Braun ThermoScan 7 with Age Precision baby thermometer review
The Braun ThermoScan 7 IRT6520 is a digital in-ear thermometer with age-adjustable temperature guidance. MNHQ editor and parent, Laura, tests it out for accuracy and reliability. Here’s her verdict.
By Laura Westerman | Last updated Mar 4, 2024
Overall star rating: 4.5/5
Price on writing: £39.29 | Buy now from Amazon
A high temperature is a sign that your child is fighting an infection. But you’ll want to check their temperature regularly so that you can work out how best to help them, whether that’s keeping them comfortable at home or seeking medical advice.
For most parents, a baby thermometer is an essential piece of baby kit that can be hugely reassuring when your baby has a fever. However, all baby thermometers aren’t created equal, which is why I’ve spent time testing and reviewing Braun’s ThermoScan 7 baby thermometer to see if it cuts the mustard when it comes to accuracy and ease of use.
Our verdict on the Braun ThermoScan 7
Set up: 5/5
Ease of use: 4/5
Accuracy: 4.5/5
Comfort: 5/5
Design: 4/5
Ease of cleaning: 5/5
Value for money: 4/5
After months consistent use with a baby, I think the Braun ThermoScan 7 is a great buy. It provides accurate readings, is comfortable to use and offers valuable features like Age Precision. While it may come at a higher price than other more basic baby thermometers, the quality and reliability of the results make it a worthwhile and trusted option for families.
What we like
Traffic light colour system helps you to quickly understand a temperature reading
Fast - reading appears in just three seconds
Records and stores the last nine temperature readings
Comes with disposable plastic hygiene lens caps
Clear display
Comfortable to use, even for newborns
Storage case included
What we don’t like
Backlit screen can make taking your baby’s temperature tricky in the dark
Hygiene caps aren’t recyclable
Replacement caps can become costly over time
Pricey
Beeps quite loudly and can’t be muted
How we tested the Braun ThermoScan 7 with Age Precision
11 months of using the Braun ThermoScan 7 with Age Precision with a baby
Used whenever a high temperature or fever was suspected
Used multiple times a day during bouts of illness to monitor a high temperature
With a 14-month-old who attends nursery several days a week, I know all too well just how frequently babies pick up bugs. I’ve been using the Braun ThermoScan 7 with Age Precision for the last 11 months, most recently using it daily to keep an eye on my daughter’s temperature when she spiked a fever due to tonsillitis.
While taking care of a poorly baby can be stressful, this baby thermometer is hugely helpful, not only as a reliable aid that gives me a temperature reading in just three seconds, but as an indicator of when I should take action when my baby has a fever.
In the case of my daughter’s latest illness, the Braun ThermoScan 7 highlighted a 40-degree fever on two occasions, which prompted a trip to the local urgent care centre for antibiotics.
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What is the Braun ThermoScan 7 with Age Precision?
The Braun ThermoScan 7 is a smart digital in-ear thermometer that uses infrared technology to measure your baby’s body temperature by gently scanning their ear.
It features Age Precision technology, which helps you to interpret a temperature reading based on your child’s age, with three age groups to choose from: 0-3 months, 3-36 months or 36+ months.
Once an age range has been picked and a reading taken, the thermometer uses a traffic-light system to give you an indication of fever levels depending on your child’s age and temperature. Green means normal temperature, amber means fever and red means high fever. It’s in the moments of high fever that this thermometer can be particularly helpful.
It has a backlit display so that you can see temperature readings in low-light situations or in the dark as well as the ability to record and store up to nine readings. It also comes with a handy storage case, where you can store both the thermometer and the box of included lens caps.
Key specs
Type: Digital in-ear thermometer | Age settings: 0-3m, 3-36m, 36m+ | Memory: 9 memory functions | Celsius and Fahrenheit: Yes | Batteries: Two AA batteries (included)
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Does the Braun ThermoScan 7 provide accurate and consistent temperature readings?
Yes! Braun’s ThermoScan thermometer has met international standards for temperature accuracy and the pre-warmed tip helps to provide accurate readings as it ensures that your baby’s ear canal doesn’t cool down when the probe is inserted.
While my daughter’s temperature readings can occasionally differ by a degree of 0.1 between her two ears, generally the readings have been the same when I’ve taken her temperature multiple times back to back to check for accuracy and consistency.
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Is the Braun ThermoScan 7 easy to use?
One of the things I like most about the Braun ThermoScan 7 is that it’s very intuitive to use and takes just three seconds to display a temperature reading after you’ve clicked the temperature button.
The probe needs to be covered with a plastic lens cap in order for the thermometer to work, which will be an issue if you misplace them or run out (20 are supplied with your thermometer), but you’ll receive an alert whenever the cap hasn’t been clicked into place properly or is missing.
While you will need to remember to change the cap regularly, the thermometer is ergonomically designed so that you can press the cap release button with your index finger while holding the thermometer in the way you would when taking your child’s temperature.
The handy Age Precision feature makes the thermometer suitable for babies, children and even adults. But I do find I need to click the age button a few times to find the right age before taking my child’s temperature, which slows down the overall process. The traffic light system is helpful though, allowing me to instantly see whether or not my daughter’s temperature is elevated before reading the actual temperature on the screen.
In terms of set up, the Braun ThermoScan 7 can be used straight out of the box, with comprehensive instructions that take you through all the different functions as well as how to set up the thermometer to read your baby's temperature in either Celsius or Fahrenheit.
Is the Braun ThermoScan 7 comfortable for babies?
Absolutely! The Braun ThermoScan 7’s soft, pre-warmed tip and wide-angle probe is comfortable in my daughter’s ear when taking a temperature and also worked well when she was a newborn.
Because it’s so quick to take a reading, my daughter has no problem with her temperature being taken with the Braun ThermoScan 7. The size of the thermometer itself means it’s not fiddly to use, and the display is clear and simple to read. I like that the thermometer only has four buttons, the largest of which is the temperature button.
The only thing that lets this thermometer down slightly is the backlit screen. It’s clear that Braun’s intention with this feature was to make temperature readings easier to see at night when your child is likely to have a fever and you don’t want to wake them, but the blue light has often made it tricky for me to position the probe in my daughter’s ear while she’s sleeping. As a result, I’ve missed her ear entirely on more than one occasion.
Is the Braun ThermoScan 7 easy to store and clean?
The Braun ThermoScan 7 is definitely bulkier than a regular stick thermometer (the storage case only adds to this), so it’ll take up more space in your changing bag or bathroom cabinet. It can easily be wiped down for cleaning though and doesn’t break if accidentally dropped on the floor.
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Price and competition: is the Braun ThermoScan 7 good value for money?
The Braun ThermoScan 7 is priced higher than many other baby thermometers on the market. However, it offers advanced features like Age Precision and reliable temperature readings, which will be worth the investment, especially for families with babies or young children.
It requires disposable lens filters for each use, which can add to the cost over time, but I think it’s worth it for what is a reliable, accurate and convenient device for monitoring your child’s temperature.
About the author
Laura Westerman is an editor, writer, Deputy Head of Editorial Content at Mumsnet and mum to a one-year-old.
With over seven years' experience as a full-time editor, five of which have been spent writing, commissioning and editing product reviews and round-ups, Laura has a keen eye for the latest baby products and likes nothing more than putting together honest reviews to make parents' lives that little bit easier.
With her daughter having recently started nursery, Laura is all too familiar with nursery bugs, relying heavily on her baby thermometer to give accurate and consistent readings whenever her child spikes a temperature.
In addition to her work as a writer and editor, she has also appeared in a number of baby product review videos for Mumsnet's YouTube channel.
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