Baby

Baby Thermometers – Which Type To Choose?

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?

Conventional Glass Tube Mercury Filled Thermometers These are very accurate – but there’s always some risk of breaking and they do require to be kept in place for a minimum time period in order to obtain a good reading. They require to be placed under the arm, in the mouth or in the rectum. Any of those positions could be somewhat difficult if you have an unhappy, fractious baby as the 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 Contact Thermometers Hold these against your baby’s forehead for about fifteen seconds and the plastic strip type thermometer changes colour to indicate temperature. They are easy to use, cheap and reasonably accurate. It is possible to misread them however. If there is sweat on the baby’s forehead then this can impact upon the accuracy of the 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 is considered to give the most accurate reflection of the body’s core temperature and should give you a fast and accurate reading. Most ear thermometers come with disposable caps which you put over the tip and then throw away after each use to make it hygienic. Digital readouts are normal and negate any user error.

Any of the above types of thermometer will work just fine. Your choice will most likely depend upon your own personal preference.

A digital readout is a good option if you want to be sure of avoiding reader error.

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.

The ear thermometer option may be a good overall choice for both you and your baby.

Discover why a baby ear thermometer makes sense for both you and your baby.