How to Check Your Baby’s Temperature Properly: A Step by Step Guide
New parent stress comes from many places. But one thing that creates major anxiety is the feeling that your baby may be too hot. Was your baby born with a fever? Or is it simply because they are in a warm room? Or could it be a heavy blanket, teething, etc.? And to be completely honest, in most cases you will never know whether your baby has a fever based on touch alone. To understand this better we have to discuss why you should rely on touch alone to measure a fever in babies. Knowing if your baby has a fever is important for both your own sanity and understanding when you need to contact your GP/NHS 111.
This article will cover how to take your baby’s temperature correctly along with how to read those temperatures.
What Counts as a Normal Temperature?
A healthy baby’s normal body temperature falls into a range from 36.4°C (97.5°F) to 37.2°C (99.0°F). However it may be possible for one baby’s normal body temperature to differ from another. The body temperature varies throughout the day as well. A body temperature at or above 38°C (100.4°F) is usually classified as a “fever” when evaluating a baby’s condition; and thus it is the temperature that most UK-based health organizations use to suggest that parents monitor their child for other signs of illness or consult with a healthcare professional if they have concerns about their baby, especially those less than three months of age.
Choosing the Right Thermometer
Not all thermometers give equally reliable readings, and some methods are more appropriate for babies than others.
Digital ear (tympanic) thermometers, like the Braun ThermoScan 7, are widely recommended by health visitors for babies over a few weeks old. They use infrared radiation to measure how hot the eardrum is and usually provide a result in around 2 seconds. Many versions of this model (including the ThermoScan 7) have an “age precision” feature, which will vary the color coding of the results and the advice given by adjusting according to the age of your child. Digital axillary (underarm) thermometers are less harsh and are usually recommended for infants because the accuracy of ear thermometers is reduced in babies who are too small for their ears. The results from axillary readings are normally slightly lower than the true core body temperature of the infant; therefore, most parents add approximately 0.3 – 0.5 °C to their interpretation of the result, although you should always follow the guidelines provided with your particular unit. Forehead (temporal) thermometers are useful as a rapid way to check an infant’s temperature, particularly while asleep; however, they are generally considered less reliable than either ear or underarm measurements and are primarily intended as a means to quickly indicate whether or not your infant may be having a problem and would require further diagnosis via an alternate method. Glass and mercury thermometers should never be used on babies; they are slow, and if broken, present a real safety risk. Step-by-step: using an Ear thermometer
1. Check that the tip of the thermometer is clean and, where required, use a new disposable sleeve over it.
2. Pull your baby’s ear back and upwards to make the ear canal straight (for children under one year old, pull the ear backwards and downwards).
3. Carefully insert the tip into the ear canal until it feels comfortable; you should never need to push it.
4. Press the “take measurement” button and wait for the reading to beep.
5. Note both the reading and the time. Most devices, like the ThermoScan 7, save recent readings, so you can monitor changes over time.
Step-by-step: using an underarm thermometer
1. Ensure that the area around your baby’s underarm is dry; if it is damp, it could affect the reading.
2. Put the thermometer tip in the center of your baby’s underarm against their skin.
3. Support your baby’s arm to help maintain contact with the thermometer.
4. Wait for the beep, then take and write down the reading.
Additional signs to look out for when your baby has a fever
A fever is just one part of assessing whether your baby is ill. In addition to taking a temperature, look out for:
• a lot less activity than normal and/or being difficult to rouse from sleep
• less frequent or weak feeding and fewer wet diapers
• rash that does not go away when pressed with a Glass tumbler
• fast or labored breathing
• more irritability than usual or your baby is limp or non-responsive
In cases where your baby is less than 12 weeks old and has any fever at all or less than 52 weeks old with a fever greater than 38°C and additional alarming signs, please seek medical attention immediately; do not wait for the fever to pass.
The Bottom Line
A trusted temperature is one less thing to think about when things are already going wrong. The right thermometer that fits your baby’s needs, along with knowledge on how to take the most accurate reading possible will help you take action based upon facts versus fear. Use a good quality thermometer with an effective nasal aspirator to alleviate the pressure caused by that annoying stuffy nose. We’ve made recommendations for good thermometers, as well as nasal aspirators over at our shop page.
