What Kind of Thermometer Works the Best for a 2 Year Old??

We have a Vicks thermometer that I bought at Walgreens that works quickly, and the battery has seemed to last a long time. It was not very expensive either. I think we paid about $10 for it. Hope this helps.

Honestly we use the ear therm. have since she was about 1 year old. She is now 3. But... they have just recently came out with that new one that you run across the forehead. That sounds great! No struggles at all, they dont even know what you are doing.

My husband bought an ear thermometer about a year ago for my now two-year old. It is a quick read and is much easier than trying to use the digital under-the-arm kind. Hubby asked a pharmacist about the forehead kind and they said the ear ones are more accurate. I don't know if the ear thermometer is ok for an infant.

Good luck!

I have the one that you put in their ear....just like at the doctor's office. It takes just seconds. I found it to be a good investment.

in my mind....you can't beat a good ol' mercury thermometer. With a 2 y/o, put it under the arm. I had the ear thermometer when my boys were small, it was a gift. I found it was not that accurate and a pain. I have gone back to the original and am glad.

Hello,

I have two boys, 5 and 3, and I have the same problem with thermometers. Through years of trial and error, we have found that the forehead one does work better and gives a really accurate temp. for your children. We have tried regular under the arm, in the ear, facy bells and whistle one and that measure every temp anywhere. And, the forehead one has always worked the best.

We really like the temporal thermometer. We purchased it from Wal-Mart about a year and a half ago and it still works like a charm. My son's even slept thru the process, it's great! Highly recommended.

T.

I've heard the one your run across the forehead works the best but I have an ear thermometer I think works pretty good. I no longer trust the underarm type. I've recently had my daughter in the hospital with Kidney infection which caused a high fever. When we brought her in the ER, she was burning up. At home I got a reading of 105.4, at the ER they got 99. I made them take her temperature again becuase you could feel she was buring up,(the main reason we were rushing her to the ER) they got 105 using a rectal thermometer. The following evening, in the hospital, I buzzed for the nurse because she was burning up. Again they got a normal reading under the arm and again I made them redo it which resulted in 104. For some reason as we were running out the door on the way to the ER I threw my ear thermometer in my purse. From that point on I checked her myself also. There were at least 2 other times during our stay that they would get a normal reading and I had to make them take it again and it would show she had a fever. I've talked to a couple of my friends who are nurses since and they say it can be difficult to get an accurate reading on a small child under the arm. You have to hit just the right spot. I would highly recommend you stay away from the underarm type.

We have the temporal (forehead) themrmometer and like it, but we do take it at least 2 or 3 times in a row and take the highest reading. But it only takes seconds per reading. Last time she was sick, hubby took it and he said it was normal and I took it and it was about 101, so you have to be careful how you use it...push button when it's in contact with head etc. It's harder than it seems to keep the probe flat against the head all the way across the forehead and to above the ear (but my kid's not one to stay still) plus a sweaty (feverish) head will change the reading. I do like it better than anything else I've tried though (the only one that my daughter will tolerate...most of the time). I got mine at Walgreens but recently saw it at Walmart and it seemed significantly cheaper but I can't give you specifics. Also check the product's website because I found a rebate there. I recently saw the one someone mentioned that is touchless and wished it saw it before we bought the one we have. It is more expensive and I don't know too much about it, but I think the package said you can also use it to check room temp etc.

I have the thermometer you put in the ear and it works great for my 2 year old, however the tip is too big for it to fit in my 3 month old's ear...If the one that goes on the forehead is accurate, I would shoot for that! :)

I have one of the ear kinds, it works really fast and my daughter (2) doesn't mind it too much.

I found some thermomators that are stick on. You can place it anywhere on their body and it tells you what their temp is. I really like them because when you need a temperature reading you don't have to wake the little one up. I have a 3 year old and a 7 month old and have had to use them on both children. I placed the sticker on my littlest one's temple and on the older one's back (that way he couldn't peel it off). Another plus is that they will stay on for 48 hours and you can bath them with it on. They are heart shaped. I can't remember who makes them for the life of me but I did purchase them at Walgreens. They were on the isle with all the baby stuff. I think I paid 7 bucks for them and there are 6 to a box. I think it's a better way to go money wise. The one that you just move across their forhead is really expensive. Anyway, I hope this helps!

-K.

I, too, am a nurse although retired. I have found that the digital ear thermometers work well. Placement is the key to getting an accurate read. When the kids find out it is not going to hurt or that it isn't going to be held under their arm forever, they generally accept it well. I am sure if you are working part time you have used them before and know how to get an accurate read. If you introduce it to the cheld when they are not ill and make kind of a game out of it, when they are sick it will be much easier to do. J. B

Monica, I have a thermometer that you put up to your childs head, you don't even have to touch them a red light shines and in 2 seconds you have their temp. I love it because I can use it when they are sleeping without the risk of waking them up. It costs $120.00 but is worth it.

Monica,

I just happened to have my thermometer on my desk...I bought a Exergen Temporal Scanner either @ WalMart or Walgreens about 3 years ago.I really like it and it's easy.. The one and only thing I wish it did have is a back light..It's hard to do in the dark..They might have a back light by now though...

digital or the forehead strip thermometer both work best...

I got one that you put on the forhead and it is real good. I got it at walgreen.

hi M., I am a grandmomwho takes care of two grandkids,we have the kind you rub on their fore heads and it works really great we got it at Wal-Mart.so good luck we like ours

My sister is a nurse also. When she was working at Children's Mercy, she recommended the temporal lobe thermometer to me (the one you scan over the forehead). It is around $40-50 but I think it's worth it to have a thermometer you feel you can trust and that is relatively easy to use. And it is definitely fast! Also I think it does run a degree high in general.

Monica,

They have thermometers in the infant secton at Wal-mart its made like a pacifier this worked great with my son when he was a new born. I think that could work for you. They are like 5 or 6 bucks and its digital. I forget the brand I think its safety or something I can't remember. Or the more expensive route is an ear themometer its like 30 bucks and up. Hope this helps!

Blessings,

E.

I have an inexpensive "Vick's" thermometer (mostly white, blue top, gold tip). It's $9.99 at Walgreens. It reads the temp in 10 secs, if I recall. It works well. Vick's has several options--be sure to buy a "spead read" one.