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thermometer prob!

LittleChickpeaLittleChickpea
in Baby
I have got a good brand thermometer, one of the 'mouth, armpit' ones.... wanted to chk bubbas temp under arm and it was 36.6oc... I thought Id chk thermometer out so checked mine, under arm and it was 36.7, then I done it in my mouth ( cleaned it first though!!! lol) and was 37.2, I did this twice to double check! Why are the readings different? I did it all correctly! Does this mean Eoins cld really be higher than it showed?

Replies

  • claire-abelleclaire-abelle
    i've given up with thermometers. I bought a digital nuerofen one you pop in the ear and its bloody crap, it always shows the same temp of 36.7. it did this a few months back when shea felt really hot and he was grisly too, but it still kept showing the same, i even changed batteries and replaced covers but I was convinced he was hotter than that so I took him round to docs and his temp was 40.8 and rushed to A&E!!!

    I tend to go with my instinct now, if his head and back are hot I strip him off and if he still doesn't cool down then I know he has temp....either that or the cheap old fashioned ones are probably most reliable

  • AngelaJamesAngelaJames
    The underarm reading is usually lower than the actual temp by about 1 degree (or so I read). It is because it is an external reading. The most accurate reading comes from the ear ones, but it depends how good the thermometer is anyway! If you take a reading from your lo a few times when you know he is well then it gives you a good baseline, so you can compare it when you think he may be ill. Average temp varies a lot form person to person anyway, mine is always on the low side for some reason! HTH, xxx
  • cherrytomatoecherrytomatoe
    at work we are told under the armpit (axilla) is one degree lower but like clare a belle said trust your instincts. i should say i never have worked with children so not sure if same rule applies in regards to temp xx
  • LittleChickpeaLittleChickpea
    does it mean a temp of 36.6 is really 37.6?!!!!!!!!!!
  • cherrytomatoecherrytomatoe
    it might do but don,t worry too much that's a very low grade pyrexia he might just be hot not because of illness. have you taken his temp lots before if not it you won't know what his norm is. i didn't mean to worry u hun, does he seem unwell ?

    remember i've never worked with kids so could be different. and every piece of equipment is different some more accurate than others.
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