Need Better Themometer

I have a digital one (you stick in the ear and it takes like 3 sec.) I bought at Costco. It cost around $30...but after I bought it I wondered how I ever got along without it. It's a must have for any mom-in my opinion!

I still take my kids temp with a under the arm thermometer. Add a degree with your reading on under the arm. I have tested several kinds and we have three different ones, they all come up the same. I took it under the arm and wanted to see how far off it is was and did it under my daughters tongue, if you add a degree when taking it under the arm, then it is exact to under the tongue. Most kids are too little for the ear ones unless you spend a lot more money.
I am not sure why you got three readings unless you didn't leave it long enough. Get a child one that beeps when the time is up. Add a degree. I couldn't bring myself to ever doing rectal with my kids feeling badly anyway and they have to be so still with it rectally, just never went that way.
I did get a in the ear thermometer at one point that was by Vicks and it was about $30, I didn't like it.
I still stick with under the arm, I think the ones I have are a Vicks one, Step 2 one and another one I got at Target.

Here's some gross info for you: My son was really sick with a high fever last fall, and we ended up in the ER, where the doctor took his temperature rectally (ouch!), and they told me that rectally is the only truly accurate way to take a temperature!...that said, I have NEVER done this to either of my children. We use a really cool gadget (got it at Walgreens--I think it was about 50$--kind of pricey, but worth it) that reads the temp when you run it over the child's forehead. It is called an Exergen Comfort Scanner Infrared Thermometer. It seems just as accurate as anything else, and was recommended to me by a pediatrician who uses them in his office.

Get the ear thermometer. They take readings in no time so you can do multiple readings if you are unsure. I usually take a reading in both ears to make sure they match and if they don't I will repeat it.

I have been looking into the ones like the hospitol uses cause I am sick of fighting them, the ear termometers are good but can also be a pain especially if the pain is form their little ears, you might want to invest in the other ones also.

R.,

I get terrified if my daughter gets a fever. She was taken by ambulance for a fever seizure when she was 10 months old. At the follow up appointment with her pediatrician I asked the same question with complete frustration. His responce was no thermometer. He said, you know if your child is running a fever. The number really doesn't matter and will probably scare you anyways. So he advised me that when I know she has a fever to manage her fever regardless of the number. If you are not able to manage the fever get help. Take her to the hospital. Also don't change her environmental temperature drastically. Don't make her shiver, because that will cause the temp to spike and can cause a fever seizure.

You can rotate tylenol and motrin on a (3) hour schedule to manage the fever.

Kindest Regards,
TRUDI

for about 50 bucks you can get a temporal thermometer. My ped uses them as well. They are very accurate. The closest you can come without doing the rectal thing. I have had it for years and love it. So easy to use and completely painless. They sell them at babies r us.