To not know if DD has a temperature?

[MollieMaeve]

Noticed DD7 looked a bit flushed. Took her temp with the ear thermometer and it was 38 degrees. Took it with the oral thermometer and it was 36.5 degrees.

Don’t ask why I did both; I’m neurotic

Google has been unhelpful; any useful insights?

Ear thermometers are the most reliable. Check it again in both ears

The most accurate method I've found of checking is kissing their forehead.

I would always think the higher temperature is more accurate than a lower temperature. I'm not sure you can get a falsely high temperature on thermometers.

I'd go with the ear one. I can think of ways it could come out lower than it is, but not higher.

Thank you - will check again in both ears in case it was a weird anomaly and then book a covid test and start isolating if it’s 38 again.

Unless you've got a temp she will feel noticeably warmer to the touch then you if she has a fever.

Could she have breathed through her mouth at all while you were doing the mouth one? Id go with the higher one, plus ear thermometers are more reliable

My ear one is inconsistent if there's too much earwax, and no ear thermometer is accurate for systemic temperature if the child has an ear infection in that ear ...

She doesn’t feel remotely warm (which was my motivation for doing it orally too).

So much hinges on an accurate temperature with current restrictions. The pressure!

Ear thermometers tend to be more accurate than oral. That said I don’t find ear thermometers overly accurate either. They tend to read high when I’ve used them. Ear wax can affect it. When dc were quite poorly a while ago I ended up buying a forehead thermometer too which I find a lot easier and accurate. I could use an ear thermometer and it could be 38 then 5 minutes later 36.5. The forehead thermometer I bought tends to be more consistent.

Nhs states you don’t even need a thermometer. You can just tell by feeling their back (I think). It’s pretty obvious when dc have a fever as they get quite poorly with it too.

I checked my sons temp once. He had been eating ear phones and it was really high. After keeping them off for 20 mins it was considerably
Lower so different things can affect it and I wouldn’t convince myself they had a fever after one high reading.

uea we use the ear thermometers at work (hospital) but I find yoh can do 2 reading o e after another and get 2 completly different temperatures. Have you tried under the arm as that's probably the most reliable method in young children?

I find ear thermometers very inaccurate. We have just bought a forehead thermometer which seems more consistent.

Err on the side of caution and assume the hotter one is accurate.

Just in case.

Have you checked the booklet for the ear thermometer? It should tell you what the normal range is and what indicates a fever, as a "normal" reading varies depending on the method used to take it. I think ear thermometers take a higher "normal" reading so 38C, which would be a fever with an oral reading, may only be a raised temperature with an ear thermometer. Unless she's clearly feverish and the skin on her front or back feels noticeably hot to the touch I'd hold off on a coronavirus test for now and see how she is in a while.

My ear thermometer is much higher than the ones of the armpit. In the thermometer ones I’ve had times 38 and the other one was 37

Ear thermometer’s are more accurate for me

Temp is now normal in both ears so I think it was just a one off. She still isn’t remotely hot to touch or flushed so I think she’s ok.

Thank you for all replies!

Glad to hear she’s okay!

Does she feel hot? Is she behaving like she's sick?

Thermometers don't always tell you a lot anyway. I grew up in a household with a doctor and nurse - we never had a thermometer in the house. Their view was that the exact temperature was less indicative of being ill than behaviour and how you felt, and that a hand or lips could tell if a temperature was elevated. This is especially true with kids whose temperatures don't always reflect how they feel and can run hot or cool.

Wasn't the advice that you don't need to take temperatures? -you just feel them!

I always do several readings, in both ear and wait until I get the same (within 0.1 degree) 2 or 3 times in a row.

I have wriggly, non compliant kids so getting an ear reading isn't always easy.

We use braun aural thermometers at work find them ok, we also use tempadots that can go under arm or tongue they tend to be same as the Braun one I have the same one at home.

Although I tend to look at the child, do they look unwell?, are they shivering or rigouring, or very pale, cool extremities, mottling to the skin or displaying unusual behaviours, or is there a rash or anything else I should be concerned about.

Babies under a year id be more concerned about a very high temp. Same with vital signs we always look, feel and check ourselves don’t rely on monitors as they don’t tell the whole story. Obviously I’m trained to do these things, I use the skills at home too with my own four kids. Just I only have a thermometer in the house, it’s scary when they aren’t well because I’ve seen the worst so I have to try not to overreact or let my mind go to worst case scenario.