Hi ladies i feel really silly asking this, but im not sure what the right way to take the temperature is. I was checking Mia's temperature under her arm and the thermometer doesnt really ever stop, is their a time limit like do i keep it only for a minute? I know she is feeling well because shes not crying or anything i just want to make sure of her temperature.
My response is different.... It is a heads up for you. I know you will get plenty of answers on how and where but i suggest you take a 'healthy' temp and mark it down. You will find that differnt thermos read a little different. You need to find everyone 'normal' temp with the thermo you plan to use. This will help you know if it is really high.
under about 2 years old, i don't do anything but a rectal temp. it's the most accurate method.
Under the arm is 5 minutes, but Doctors will tell you to do a rectal one, it's the most accurate and it takes 3 mins.
I recently bought a temperal scanner ($30 at Walmart). It is great...used in ERs and more accurate than other readings...even rectal. For my baby I have found that using int behind the ear like they suggest is easier.
i have a daughter who just turned one and she is mine and my husband's first child. being a first time mom i was always taking her temp. because i was paranoid! i agree the armpit took forever! finally i broke down and bought a temporal thermometer ($30) at wal-mart and i'm so thankful for it! if you can afford it, i highly recommend it, especially for new mommies!
Rectal is the only way to go. I have a friend who is an ER nurse, and she says that's the only way to take it until they are older...like 4 or 5.
How exciting it is to be a mom for the first time. It is also scary, over whelming and seems a whole lot more complicated than you thought it would be or at least it has been for me. My sugestion is to take temps under the arm. Your thermometer may take up to three minutes to get the correct temp. The light should quite flashing usually the F on the screen. My pedi said anything over 100.1 take a rectal temp. Hope this helps.
I check my daughter's under her arm. My thermometer (digital, of course) beeps and the "F" stops flashing when it's finished. Check the owner's manual to see if it tells you when it's finished. Mine takes a couple minutes. (Oh, and my doctor said he prefers to take the temperature under the arm, not rectally.)
I've used a thermometer that doesn't actually beep. I had to watch the thing until the little tiny "F" stopped flashing. That said, for my 19 month old, I've always prefered to take his temperature rectally. I lay him on the changing table on his side, facing me, then I insert the thermometer in (after covering the tip in vaseline), and he just lays there. He hates when I hold him tight to take his temp. under the arm, and so do I b/c all he does is cry and fight it. You do need to make sure it's the right kind of thermometer, though. The one I have is just for rectal temps.
I've used the temporal thermometer, and maybe it's just user error, but I HATE those thermometers!! They have one at the daycare I used to work at, and it rarely read the same temp. twice. On one kid, 5 min. apart, it would read 96.7 and 103.0. It wasn't just me who had problems with it. I know it's fast, but I personally don't think it's accurate. I hope your baby feels better soon!
If you are going to take it under the arm you need to add one degree, I would leave it there for at least 2 minutes. If you have a digital one, it will beep, I know it's hard for little ones to hold still that long. When the child moves it's hard for the thermometer to get the reading, that might be why you aren't hearing anything, if you are using "old school" thermometer, well, they don't have the beeping mechanism.
