Children's Health Newborns and Toddlers

Finding A Fever Thermometer for Your Kid

Quite often, parents with their sick tot in tow will become overwhelmed when trying to choose the best thermometer at the local drugstore. That’s because parents today have several options: some thermometers go in the mouth, while others get a reading from the ear or forehead. Instead of just grabbing any thermometer off the shelf, parents should know a few basic facts before heading to the register.

Thermometers don't give an exact measurement of the body's core temperature, but rather, an approximation of the temperature inside the body. This is important because not everyone has the same base temperature, and even that can vary at different times of the day and in different parts of the body. For example, normal temperature is 98.6°F (37° C) when taken orally and about 99.6° F (37.6° C) rectally. To help parents figure out if their child has a fever or not the American Academy of Pediatrics, says that most pediatricians consider an oral reading over 100.4° F (38° C) a sign of fever. Fevers around 101° F (38.4° C) fever are considered low grade, while high fevers are over 103° F (39.4° C).

One easy way to narrow the thermometer field is to avoid glass mercury thermometers. Digital thermometers are a safer choice because mercury, which is harmful to humans and the environment, can be released if a glass thermometer breaks. And according to the American Medical Association, digital thermometers are just as accurate.

Among digital thermometers, a popular though expensive option is the ear thermometer, which measures the temperature in the ear canal. This instrument is considered quick, comfortable and relatively accurate, but Dr. Lorraine Stern, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California Los Angeles, cautions that it doesn't work well in small infants. This is because their soft ear canals may provide a reading that is too low.

For infants under 6 months old, doctors recommend using a rectal thermometer. This is also a good option for children under 4 or 5 years old, who are too young to properly use an oral thermometer. Some parents may prefer the axillary thermometer, which measures the temperature under the armpit, though one study found that the normal axillary temperature runs low and should be interpreted with caution.

Stern warns against using forehead thermometers, which are sold in strips, and pacifier-thermometers, because neither of them will give an accurate reading.

She also reminds parents that, except for infants, a reading from a thermometer shouldn’t be the only factor that determines if a child needs to see a doctor. "A child with a 101° F fever who is moaning and pale maybe sicker than a child with an 103° F fever who is running around," Stern explains. While a fever is often scary for the parent and uncomfortable for the child, it is part of the way the body fights infection.

Besides weighing factors such as your child's appearance and energy level, parents should also consider their child's age and the length of time they've had the fever. "In infants under 2 months with a fever, bring them in right away," Stern says. "In a 4-year-old, you can wait a day or two and see what happens if they don't look bad."

"It the child's temperature seems too high or too low, check it with another method,” Stern continues. “And you may have to combine such things as the thermometer reading, how your child looks and even putting your lips on his or her forehead."