost never do rectal temps actually! Armpit under a year, ear for 1-12, and 12+ we do temporal. A lot of the issues are due to user error, I am pretty confident in my temps, and I use the same method/age as our hospital policy.
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