ear thermometers?

[ardenbird]

I was thinking that an ear thermometer would be a good idea to get to take temperature for a newborn (imagining difficulties trying to get a rectal thermometer into a squirming, unhappy baby), but my friend said to go rectal until age 2 as the ear ones aren't accurate until then. Is this true? What have other people's experience been?

Never tried the rectal route - what a pain to have to undress the baby every time you want to take temp- but we have Braun ear thermom and it's v good IMHO. I do each ear once and maybe again and fat a good picture of what dd's temp is doing, even if the readings do vary a bit. Our gp uses same one which gives me confidence!

I've got a thermometer which has an ear and a forehead setting and its always been great, don't think i'd like to use a rectal one

Thanks! I'll look for the Braun. My friend's a vet, so she's used to sticking thermometers into small, unhappy creatures when they don't want them, which might have coloured her outlook.

don't do rectal temperatures in a young baby. I work on a NICU and we don't use the rectal route aside from a very soft probe in specific cases, certainly never a normal thermometer. There is a risk of causing serious damage to your baby's rectum, it may even perforate.

I've got a Braun ear one, it's easily available on amazon and it's the same as the one my GP uses.