{"id":10369,"date":"2018-07-19T12:19:33","date_gmt":"2018-07-19T02:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/?p=10369"},"modified":"2024-07-15T21:22:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-15T21:22:09","slug":"taking-your-childs-temperature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/2018\/07\/19\/taking-your-childs-temperature\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking your child\u2019s temperature"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"newIntroBox\">\n<div>If your child seems unwell, it\u2019s important to know how to take his temperature so you can check whether he has a fever. This guide explains how to take a child\u2019s temperature using different kinds of thermometers.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>When to take your child\u2019s temperature<\/h3>\n<p>You might want to take your child\u2019s temperature if your child is:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>unwell and feels warmer than usual<\/li>\n<li>irritable and crying<\/li>\n<li>more sleepy than usual<\/li>\n<li>in pain<\/li>\n<li>refusing to drink, or vomiting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"box\">\n<div id=\"\" class=\"asterix undefined pinkRound\">Your child\u2019s average body temperature is about 37\u00b0C. If your child\u2019s temperature is higher than 38\u00b0C, she probably has a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/raisingchildren.net.au\/articles\/fever_a.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fever<\/a>.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Types of thermometers<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s best to\u00a0<strong>check your child\u2019s temperature using a thermometer<\/strong>. Feeling your child\u2019s skin temperature by putting your hand to his forehead isn\u2019t a reliable way of diagnosing a fever.<\/p>\n<p>Most modern thermometers are digital thermometers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Digital probe thermometers<br \/>\n<\/strong>Digital probe thermometers are the most basic and common types of thermometers.<\/p>\n<p>You can use a digital probe thermometer to take your child\u2019s temperature in two main ways:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Orally<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 you put the thermometer in your child\u2019s mouth under the tongue.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Axillary<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 you put the thermometer under your child\u2019s armpit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Oral temperature readings are usually the most accurate from digital probe thermometers.<\/p>\n<p>If you plan to check your child\u2019s temperature orally and under her armpit, make sure to clean the thermometer well between each use. You can clean a thermometer using warm soapy water or an alcohol wipe.<\/p>\n<p>Although you can use a digital probe thermometer to take a rectal temperature reading, this isn\u2019t recommended. There\u2019s a risk that the tip of the thermometer could damage the lining of your child\u2019s\u00a0<a class=\"glossary\">rectum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Digital ear thermometers<\/strong>\u00a0<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong>Digital ear thermometers are specially designed for use in children\u2019s ears. Ear thermometers are quick and easy to use, but they can be a little inaccurate.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Digital temporal artery thermometers<\/strong><br \/>\nDigital temporal artery thermometers use infrared scanning to measure the temperature on your child\u2019s forehead. These are the simplest types of thermometers to use, and they\u2019re also one of the most accurate.<\/p>\n<p>An advantage of these thermometers is that you can check a sleeping child without waking him.<\/p>\n<p>You can also use these types of thermometers to check the temperature of bath water.<\/p>\n<div class=\"box\">\n<div id=\"\" class=\"asterix undefined pinkRound\">Digital pacifier thermometers and fever strips aren\u2019t recommended because they\u2019re not very accurate. Mercury thermometers can poison a child if they break. If you\u2019re using a mercury thermometer, consider replacing it with one of the types of digital thermometers above.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Taking your child\u2019s temperature<\/h3>\n<p>No matter what kind of thermometer you have, it\u2019s important to\u00a0<strong>carefully read the instructions<\/strong>\u00a0that come with it before using it for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Here are more tips to help you take your child\u2019s temperature accurately.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Oral temperatures<\/strong><br \/>\nYou take an oral temperature using a probe thermometer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wait five minutes after your child has had a hot or cold drink.<\/li>\n<li>Place the thermometer well under one side of your child\u2019s tongue.<\/li>\n<li>Have your child hold it in place with her lips, not her teeth, and tell her to breathe through her nose.<\/li>\n<li>Wait until the thermometer beeps and then check the digital display for the temperature reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Add 0.5\u00b0C<\/strong>\u00a0to your child\u2019s oral readings to estimate his true body temperature.<\/p>\n<p>If your child has a blocked nose because of a cold, she might find it hard to breathe with her mouth closed.<\/p>\n<p>You can take oral temperatures in children\u00a0<strong>over four years.\u00a0<\/strong>It\u2019s hard to take an oral temperature in children younger than this, because they can\u2019t always co-operate with you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Armpit temperatures<\/strong><br \/>\nYou take an armpit temperature using a probe thermometer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Place the thermometer in your child\u2019s armpit.<\/li>\n<li>Close your child\u2019s arm over the thermometer, holding his elbow against his body.<\/li>\n<li>Wait until the thermometer beeps and then check the digital display for the temperature reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Taking your child\u2019s temperature under the armpit is usually the easiest way to do it, especially in young children. Unfortunately, it\u2019s also the least accurate method.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Add 1\u00b0C<\/strong>\u00a0to your child\u2019s armpit readings to estimate her true body temperature.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ear temperatures<\/strong><br \/>\nYou take an ear temperature using an ear thermometer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Put a plastic cover over the tip of the thermometer.<\/li>\n<li>Put the tip gently just inside your child\u2019s ear canal.<\/li>\n<li>Wait until the thermometer beeps and then check the digital display for the temperature reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you use a digital ear thermometer correctly, it\u2019s accurate to within about 1\u00b0C, as long as your child\u2019s ear canal isn\u2019t too small or doesn\u2019t have too much wax in it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forehead or temporal artery temperatures<\/strong><br \/>\nYou take a forehead temperature using a temporal artery thermometer:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Check that your child\u2019s forehead is dry before starting.<\/li>\n<li>Gently scan the thermometer across your child\u2019s forehead.<\/li>\n<li>Remove the thermometer and then check the digital display for the temperature reading.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Temporal artery temperature readings are usually the most accurate.<\/p>\n<p>This article was published on:\u00a0http:\/\/raisingchildren.net.au\/articles\/taking_your_childs_temperature.html\/context\/648<\/p>\n<p>The author of this article is:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/raisingchildren.net.au\/articles\/taking_your_childs_temperature.html\/context\/648\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Raising Children Network<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If your child seems unwell, it\u2019s important to know how to take his temperature so you can check whether he has a fever. This guide explains how to take a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10370,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[67,206,112,68,69,60,70],"tags":[59,138,86,82,83,142,57,93,94,84,85,74],"class_list":["post-10369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-blog-adelaide","category-blog-brisbane-gold-coast","category-blog-centralcoast","category-blog-melbourne","category-blog-perth","category-blog-sydney","category-blog-wollongong","tag-acting-classes-in-the-school-holidays","tag-birthday-parties-for-children","tag-blog","tag-bop-till-you-drop","tag-children-entertainers","tag-childrens-birthday-parties","tag-discos","tag-drama","tag-drama-classes-in-the-school-holidays","tag-karaoke","tag-kids-parties","tag-party-themes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10369\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.boptillyoudrop.com.au\/brisbane\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}