Articles Comments

Keco Urdu Daily News at your desktop

MediArticles » Kids Medication » Normal Temperature For A CHild

Normal Temperature For A CHild

November 5th, 2009 | Add a Comment

What is the normal temperature for a child?

If you take the temperature in your child’s mouth or from the ear, the normal temperature is 36-36.8ºC (97.7-99.1ºF).

Thermometers

Traditional mercury thermometers are being phased out although many are still around. Mercury is a highly toxic substance if taken into the body, which can be done through skin contact, breathing in the vapour or swallowing it.

All these risks can apply to the fragile glass thermometer if it is broken, for example by a child biting it.

If you have a mercury thermometer, check with your local council how to dispose of it safely.

Modern probe-type digital thermometers are quicker to use, more reliable and are much safer if bitten.

Taking a child’s temperature

A body temperature reading can be taken from the mouth, armpit, ear, skin surface or the rectum.

Although a rectal temperature reading is the most accurate and is quite often used in hospital it is not necessary to be so precise when taking temperature readings at home. Rectal temperature reading is therefore not recommended for home use.

Rectal temperatures are the closest to ‘core’ temperature and are about 0.5ºC (2ºF) higher than readings taken from the mouth or ear.

Temperature readings from the armpit are not very reliable and are about 0.5ºC lower than mouth temperature.

Thermometer strips that are placed on the child’s forehead are popular and give a rough guide.

Most of the time the exact level of a child’s temperature is not particularly important, unless it is very high (39ºC or over).

In practical terms the temperature reading will be enough to give an indication of whether a fever is present.

Ear temperature

If you are willing to pay for an ear thermometer, this is a very quick method and will give a read-out in seconds. Ear thermometers rely on measuring infrared (heat) radiation from the eardrum.

Other types of thermometer (such as the probe type) are not suitable for taking ear readings and must never be placed within the ear canal.

Some ear thermometers are adjustable so they can be made suitable for adults or children.

  • To get a reliable temperature measurement, the thermometer must be used exactly as directed.
  • When you buy the thermometer, ask the salesperson how to use it, and read the instructions carefully before you start.
  • Especially with small children, ear thermometers require a steady hand to find the right spot.
  • The ear canal has a natural curve, so to ensure that the thermometer is pointing towards the eardrum it may be necessary to pull the top part of your child’s ear gently upwards during the reading.
  • If your child has been lying with their head on a warm pillow, or has just come inside out of the cold, you will need to wait 10 to 15 minutes before the ear can provide an accurate measurement of body temperature.

Under the armpit

This method is not good for small children, since they will not stay still for long enough.

  • With children old enough to co-operate and keep still you need to keep the thermometer under their armpit for at least 5 minutes.

From the mouth

This method is not suitable for a young child, because they may bite the thermometer and break it.

  • The thermometer is placed in the mouth, under the tongue.
  • It will take two to three minutes to measure the temperature accurately.
  • If your child has just eaten anything hot or cold, you will need to wait 10 minutes before an accurate temperature can be taken.

Written by Aliz Was

I'm Aliz Was, livin in Atlanta, just spending my life......... I like to do social things to see others n myself happy......... n right now I'm here to help others in their health problems........ ask me if wanna know anything abt medical things or anything like this..... do visit always mediarticles.com n check more helping sites in it :-)

Filed under: Kids Medication · Tags: , , , , ,

Leave a Reply