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When to stop rectal temps?
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amother
Seafoam


 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 12:59 am
What age do you stop using rectal temps on your kids when they're sick? Is it ok to use on olderish kids?
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shabbatiscoming




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 1:50 am
I think you can stop with the child lets you do it another way.
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JoyInTheMorning




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:12 am
I think it's an invasion of a child's privacy, so I never do it, not even with a baby. There are accurate under-the-arm thermometers.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 6:33 am
I agree with Joy in the Morning. Once there were reasonable better options, I never started.

I threw out the rectal thermometer years ago.

If the doctors are satisfied with the accuracy of other methods, then it should be good enough for us moms.
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aquad




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 7:11 am
I do rectal until at least a year. It's really important to get an accurate temperature at that age.
After that, I mostly do armpit, except when I want to get the most accurate temperature or if I suspect that the toddler is wiggling too much to get an accurate armpit.
(Ear thermometers are not recommended for under two.)
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lfab




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 8:54 am
I really only do rectal for a very little infant because I find it such a pain to do. If I really felt I needed an accurate temp I would do it but probably only until about a year to a year and a half. After that they squirm to much and I would have to pin them down, which I don't think is so nice unless absolutely necessary. And if their squirming that much I wouldn't feel like it's accurate anyway. More often than not when it's just a low grade fever lasting a short time I don't even bother taking their temp at all (unless for a young infant). Only if it's persistent or high do I take their temp.
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BabsB




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 10:27 am
Up to 12 months the Drs office has always done rectal, switching to temporal after that.
I have never done rectal temps, always under the arm. When I call the office I always say "their axillary temp is ..." so it's clear what I'm talking about.

This is from WebMD and compares the different types and their accuracies:

http://www.webmd.com/children/.....rview
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amother
Saddlebrown


 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 12:52 pm
Actually, my whole family turned green if we tried to take under arm temperature. We ended up doing mouth most of my life. Now with my baby there is a forehead thermometer which seems pretty accurate..
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ectomorph




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 12:57 pm
I very rarely would do it with 2 year old. Only if child has a crazy temporal like 103+ and I need to know exactly.
I don't trust temporal on a baby and always do rectal.
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mommy3b2c




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 1:16 pm
Interesting answers. I only do rectal. My oldest is 10. The other ones are not accurate at all. I rarely take the temperature. If I do, it's because I need an accurate reading and the other ones are a waste of time.
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pesek zman




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 1:26 pm
aquad wrote:
I do rectal until at least a year. It's really important to get an accurate temperature at that age.
After that, I mostly do armpit, except when I want to get the most accurate temperature or if I suspect that the toddler is wiggling too much to get an accurate armpit.
(Ear thermometers are not recommended for under two.)


It's so funny that you speak to the accuracy of fever at a young age

When I was a new first time mom and my pediatrician (at the 2 day visit) said to bring to the ED if baby has fever, and I said, how do I know? And she said, you'll know. Baby will be hot. Subjective fever is sufficient. I've always been able to feel when my (now) toddler is febrile, from a virus to an ear infection. My doctor never advised I need a thermometer.

I've since been gifted one (the kind they use in my pediatrician office, that you scan across the forehead) but haven't used it
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amother
Slateblue


 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 1:28 pm
mommy3b2c wrote:
Interesting answers. I only do rectal. My oldest is 10. The other ones are not accurate at all. I rarely take the temperature. If I do, it's because I need an accurate reading and the other ones are a waste of time.


you would do rectal on a 10 yr old???
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amother
Seafoam


 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 1:58 pm
mommy3b2c wrote:
Interesting answers. I only do rectal. My oldest is 10. The other ones are not accurate at all. I rarely take the temperature. If I do, it's because I need an accurate reading and the other ones are a waste of time.


Wait, your ten year old allows this? Maybe they secretly enjoy it?
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mommy3b2c




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 1:59 pm
amother wrote:
you would do rectal on a 10 yr old???


Apparently I would. Otherwise I wouldn't write it.


Last edited by mommy3b2c on Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:03 pm; edited 1 time in total
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mommy3b2c




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:00 pm
amother wrote:
Wait, your ten year old allows this? Maybe they secretly enjoy it?


What an inappropriate comment.
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amother
Bisque


 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:08 pm
I use the exergen if it's good enough for my pediatrician then it's good for me... I think I used rectal for my 1.5 yr old maybe 5 times
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amother
Slateblue


 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:32 pm
mommy3b2c wrote:
Apparently I would. Otherwise I wouldn't write it.


that's strange, it's really not the norm. Rectal thermometers are meant for babies. I am really surprised that your child allows it.
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lucky14




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 2:44 pm
aquad wrote:

(Ear thermometers are not recommended for under two.)


why is this? I have an ear thermometer and took my baby's temp actually the morning of a doc appointment and it was basically the same temp in the office.
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Maya




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 3:35 pm
mommy3b2c wrote:
What an inappropriate comment.

I agree.

Still, I'm also surprised. I recently saw a discussion online of people who remember feeing very violated when their mothers used rectal thermometers on them, and they were talking about kids way younger than 10 years old. I didn't realize peopl still did that.
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Liba




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Jan 11 2017, 3:39 pm
Even in the NICU they only did under the arm temperatures on my babies. In two countries. Never rectal. They said there was too much of a perforation risk and that under the arm was just as accurate.
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