ear thermometers - worth the cost?

[bee3]

DS (14 months) is due to have his MMR jab soon, and I'm already getting paranoid about high temperatures. I've got one of those fiddly forehead strip things, which I find really hard to get an accurate reading from.

All the ear thermometers seem to be around £40. Are they worth the cost? Would you recommend getting one (not just because of MMR, but for general everyday bugs and fevers)?

i saw a thread a while ago that said lloyds pharmacy do a good digital normally pricy one for £10???dont know if they still do or not?HTH

I bought one and tbh don't use it. It was the braun one for about £40. I would find that if I took a temp and then rechecked 2 mins later often the results would be significantly different - don't know if it was operator error.

Anyway - I don't really bother with a thermometer of any description anymore. I just feel their foreheads - you can tell when they have a temperature ime

Absolutely - though definitely don't remember paying as much as £40. Ear thermometer must have been third thermometer we bought - others were cheaper but hopeless with wriggly baby. I need to know exactly what temp I'm dealing with, ear thermometer tells me that. Doesn't happen very often, but ds's have both had high temps that took a while to respond to calpol - hand on forehead technique tells you that they're hot, but not whether they're getting (imperceptibly) hotter or cooler...

i have the mothercare own brand. the kids prefer having their temps taken with it to the forehead strips. its a lot easier and quicker. IMO def worth the £30.

Normally go with the hand on head approach but we bought a Braun thing when dd was very ill at 8 weeks old.

Definitely was worth it just for that time alone, but we only use it now when she's obviously feverish & asleep (to decide whether to disturb her with medicine) or if she's feeling really crap. The replacement ear covers are £££

i brought one of the lloyds deals and it was crap TBH. it gave different readings each time. I also have a digital under arm one that seems to be really accurate and only cost £7 from toys r us.

I've got the Braun one which was about £40 I think and yes, it's def worth it. I've got 3 children so I've used it alot!

It takes only about 2 secs for it to read the temp and it's really easy to keep taking the temp if you give calpol and are looking for it to come down. Very accurate too.

Thanks for the comments so far...a real mixed bag!

and Misdee, I checked Mothercare and they are still £30, so thanks for the tip. I don't have a Lloyds pharmacy anywhere near.

Another fan of the Braun ear thermometer. I find it very reassuring. DT's know when it is coming, and often stick it in their ear as soon as it is out of the white box. Got mine from Tesco extra, and it was about £29.

We have a Braun one, it works well for us...ds1 tends to run frighteningly high temperatures so I like to know what's going on. If you do buy one, make sure it's one you can get covers for easily (for e.g. I personally wouldn't go for a Mothercare one because we don't get to a Mothercare that often. You can get the Braun covers in Boots).

I've got the mothercare one- it's been really handy when dd's had a temp and recently when dh was quite ill.

I find it handy cos when dd was ill I could check on her while she was asleep as it takes the result in seconds. Another thing I found handy is that it stores the previous temp so you can see if it's gone up or down

I have a braun one that have used since ds was a tiny baby. Great for all the family but
I do think it was £40. We used boots vouchers to pay for it. Lloyds did have similair ones for £10 about a month or so ago.

I have the Braun one and wouldn't be without it. I find a conventional mercury thermometer very hard to read, and I've been told that the forehead strips aren't very accurate. I got mine reduced in Boots about 8 years ago but if it broke I'd buy another at full price, no question.

Has anybody got/know anything about the ones where you dont touch them at all, the scanner kind? DS is funny about anything going near him when he's ill.

Has anybody got/know anything about the ones where you dont touch them at all, the scanner kind? DS is funny about anything going near him when he's ill.

Yes, yes, yes! I didn't have one when DD1 was a baby, but really wish I'd taken the plunge! I got so sick of underarm ones failing me in the middle of the night that after DD2 was born I bought a braun one.
Result in a second, I don't have to worry about accuracy, now able to let sleeping babes lie. Brilliant!

anchovies, I haven't heard of them. TBH, with the braun one, I've been and gone and done it before DD's have even noticed it's in my hand .

Didn't realise they were that quick - thanks!

You might not need to use the covers with all makes of thermometers. Test it with and without to see if there is a difference. They are sometimes for hygiene only, and you can easily give the lens a wipe with a soft cloth if just using for your family.

I brought one, I use them at work, and know they are good. DS's ear seems a little too small for ours at the moment though. Remember if you take an under arm temperature to add a degree on too though! Thats why I brought the tympanic, they are more accurate when you can get them in properly.