Need a reliable thermometer please help

[loucee]

I'm so fed up of never accurately knowing DC's temperatures. I've got a forhead strip, an underarm one and an ear thermometer and they all say different things so I'm going to invest in a decent thermometer.

The ear one I have should be good but it's a crappy brand and is useless.

I've seen the Braun ear thermometer - does anyone own that one?

Does anyone have one of those ones that you just hold it infront of the forhead ? Is it accurate and reliable?

Thanks

I have the Braun ear thermometer and it is very reliable and accurate.

I did originally have the Summer Infant one but it was utterly crap and gave vastly different readings just minutes apart. I threw it in the bin.

Why do you need to know? If they feel hot treat accordingly - if they don't, they haven't got a raised temperature. Simple.

Oh right seeker, and your hand can tell a 104 degree temperature, can it?

loucee, I have the Braun one as well, it is very good. The on-forehead ones are shite.

Right - theyy will all say different things. They are telling you the temperature of different parts of the body and you need to interpret that and translate it to core body temp. It is how closely that relates to something meaningful that you need ot take into account.

For example.

The head is an extremity so is expected to be lower temp than core body - but if it is one of those colour changing strips I think it is a guide rather than an absolute.

The most accurate is rectal temp - as it is closest to the core of the body - but for obvious reasons we don't use that too often now.

A digital thermometer under the arm (about £5) is pretty consistent but you have to bare in mind that it is not core body, so will always give areading about 0.3C-0.4C below core body temp. But the keyword is always be 0.3-0.4 lower. This means normal baseline temp is 37.3-37.4 instead of 37.7. This is not wrong it is just a baseline which you should relate everything too. I think this is probably the most consistent as long as the probe is in the armpit and you take into account the correction factor/different baseline.

The mouth I think is subject to hot & cold drinks so can be variable.

The ear is currently regarded as teh best (weighing up cons of rectal with convenience of ear). BUT it is not actually a measurement of heat - it is IR waves bouncing off eardrum which indirectly measure heat. Can be affected by the patient cuddling up against you, and an ear infection can give false readings (if I get a dubious readin I do both ears). Having said that it is the choice of the medical rofessionals ATM. I have a Braun and love it.

comparison between expected values at different sites

Scroll to table at bottom as the number sin the text are confusing - but does have some useful comments on the merits of the methods

We have a Phillips ear one and it is completely unreliable, but GP suggested this may be cos dd dtill tiny so can't get far enough in.

I always do both ears.

It's worth having an accurate thermometer, IMO. DS gets temperatures whenever he is teething, but never above 102 degrees - a couple of times he has gone up to 104 and I have had him checked out. My neighbour's DD had a 105 temp which prompted them to take her to A&E, and it turned out she had an eColi infection.

TBH I find that my hand is accurate to within 0.5C, and I would trust my hand if I was desperate. However, I do like the reassurance of a good thermometer.

My hand can tell whether a temperature is high enough to be worrying - and my observation of the child can tell whether ot not he is ill enough to be worrying. I think thermometers are unnecessary in most cases and the manufacturers are convincing us that we need to buy an expensive product that can panic us unnecessarily or, worse, lull us into a false sense of security.

Teaandcake - I've got the Summer one and totally agree, it's crap!

Seeker, I do use my hand to judge if they have a temp but I think its important to know just how hot they are.

SMS thanks for all that info. You're right, the underarm one I have is the most accurate

Right, off to buy the Braun then!

Thanks

I've got a calpol one and it's very good.

Why is it important to know how hot they are? I'm not being picky - I'm really interested -and slightly concerned that I'm missing something.

It is important to know if they are above 38.5/39.0 as you need to seek medical advice. Having said that I would be comfortable judging that by my hand.

When I do like to have the thermometer is for monitoring the fall of a temperature which you are treating. The reason I say this is that when you know they have a temp and are worried about them concern & phsycology can fool you into thinking they are worse than they are IYSWIM.

I am obviously a seroiusly lax mummy - I have never taken a child's temperature. I hsve called the emergency doctor to a child I thought was worryingly hot - but I have also done the same for a child I thought was worryingly ill but not very hot. I would trust inctinct over electronics every time.

We have a Braun, and it's the one bit of gadgetry I'd recommend. Actually, it's the one bit of gadgetry we have. It's very, very quick and easy to use, and doesn't disturb His Nibs at all. We don't look for absolutes, though, just variations from his normal, which is 35.7.