How to take my baby's temperature
Fever is a response mechanism to help the body fight off threats. Although fever in itself is not a problem, it may be a sign that something is wrong. For this reason, it is very important to know whether your baby has a fever as it might indicate an infection by a virus or bacteria. To do this you have to properly take the baby's temperature. New parents often have doubts about taking their baby's temperature as it is often not know what the best way is. Newborns have to have their temperature taken through their rectum, because that is where it will gives you the most accurate reading. If you want to know the steps look at the following OneHowTo article on how to take the temperature of my baby.
You'll need:
- Digital Thermometer
- Petroleum jelly
Steps to follow:
The first thing we note is that you must use a digital thermometer and not a glass one as you have to put it into the rectum. A glass thermometer could break if banged and hurt your baby. Also, glass thermometers are to be avoided, especially with children as they contain mercury which could be highly toxic if released from the thermometer. In addition, a digital thermometer will give you a more clear reading.
To begin, you must put the baby face down in the crib or on your lap. Put your hand on her or his back to hold it but without applying strength so to not hurt nor scare the little one. Another option is to put it on its back and lift its feet as if changing a nappy.
Then put the tip of the thermometer in Vaseline, which will serve as a lubricant so to not hurt the baby. You can find this product in pharmacies. Once the gel is on, it is time to activate the thermometer.
Then insert 2-3 cm of the thermometer in the baby's rectum and leave it there until the beep is heard which indicates that it has finished taking the temperature. Then you have to remove the thermometer and finally see what temperature the baby has.
To know about different temperature readings and what they mean, we recommend you consult our section on body temperature.
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
If you want to read similar articles to How to take my baby's temperature, we recommend you visit our Diseases & secondary effects category.
Tips
- Write down the baby's temperature on a piece of paper.
