With a baby or small child turn the child facedown on your lap or on a flat covered or padded surface such as a bed. Your child is younger than age 3 months and has a rectal temperature of 1004 F 38 C or higher.
The three best ways to measure body temperature are rectally orally or with a tympanic thermometer ear.
Rectal temperature baby. If a babys rectal or temporal artery temperature is 1004F 38C or higher call your babys healthcare provider. Find a Treatment Center Johns Hopkins Childrens Center. Call your babys healthcare provider if a babys rectal or forehead temperature is 1004F 38C or higher.
Tell him or her which method you used to take your childs temperature. In general contact your childs doctor if. Your child is younger than age 3 months and has a rectal temperature of 1004 F 38 C or higher.
Your child is age 3 to 6 months and has a temperature up to 102 F 389 C and seems unusually irritable lethargic or uncomfortable or has a temperature higher than 102 F 389 C. Rectal temperatures run higher than those taken in the mouth or armpit axilla because the rectum is warmer. The normal rectal temperature of a child is between 97 and 100 F 360 to 377 C.
What kind of thermometer is used to take a rectal temperature. A digital thermometer is used to take a rectal temperature. How to Take a Rectal Temperature in Your Baby Buy a digital rectal thermometer to use.
Place a thick slab of petroleum jelly on the base of the thermometer the end with the. If the armpit temperature is above 99 degrees double-check by taking a rectal temperature If your child is above 3 months and If youre looking for other ways to take your babys temperature. When taken with a rectal thermometer a babys normal temperature may be anywhere from 968F 36C in the morning to 1003F 379C late in the day.
A babys normal temperature can range from about 97 to 1003 degrees Fahrenheit. Most doctors consider a rectal temperature of 1004 F or higher as a fever. When to Call Your Doctor.
When you suspect that your baby has a fever take your babys temperature with a thermometer. A rectal temperature of more than 1004F 38C is. Call your pediatrician right away if your child.
Is 2 months old or younger with a rectal temperature of 1004 degrees Fahrenheit or higher or if fever rises above 104F 40C repeatedly at any age. Looks very ill is unusually drowsy or is very fussy. Some babies dont mind having their temperature taken rectally while others seem to hate it.
If your baby protests you might want to take her underarm axillary temperature first. If that reading is over 99 degrees Fahrenheit take her rectal temperature for a more precise and accurate result. A rectum temperature reading usually provides the most accurate information.
The ideal baby temperature depends on the method a person uses to take the temperature. The three best ways to measure body temperature are rectally orally or with a tympanic thermometer ear. 1 In infants under 3 months old only take a rectal temperature.
For older kids oral temperatures are fine as long as the child can hold the thermometer under his tongue. The normal newborn temperature usually refers to the rectal temperature because it offers a truer reflection of the babys basal body temperature. On average body temperature often hovers around the 986 degrees Fahrenheit mark.
However it can fluctuate and move to anywhere in the range of 968 to 1003 degrees Fahrenheit. When comparing oral temperatures with rectal temperatures the rectal temperature was on average 1. The results appear in seconds.
With a baby or small child turn the child facedown on your lap or on a flat covered or padded surface such as a bed. Never add or subtract numbers from the temperature regardless which way you take it.