Let’s begin by saying that I am a mother of two little girls, 2 years old and 6 months old. I am a nurse and was working in a local hospital until shortly after the birth of my youngest, 3 months ago.
Now, is there anything worse than a sick kid? I had the misfortune of my kids being sick last week; fever, stomach bug, the whole thing. Kids who don’t feel well are not fun kids. When your toddler is sick it makes your heart hurt. It makes you wish they were running through the house semi-naked, trailing toilet paper behind them – like they were just the day before.
I would spend about any amount or buy almost anything to make these moments easier. I think most parents would echo my sentiment.
When it comes to taking the temperature of a sick squirmy 6 month old, or any kid, there is no easy solution. Either the kid needs to sit with a thermometer in her armpit or mouth for what seems like an eternity, or you have to buy one of the unreliable ear thermometers. Then there’s the rectal thermometer… yah, I thought so.
Having worked in the hospital for a number of years I was exposed to the temporal artery thermometer. These take a patients arterial temperature with a simple, painless, swipe across the forehead. Literally in seconds. How great is it that this is now available for us at home?
Have you ever woken a sick, sleeping kid up to take their temperature? No more!
You can literally swipe your kid’s head and then be out of the room without them even noticing.
I was so grateful to have the Exergen Temporal Scanner last week when my kiddos were sick. I could swipe the head of one, and move on to the next, smoothly, without worrying about changing those oral thermometer probe covers.
Here are a few things to know about arterial temperature (normal temperature varies slightly based on age and according to the way you measure it.)
Normal Body Temperature Ranges at Various Measurement Sites:
- Axillary (armpit) 95.5 – 98.8°F (35.3 – 37.1°C)
- Rectal 97.7 – 100.3ºF (36.5 – 37.9°C)
- Arterial (This handy product) 97.4 -100.1°F (36.3 – 37.8°C)
- Oral 96.6 – 99.5ºF (35.9 – 37.5°C)
Remember, you should read the instruction manual to make sure you are performing the temperature reading correctly. (It’s super easy once you get it down, but it takes a minute). Oh, and DO NOT LET YOUR TWO YEAR OLD TOUCH IT- it’s super fun and she will quickly steal it for her ‘doctor kit’.
Overall, I highly recommend the Exergen TemporalScanner. This is a tool every parent needs in their medicine cabinet. It should be on every baby registry- a complete necessity in the parent arsenal.
EXERGEN TemporalScanner™ Temporal Artery Thermometer for consumers is available at: Wal-Mart, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Costco, Toys-R-Us, Babies-R-Us, and other retailers. I found it on Amazon.com for only $35.99 +free shipping from Exergen.
:: Giveaway ::