Digital Ear Thermometer

[bobsi]

Does everyone think these are great or do you like me think that they aren't very accurate? DD (15 months) has been reading 34.?C for 24 hours now despite her being relatively well (We've had a few teething traumas for last few days but appears ok in herself now). I called NHS direct who put my mind at rest and I've now done an underarm reading and temp is perfect. My thermometer is brand new (Christmas pressie) and I'm sure I'm using it correctly and I've cleaned dd ears. I'm thinking of taking it back as I've lost all confidence with it this weekend.

id be taking it back if i were you... imagine if her temp were 40, and it only read 37

we have an ear thermometer where i work; both my bosses are Drs and they think they are the best thermometers to use

Are you sure you are sticking it all the way into the ear? If it isn't in far enough you will get a lower reading.

I swear by my Braun ear thermometer. Although I have noticed that in spite of the fact that it is marketed for babies, the stuped thing is too big to get into a baby's ear... Is this intentional so that you don't stick it in too far and hurt them. Or is it an oversight that they only have a standard adult size and forgot to consider that babies ears are smaller? Anyway, I do think the ear ones are supposed to be very accurate.

Out of curiosity, what kind do you have?

We stopped using the ear thermometer as it was giving different readings from the same ear one after the other.

We have just bought one which you place on the forehead.

we had a forehead thermometer which let us down, our DD had a temp of 39 when our forehead one read 37, she was diagnosed with meningitis.
The hospital recommended the under arm ones but I am not too sure where you buy them so if anyone knows as we would like to et them.

we have the nurofen ear one too. i have used it when i thought ds had a temperature, but it has always come back at 36, 37. don't know if this is cos the thermometers duff or im just paranoid that's got a temperature all the time!

have to make sure you are putting it in far enough - I swera by mine for accuracy.

if there is an ear infection, one side will be hotter than the other.

have you tried it on yourself? Is it accurate when reading your temperature? If so then you aren't getting it far enough into dd's ear

It's a calpol one - I'm thinking of changing it for the Braun one but they shouldn't be that different should they? We've tested it on ourselves and it was reading low but shoved it in as far as comfortable and it read a perfect temperature. I've tried pushing it in dd ear as far as I dare and it's now reading 35.? How hard do you all push? Maybe I'm being too gentle - it doesn't feel like I am but I do worry about damaging her little cute ears.

i don't like mine either.

but note - it helps a lot if you stretch the ear back or back and up.

you can measure temperature w/o equipment: kiss hard and hold on forehead. after about 30 secs/minute you'll feel whether the baby has a higher core temperature to you (and roughly how much). Do it while they're well so you know what normal feels like.

I took dd to doctor last week and took thermometer along with me. I asked him to read temp with his and then mine. His read 36.5 and mine read 35.2. So the thermometer has gone back and I've ordered a Braun one (bargen at Amazon - £23.99). It arrived this morning and took a perfect reading of 36.9 on dd. What a bloody palava!!!
I like the sound of the kissing technique but I'm such a worrier and control freak that I don't think I could go through with it!!!