Thermometer problems - WWYD?

meg1974

We have a forehead thermometer that I always thought worked really well. Today, DD felt a little warm, so I took her temp. The thermometer said 99. I thought she felt warmer than that, so I checked it with a rectal, and it said 103.5. I know rectal is supposed to be more accurate, but that's a huge difference, and she doesn't feel like she has a temp that high. 

I'm not really sure what to do. Should I take her to the pedi tomorrow, just to get an accurate temperature reading? Her only other symptom is a cough, so I suppose it's probably just a common virus. She can't go to daycare if it's higher than 100 though, and I'm not sure which thermometer to believe. 

meg1974

mbenit4 said:

I thought you are supposed to add something to forehead thermometers like 3 or 4?

I think I heard that somewhere as well, but I can't find any sources to confirm it. My pedi never said anything about that, and none of the web sites I found mention it. 

JulesDiane

I will use a temporal or an ear thermometer to get a general idea. If I want a REAL answer, I use a rectal thermometer.