Ear thermometer ?

Gen & Joel

We got one for our baby shower and i have always got a rectal temp on LO because he's had issues with very high fevers in the past so i like to get accurate temps. well today he was a little crabby so i took his temp and it was 99.6 (rectal) and 96.4 (in the ear) are these thermometers supposed to be more accurate or are we supposed to add degree's?

kiki_1218

I work on a Hemotology and Oncology floor at a hospital where a person running a fever can be very serious. Our infectious disease dr did an experiment a few years ago testing ear thermometers and the results were so very inaccurate he would not allow us to use them on our floor anymore.

Because of this I have never trusted them.

dinnerfor2

I am a nurse too, and in my experience the ear thermometers are accurate only if you are able to hold the ear down and/or out in exactly the right position depending on the size of the child. Otherwise you get a false low reading. We have one of the Exergen temporal artery thermometers for DD (which we use at work too) and I think they work well. I have worked w/ pedis who advise against doing rectal temps on kids older than newborn (since they are becoming more self-aware). They say take it under the arm and add a degree, which is the equivalent of a rectal temp. 

trixiejo

The ear thermometer we got for our baby shower doesn't give accurate readings. I'll take DS's temp 3 times in a row with it and get 3 very different readings. I don't use it anymore. I wish it worked because he still bites any oral thermometer, wiggles a lot when I try under the arm and hates the rectal thermometer. I may invest in one of the forehead ones - his pedi uses them. I wonder if the ones sold at the drugstores are accurate?

Mereou12

As a medical professional, I think they're crap. The chances of user error is just too high.

I bought one to use for a quick check, and it's ridiculously off. It read 98.8, when DS had a 102 rectal.

Complete and total waste of money.