How To:
Take Your Baby's Temperature
by JJ Levenstein, MD, FAAP
ne of the most daunting and frightening tasks for a new parent arises when a health care provider requests that a baby's temperature be taken. The core, or true temperature of a baby, is only reliable if taken rectally.
Skin temperature assessed with a digital thermometer under the arm, or a paper tape or temporal artery thermometer may not give a true measure of fever – stressed babies may clamp down their skin’s blood supply and have a falsely cool skin temperature. Ear thermometers are notoriously inaccurate in small babies and should not be used.
So what are we left with? The most accurate thermometers are either digital rectal thermometers (relatively inexpensive and easy to read) or the tried and true glass mercury thermometer (accurate, but difficult to read).
Many parents are under the impression that rectal temperature-taking is somehow dangerous or uncomfortable – quite the contrary, it is easy!
Here's how:- Lubricate the tip of your thermometer with a little petroleum jelly or K-Y jelly.
- Lay your baby on his/her tummy on a comfortable surface.
- Insert the thermometer one inch into the baby’s anus, and pinch the buns together with that hand (this prevents baby from pooping on you).
- Use your other hand to put gentle pressure on baby’s lower back – that decreases the wiggle factor.
- Wait a minute or two for your thermometer to beep, remove it, and read it.
If it registers 100.5 degrees or more, that is considered a fever. Certainly you would consult your health care provider for advice at this point.
After you finish taking baby’s temperature, clean the tip of your thermometer with warm soapy water, rinse, and store for another use. It’s a good idea to mark a rectal thermometer with a little red tape or a red Sharpie pen; that way you’ll know which thermometer is earmarked for baby’s bottom.
About The Author
Dr. Levenstein was voted one of the Best Doctors in America (in Pediatrics) in 2004, 2005, and 2006. She owns her own practice in Encino, CA and is on the staff of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, and Encino Tarzana Medical Center.
She is a sought-after speaker and sits on the advisory board of The Cradle, as well as several child-centered organizations. She is also president of MD Moms, makers of Baby Silk skin care.
