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Fever Thermometers

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Finding the right clinical thermometer for your baby


Babies and toddlers in particular react quickly with fever to both minor and major infections. Parents are therefore quickly confused and would naturally like to know how high the fever of their little darling currently is. The most diverse variants promise practical help, but which one is really reliable and accurate? Our guide with buying advice for clinical thermometers.

Where does the clinical thermometer measure most accurately?

The following problem is well known: Your baby or toddler does not like it very much when a thermometer is held in or against his body for a long time. He or she does not yet understand why this is happening and, in his or her weakened state, may feel aversion to any kind of examination. For the first measurement, a digital, non-contact clinical thermometer for the forehead, such as the SoftTemp from reer, is a good choice. It measures the temperature on the skin and does so very quickly in about one second. It is therefore ideal for an initial orientation as to whether your baby has a fever or not.

Similarly fast is a clinical thermometer for the ear, if your baby holds still, for example the inexpensive and reliable SkinTemp thermometer from reer. Your child will certainly be irritated at first, but with each use, his tolerance for the strange device will increase. If you proceed carefully, your baby will quickly realize that taking a temperature is short and painless, the SkinTemp also measures in a second. Here, too, the measurement serves as a first rough orientation.

In the ear, the measurement is done quickly, but not exactly uncomplicated. You have to aim the sensor exactly at the eardrum of your baby or toddler, if you want to have a correct measurement. Therefore, always approach the matter calmly and prudently, so that you get a real measurement result.
The measurement on the skin is always subject to fluctuations and depends on the room temperature as well as on the fact that our body temperature is unevenly distributed on the skin. You know this for sure: You are warm, but your feet feel like icicles.
You can achieve greater accuracy with these methods:

Measuring under the armpit and in the mouth is a method that you and your partner surely know quite well from yourselves. Clinical thermometers measure the actual temperature in these places quite accurately. The only disadvantage is that they usually take much longer than the aforementioned clinical thermometers. This can be complicated in handling with the fidgety toddler. A pacifier-shaped thermometer from reer is particularly clever, as your baby won't even notice that its temperature is being

Which clinical thermometers measure accurately?

As already mentioned, there are different clinical thermometers. External measurements are more prone to errors, especially if they are handled incorrectly. As a rule, however, the deviations are not greater than 0.2 degrees Celsius with a functioning clinical thermometer and correct use. If your baby or toddler has a normal clear fever, this difference is irrelevant. It only gets tricky in the range between 37 and 38 degrees, when you have to decide: will my baby or toddler go to daycare today or not? Nobody wants to have to go there again after an hour. Also in the upper fever range, the mentioned deviation can be decisive for further steps, as already mentioned.

Correct measurement with the clinical thermometer

Under the armpits, the perceived safety of the measurement is probably the lowest. Is the sensor of the clinical thermometer really placed so that there is no heat loss? Children's arms are small. Again, take the time to check the correct position and maintain it long enough until the reading is there.

In the mouth of the baby and toddler, the measurement is most accurate right after the rectal method. However, the mouth must remain closed for this and the tip of the thermometer should not be played with.

The rectal method is by far the most accurate way to take your baby's temperature. The only important thing here is that he or she relaxes. Push the clean tip into the anus for about 2 to 3 centimeters. This way you don't go too deep and at the same time you get a reliable reading of your child's actual body temperature.

Which clinical thermometer is best for newborn and baby?

So if you are wondering which clinical thermometer is right for your baby or toddler, there are a few points you can take into account when making your decision. The best clinical thermometers, no matter what part of the body they are used on, are digital and measure extremely quickly. This means that the baby does not have to stay still for too long. A flexible measuring tip prevents injuries. For allergy sufferers, there are also thermometers with a gold-plated measuring tip, such as the ExpressTemp digital express thermometer from reer. Of course with a flexible measuring tip and a measuring time of only 10 seconds. Equally fast and also with a flexible measuring tip is the ColourTemp clinical thermometer from reer, which shows the body temperature within 10 seconds (and also has a flexible measuring tip). The last measured temperature is automatically shown on the extra large, illuminated LCD display for 2 seconds after switching on. So you can easily follow your child's temperature.
However, the optimal solution for rectal measurement of fever on the market is definitely the ExpressTemp Pro from reer. With a measuring time of 10 seconds, it is very fast, and the flexible measuring tip makes measuring gentle and comfortable for your baby. In addition, it has a particularly large, illuminated display and is therefore perfect for use at night. Thanks to the gold-plated tip, the ExpressTemp Pro is also suitable for allergy sufferers and is particularly gentle on sensitive baby skin. This was recently confirmed by ETM magazine, which awarded the device the test mark VERY GOOD.


How to clean the clinical thermometer?

A fever always means that the immune system is busy. Accordingly, sufficient hygiene is important when taking a temperature. We therefore recommend the use of alcohol (75% isopropyl alcohol) to disinfect the clinical thermometer after taking the temperature. You can get the alcohol in the pharmacy, almost every pharmacy offers it in the form of swabs especially for disinfection. For hygienic reasons, we also recommend using a separate clinical thermometer for each family member.