Do you have a thermometer in your home for taking someones temp?

[C.Ann]

In the past few days I have been quite surprised to read of at least 3 people here on the DIS who were talking about being ill - or having children that were ill - and didn't own a thermometer..

Do you have a thermometer? And if so, what kind?

I have a digital battery operated one (for under the tongue) - as well as the old glass type..

DD has a digital - as well as the one that you use in your ear..

Do you find one kind to be more accurate than another?

 

[ticktock]

I just posted that I had to go get a thermometer to take DS's temp but that is because we are living in a rental house while ours is being reno'd and we didn't pack the thermometer.

I have a digital for under the tongue (now two). When DS was little we had the ear one. I almost had a heart attack one time when it said he had a temp of 104.5! Turns out he had an ear infection and that was the temp of his ear not his body temp. I used to have a glass one but they are so hard to read and then DS broke it.

 

[My sister's princess]

I have a battery digital. DF got it for me a few years ago when I had influenza and had to take my temperature several times a day.

 

[C.Ann]

I just posted that I had to go get a thermometer to take DS's temp but that is because we are living in a rental house while ours is being reno'd and we didn't pack the thermometer.

I have a digital for under the tongue (now two). When DS was little we had the ear one. I almost had a heart attack one time when it said he had a temp of 104.5! Turns out he had an ear infection and that was the temp of his ear not his body temp. I used to have a glass one but they are so hard to read and then DS broke it.

Sorry.. I wasn't trying to single you out - as you're not the only person who has posted this - but I did find it to be a bit unusual..

DD has found that her "ear" one is often not correct either.. There was one time when it registered very, very high and I could tell just by touching my DGD that there was no way her temperature was that high..

How about the "strips"? Has anyone tried those?

 

[Irish9697]

Yes! I have an ear thermometer which has never been very reliable, but its battery is currently dead. I have 3 or 4 other digitals.

I have used the one I think is the best about 6 times today...both kids home with the flu.

 

[golfgal]

We have an ear one and a digital one for under the tongue. If they have a high enough fever I can tell by how warm they are-usually check their stomach and if that is warm, they have a fever. I am usually right on with how high it is too. I generally use a thermometer for the low range stuff-99° type fevers.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I'm sure my post is one of your three -- unless there are 4 going around.

I don't really see the point in taking DS's temperature. If DS is sick, I'll know because he'll have symptoms. If he has symptoms, I'm not going to send him to school regardless of his temperature. If he's hot to the touch, achy, or has the chills, and grouchy/sleepy, then I'm going to medicate him regardless of the temperature. If he's glassy eyed, unresponsive and lethargic (the symptoms he's had when he's had a 105 kind of temperature in the past) I'll medicate AND seek emergency care, regardless of the temperature.

Having said that, I did go out yesterday when I was stocking up on fluids for him and buy a digital thermometer. I've got to go on a work trip Thursday morning (or cancel it) and I wanted to have a sense of the direction his temperature was going. So far today it's gone from 102.1 to 100.2 so I take that as a sign that he's recovering and will likely be fine to stay with Grandma on Thursday morning. I figured the good will I would likely generate by giving my boss advanced notice is worth $5.99. However in retrospect, as his temp came down he perked up, so I would have known he was getting better.

If you do have a thermometer, and take your child's temperature on a regular basis, what exactly do you do with that information?

 

[LuvOrlando]

I have always had at least 2, one for each of my kids. In early September I bought 2 more, one for each member of the family. I know Alcohol kills virtually everything but there is no way I would put anything in my kids mouths that was near me or DH if one of us were sick. An ounce of prevention and all that

 

[JessicaR]

We have two, digital mouth and a rectal one. We stick to the mouth one as long as their fever isnt too high. If they have a high fever I will take it rectally to get a more acurate reading. They may not like it but they know it will be.

 

[nmmom95]

We have a digital ear thermometer. I'm kinda a nut job when one of my boys gets a fever. I take their temps like every 15 minutes until the Tylenol or Motrin kicks in. We've, thankfully, never had an issue with really high fevers, it's just a huge fear I have.

 

[Zandy595]

Of course...

I bought an ear one when DS was a baby, but we don't use it anymore. The one we use all the time is digital under-the-tongue. I also have a back-up glass one, just in case the digital one's battery dies.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

Ooops double post.

I'll leave my question, since I haven't seen an answer yet.

If you do have a thermometer, and take your child's temperature on a regular basis, what exactly do you do with that information?

 

[C.Ann]

If you do have a thermometer, and take your child's temperature on a regular basis, what exactly do you do with that information?

I don't have small children anymore, but it has always been my experience and my DD's experience that when calling a doctor's office in regards to a child (or adult) who is ill, the first question they ask is, "Does he/she have a temperature?" - and the second question is, "How high is it?" These are questions that doctors expect people to be able to answer accurately.. Based on the temperature and other symptoms, they can often determine if a trip to the office is necessary or not.. Without that information, a trip is always necessary..

 

[MidgeD79]

I haven't posted since Thursday because I've been sick and spent several hours in the ER yesterday geting re-hydrated and medicated. I came on here and find your question. The kids pediatrition said that the ear-thrmometers on not reliable. I have a digital-under-the -tongue type, but my mom has a glass type. She's a retired RN who can't let go of old habits.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Ooops double post.

I'll leave my question, since I haven't seen an answer yet.

If you do have a thermometer, and take your child's temperature on a regular basis, what exactly do you do with that information?

Nurse here, so at any given time , we have 3-4 thermometers. Ranging from a rectal to a digital to the old fashioned mercury (not mercury anymore) thermometer.

I don't take my kids temp on a regular basis. But if my kid is warm, I would like to know what his temp. is. And sometimes a kid feels not fever like but still has one. For example, over the weekends DS had a 102 temp all weekend. He felt warm. On Monday , before I went to work, I went to his room to check on him. He felt cool but I took his temp and it was 101. If I would have only went by how he felt to me and he did say he felt better,, I would have sent him to school.

I took his temp it was 101, he stayed home and sure enough as the day wore on he started to feel bad again.

No offense, but I don't know how someone could have kids and not have a thermometer. Thats like peanut butter and jelly, it just goes together.

And if I call the pediatrician when the kids are sick, the first thing the nurse asks is, what was his temp.?

 

[C.Ann]

I haven't posted since Thursday because I've been sick and spent several hours in the ER yesterday geting re-hydrated and medicated. I came on here and find your question. The kids pediatrition said that the ear-thrmometers on not reliable. I have a digital-under-the -tongue type, but my mom has a glass type. She's a retired RN who can't let go of old habits.

I agree about the ear thermometers - based on experiences with my DGD..

Hope you feel better soon! Did you have the flu?

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

C. Ann, that makes perfect sense to me, but I don't have a small child. DS is 10 and is quite able to say "I feel really lousy, I'd like to go to the doctor" or "I feel better than yesterday, I think I'm kicking this thing." Having sad that, when he was little and was sick enough to go to the doctor, there were generally lots of symptoms, so if I hadn't had a thermometer I'm confident I could have made that call.

I should note that when I had a small child, I had a thermometer. His current fever is literally the first time he's been sick enough to suspect he might have a fever in 6 1/2 years. During those years we've moved 3 times. It doesn't really surprise me that the thermometer

 

[hegsag]

I don't have small children anymore, but it has always been my experience and my DD's experience that when calling a doctor's office in regards to a child (or adult) who is ill, the first question they ask is, "Does he/she have a temperature?" - and the second question is, "How high is it?" These are questions that doctors expect people to be able to answer accurately.. Based on the temperature and other symptoms, they can often determine if a trip to the office is necessary or not.. Without that information, a trip is always necessary..

Every time that I have called my ped with a question regarding a sick child, the first thing they ask is if they have a temp. I have atleast two digital thermometers...

 

[HamTown]

My kids are 9, 6 and 4. We have used digital, ear and glass thermometers. I currently do not have a working thermometer in the house. I don't need it.

My 9 and 4 yo's both give very clear symptoms when they are febrile. Their skin pales and their lips turn bright red and dry.

My 6 yo doesn't give a clear indication but kissing her on the forehead is usually all I need to figure it out. Hot and dry, fever. Hot and damp, just too hot.

The last time I took one of the kids in for a sick visit, our pediatrician asked what their temp had been that morning. I admitted I didn't know a number because I didn't have a thermometer. She said she didn't either at home.

I didn't feel bad after that!

 

[hrh_disney_queen]

I have about 5 of them! I have a forehead one that I never really trusted, a digital that I used under the arm when the kids were too little to do the mouth right. Then I bought another digital for the mouth, then another one that I forgot about, then another one that was faster, then finally one that I really like- a digital by Vicks that has a long wire kind of like the ones in the Peds office. It is very quick, it reads in about 10 seconds. Oh yes, I also have a glass one that I can't read well, and one in my overnight bag. I don't know ....how many is that?!

The one I like best is the Vicks one..I don't think it cost more than $20.