This post is sponsored by Owlet, but all opinions are my own.
I’m so glad you stopped by! The month of September is Baby Safety Month, and a blog hop is going on throughout the month of September where each day one blogger has a post about a baby safety topic. If you didn’t have a chance yet, head over to The Salt Project to read Melinda’s baby safety article about creating an emergency kit for your baby. My family and I recently updated our 72-hour emergency kits for the whole family, and it gives me a peace of mind to know that if an emergency happens, we can grab our 72-hour back packs and run out the door. And tomorrow, head over to Lindsey from The R House to read about baby proofing your home with older siblings.
With today’s baby safety topic, I am working with Owlet to share tips on the best baby thermometers. As a mother of three kids, it is extremely important to me that I have a reliable thermometer. There have been countless nights where I have monitored my children when they were sick and had fevers, and I would wake up to check my child’s temperature once or twice an hour just to make sure it wasn’t too high. Luckily my children’s temperatures never reached a point that I had to run them to the emergency room. I’ve gone through multiple thermometers over the years and have found some that I really like.
With my first baby, I used the armpit thermometer. I don’t really like using the armpit thermometers because it takes too long to get a temperature reading. I would also have to hold my squirming and crying child tight against the arm to get a good read. And sometimes I would take it multiple times to make sure I had the thermometer in the correct location under the arm.
I’ve never used a rectal thermometer, and never had a desire to use one on my kids. I had a hard enough time keeping my kids still with the armpit thermometer. I doubt they would stay still if I used a rectal thermometer.
I like the ear and forehead thermometers best because they get the temperature readings more quickly. Today’s technology is amazing! I wish I would have had a thermometer that offered guidance on what steps I should take next with my sick child, because when I had my first child and she had her first fever, I called the doctor’s office crying asking if I should run her to the emergency room with a fever of 100 degrees. They asked how old she was and calmly said that I could bring her in to see the doctor if I wanted, but if I gave her some medicine it should reduce the fever. They said to watch the fever and if the medicine didn’t help and her fever temperature got higher then bring her in. I have since learned what to do when my kids have fevers and what temperature would be considered an emergency. If you are ever unsure about whether or not to take your child to the doctor because of a fever or sickness, I recommend that it’s always best to be on the safe side and go and ask a doctor.
After researching thermometers, below are seven of the best baby thermometers on the market. Some are budget friendly and some have amazing technology integration.
Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer – $49.99 – The Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer takes an accurate read in one second at the push of a button. It also connects to your phone via bluetooth, tracks the health history of your whole family and offers guidance on next steps to take with the child that is sick. It has an easy-clean tip and no probe covers required.
Braun Ear Thermometer – $34.64 – The Braun Ear Thermometer has a pre-warmed tip that provides a more accurate reading. It also has a guidance system that provides visual and audio cues to help position it correctly. Its memory function recalls the last temperature reading. This thermometer is rated as one of the best on the market right now.
Innovo Forehead and Ear Thermometer (Dual Mode) – $35.99 – The Innovo Forehead and Ear Thermometer provides both forehead and ear temperature readings with infra-red technology. Press F1 for forehead temperature and F2 for ear temperature. The results will be displayed on the screen instantly and can store up to 20 readings.
MeasuPro No Touch Digital Forehead Thermometer – $34.99 – This MeasuPro Thermometer has two baby safe LED lights that line up when the thermometer is placed in the correct position. It has a forehead mode to measure body temperature and a surface mode to measure the surface temperature of an object. The memory recall stores up to 25 readings of body temperature.
Firhealth Non Contact Infrared Digital Forehead Thermometer – $32.99 – The Firhealth Non Contact Infrared Digital Forehead Thermometer uses an infrared scanner to read forehead or object temperature within seconds with no contact required. It has a back lit LCD screen to easily check temperatures in the dark bedroom at night.
FDA Fast 10 Sec Reading Digital Medical Thermometer for Oral, Rectal, Axillary Armpit Underarm Body Temperature – $13.77 – For those of you who need a thermometer that is more budget friendly, yet reliable, this FDA Fast 10 Sec Reading Digital Medical Thermometer is a good option. The results are available in as little as 10 seconds (but the results are better after longer testing times) and can be taken from three locations: oral, rectal or underarm. It has a soft, flexible tip and a waterproof design for easy cleaning and sanitizing.
Clinical Digital Thermometer – $14.90 – The Clinical Digital Thermometer is also a budget-friendly option and can read and monitor fever temperature in 15 seconds from oral, rectal or underarm. The results are displayed much more quickly than many competitors. This thermometer also has a flexible tip and waterproof design.
Owlet has a giveaway where you can win one of the following prizes: a Burley Solstice Jogger ($399.99 value), an Owlet Baby Monitor ($249.99 value), an EvenFlo SensorSafe Car Seat ($149 value), and a Kinsa Smart Ear Thermometer ($49.99 value). That’s $850 in prizes! The giveaway ends soon, so hurry and enter! Just use the Rafflecopter form below to enter the giveaway.
ABOUT OWLET
Owlet Baby Care, Inc. was founded in 2013 by a team of passionate parents who wanted to bring themselves—and other parents around the globe—peace of mind and assurance by developing a monitor that tracks a baby’s breathing and heart rate. Using pulse oximetry, the same technology used in hospitals, the Owlet Smart Sock is designed to send alerts to the Base Station and via Wi-Fi to a smartphone, if a baby stops breathing while sleeping. Learn more by visiting OwletCare.com.
Rectal thermometers are the most accurate way to check a child’s temperature. You might cringe at the thought, and yes, they are uncomfortable, but they are vital for checking the temperature of infants. If you buy one of these, look for one that has a flexible tip and a wide base; these features prevent you from inserting the thermometer too far, which is dangerous.