The Basics of Thermometers {and a Giveaway}

temple touch thermometer

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As I write this I happen to have a sick little one asleep in her bedroom. I didn’t think it was time for the fall icky season to have started yet, but apparently it is.

So it happens to be perfect timing for a post I’ve been meaning to write for a long time now and actually had on the calendar today before it became a sick day.

A few months ago now the good folk at Medisim linked to my blog in a roundup of sick day advice on their blog. (The post was 64 sick day, rainy day, any day activities to do with your toddler, and it’s a great one.)

They sent me one of the Temple Touch Mini thermometers to try out and one to give away to one of you, so stay tuned for that at the end.

Using the Thermometertemple touch thermometer

They say this little thermometer is so popular one is sold every minute. It is nice because it is small, measuring just five inches long, so it’s easy to keep handy in your first aid kit.

It takes a temperature reading by holding it at the temple, which is a great option for little kids who might not be able to hold a thermometer in their mouth or who don’t like an ear thermometer (and sometimes when a kid has an ear infection they won’t want an ear thermometer even if they usually don’t mind it).

The thermometer has just one button. Press it to turn on, then wait for the double beep (it takes a few seconds). Press to the temple and wait for another beep, then read it.

It seemed like it took a long time to register, but the technical specifications say it is 6 to 8 seconds, which I guess isn’t too bad.

Thermometer Readings

I also wondered about the accuracy of this sort of thermometer versus other kinds. It meets the standard requirements for accuracy, but of course it doesn’t agree with other thermometers in the house, because taking temperatures different places gets you different results.

I wanted to know if one sort of thermometer is considered better for kids, so I checked at the Mayo Clinic website, which says rectal is still the gold standard for kids under 4. Eww. But it’s OK to use other thermometers after 6 months, you just need to be aware of what constitutes a fever depending on the sort of thermometer you are using.

I am not a medical expert and I completely stole this advice from Mayo Clinic, but they say you can call it a fever when your child’s temperature reaches 100.4 measured on a rectal, ear or temple thermometer; 100 or higher on an oral or pacifier thermometer; and 99 or higher with an armpit thermometer.

And because it’s worth remembering, if your child is under 3 months and has a temperature above 104, 3-6 months and has a temperature higher than 102 with other symptoms or is 6 to 24 months and has a temperature of 102 or more for more than a day even without other symptoms, you should contact their doctor.

A Thermometer Giveaway

So, as I mentioned above, I have another of these thermometers to give away to one of you. To enter to win, leave a comment on this post. I’d love to know what you do to help a sick kiddo when he or she isn’t feeling well. Goodness knows I’ll need some tips when that girl wakes up.

Contest is open through the end of the day Sunday, September 29. I’ll pick a winner with the help of the random number generator next Monday. Please U.S. addresses only. Thanks and good luck!


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4 Comments

  1. Thanks for the info on the types of thermometers and what constitutes a real fever. All we do at our house is watch loads of whatever we want when we are sick. It’s all we want to do & it’s a treat for my kids!

  2. Gut rest is key…when your child is vomiting that is. Nothing to eat or drink for 2 hours after vomiting, then TINY sips of room temp liquid (water or sprite is what I use) every 15 minutes. Avoid dairy or dairy products for 12-24 hours if have an upset stomach. If they vomit again, restart the two hours of gut rest. Always works well for me. I also like the BRAT diet (bananas-ripe, not green, rice, applesauce or dry toast) this works well with diarrhea…

  3. My kids don’t get sick too often, but depends on what their symptoms are. sometimes I just make them rest and eat soup, take a rather warm bath(if their nose is stuffy) then sometimes that is enough 🙂 if they have a fever tho i strip em and give a cool bath to get it down and keep them with as little clothes as possible

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