Top Stories Baltimore

You need to be able to measure your baby’s temperature reasonably accurately – babies don’t have the same level of control over their body temperature that adults do. Touching your baby’s forehead or neck with your hand will give you a rough guide – but don’t use your baby’s hands to try and estimate their temperature as the temperature of the extremities and body can be quite a bit different depending upon environmental conditions.

Clearly this is no more than a rough guide to the temperature of your baby. There will certainly be times when you want a more accurate reading. In such a case, using a thermometer of some type would be the obvious solution. There is quite a wide range of different types on offer – but which one is best for you and your baby?

Traditional Mercury Filled Glass Tube Thermometers These are fine and are accurate. However, there’s always some risk of breakage and they require to be in position for a certain period of time to get an accurate reading. They need to be placed in the mouth, under the arm or in the rectum. None of these are ideal options if you have an agitated, agitated baby as a patient.

Digital Stick Type Thermometer Pretty similar to a traditional thermometer – but battery powered and manufactured from plastic instead of glass. It also has a digital read out which will minimise the possibility of reading error. Stick one of these under the baby’s arm for about thirty seconds and you should obtain an accurate reading.

Plastic Strip Thermometers These are simply held against your baby’s forehead and kept there for around 15 seconds. They change colour to indicate temperature. They are cheap, pretty easy to use and fairly accurate. However, it is possible to misread them. If there is perspiration on the baby’s forehead, then this can lead to an inaccurate reading.

Non Contact Scanning Thermometers Babies don’t like to be poked and prodded with strange objects anymore than the rest of us – so non contact thermometers are a really good option as they don’t make contact with any part of the body. They work by taking an infra-red reading of the skin temperature. At the temple, where the skin is thin, is a good place to take a reading. However, surface perspiration can still impact upon the reading’s accuracy. Typically this type of thermometer will have a digital display.

Ear Thermometers The ear gives a very accurate reflection of the body temperature – you should be able to get a quick and accurate temperature reading. Ear thermometers can be fitted with disposable caps which you can discard after use to keep things hygenic. Digital displays are the norm for this type of thermometer.

Any of the aforementiond types of thermometer will work perfectly well. Which one you select will depend upon your own preference and circumstances.

If you want to minimise the possibility of reader error, then a thermometer with a digital display probably makes a lot of sense.

From the point of view of not upsetting your baby, either a non contact infrared thermometer or an ear thermometer is probably best.

In terms of accuracy, the ear thermometer comes out on top.

All thing considered – the ear thermometer may very well be the best choice for both you and your baby.

Learn why an ear thermometer makes sense for both you and your baby.