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AIBU to ask for your help with different thermometer readings please?

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Bellasblankexpression · 18/06/2021 12:22

Got to monitor 18 month olds temp as it’s running high consistently and nursery keep sending him home (have another thread about that)

I am using braun in ear and so are nursery.
They keep getting readings of 37.8 even when he appears fine and not feverish but forehead feels a bit hot - he’s a hot kid anyway

I’m now taking it throughout the day to find a baseline but today DH did one of them and used a different thermometer, also in-ear but a forehead one as well.

We’ve got vastly different readings. To drive ourselves mad further we then thought we would try the underarm to see if any two thermometers have a consistent reading so we could trust that, but that’s different too!

Braun in ear 37.8
Underarm 36.8
Forehead 36.6
Other in-ear thermometer 36.9

I know it’s madness to use so many but we are trying to work out if the braun is reading higher, and which one is most reliable to use to find his baseline so I can then speak to nursery about it again.

What would you trust? Braun gets best reviews but I’ve also seen quite a few that say it gives higher readings.

It reads me and DH slightly higher than the others do too, but not as significantly higher as it does for DS.

I hate this pandemic , I always go by feel but nursery are temping them if they’re even slightly warm to touch

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MadeOfStarStuff · 18/06/2021 12:28

Not sure which one is more reliable but using the same one of nursery will be the most consistent. And if that’s what they use, it’s surely better to know what his baseline is with that type/brand so they can compare it.

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Boo2012 · 18/06/2021 12:29

Not much help but my son has always read high with in a braun ear thermometer! He also has a naturally higher than average body temperature (his average is 37.5) so you can imagine how fun that is. Thankfully they don't check often at school. For DS you can really tell when he actually has a fever without a thermometer though. He goes very hot, clammy and lethargic. He is autistic, often hyper and a temperature often calms him down. Thankfully he doesn't get ill often.

I ditched out Braun ear thermometer, the readings were high and different readings within minutes.

I use a forehead thermometer now. Most places use them now for contact free temperature checks! I find the readings much more consistent and the same with a forehead.

I am surprised they are using an ear one in nursery. Would be so much easier to use a forehead one. Where there's no caps to change and fiddly ears!

But yes our braun one definitely did read high!

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LakeShoreD · 18/06/2021 12:32

We had a similar situation with nursery where they were getting high readings on DD, sending her home for 3 days, but we could never replicate the result and she always seemed fine. It sounds a bit drastic but we ended up having a meeting with them where they agreed to take temp in both ears, with 2 different thermometers and repeat after 5 minutes if the reading was high. Funnily enough we never got another call after that. I didn’t think to ask about the brand of thermometer but the calls were always after nap time so she was probably grumpy from being woken (they always had to wake her), and she sleeps on her side so I think the ear was hot from being slept on. In your case I’d be tempted to trust the 3 readings that are in line with each other, rather than the 1 that is considerably higher (the Braun in ear). Can you get a medical grade under arm one, we have one because DS is in a study, and ask nursery to use that instead?

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Bellasblankexpression · 18/06/2021 12:41

Thanks for advice. He does run warm anyway he is always warm and generally heats up a little when he’s tired or just after his eaten.

I didn’t think to ask when they are taking it.

The braun is a new one, they were previously using a forehead and we never had an issue :(

He’s had fevers before and was absolutely boiling to touch and obviously unwell, so I’ve just presumed he’s a hot boy - I’ve spoken to the doctor about it previously as it generally started after he had a virus and apparently it’s very common to have this running high temp for quite a while when they are young after a virus. Or as GP said this could just be his normal.

I don’t think it would be a problem so much if it wasn’t for Covid.

I just did it again and now Braun is saying 38, 37.9, 37.8 whereas forehead one and other in ear is being consistent with a 36.7 reading

Could teething make a difference? His head gets very hot when he’s teething while the rest of him just stays warm

If we can’t work it out with nursery we are going to have to pull him out because it’s costing a fortune and he keeps being sent home!