Best baby thermometer for 2021 – CNET [CNET]

Having the ability to quickly and accurately check your baby’s temperature is critical in normal times, but it’s become even more important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A fever can be a symptom of many different illnesses, from the common cold to an ear infection to more serious diseases like meningitis or COVID-19. The sooner you identify your child has a fever, the sooner you can contact your pediatrician and figure out the cause. It’s for this reason that every parent should have a reliable thermometer at the ready.

But there’s a lot to consider when choosing a baby thermometer for accurate temperature measurement. For example, you can take temperature readings from several points on the body, including the mouth, armpit, rectum, baby’s ear and forehead. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends taking a child’s temperature rectally, as this will give you the most accurate measurement of internal body temperature. However, sticking a thermometer in your baby’s butt isn’t always the most convenient method, let alone the most pleasant (for child or parent). With that in mind, it’s nice to have options — and options there are aplenty. 

To give you a comprehensive look at the baby thermometer market, I sampled a wide variety of temperature-takers and tested them on myself, my 10-month-old daughter and my 3-year-old son. Any of the picks on this list will work, but some are better than others. Keep reading for the best baby thermometers of 2021. 

How I tested

I looked at the most highly rated thermometers online and chose a sampling of products from each category to test. Not every thermometer I tested made the list. I evaluated each product for ease of use, overall build quality, value for the money and temperature measuring consistency. That last criteria is important, because it’s not quite the same as testing for accuracy. In a laboratory setting, you have more control over variables and can test accuracy by measuring against something with a temperature that is precisely known (a black-body device is one example). I don’t have any of those things, so instead I tested each thermometer inside my air-conditioned house on either myself or my kids and looked for major fluctuations from one reading to the next. 

Which type of thermometer is the most accurate?

Each method for measuring temperature will yield slightly different results. As we touched on above, a rectal thermometer will give you the best idea of internal body temperature because you’re measuring from directly inside the body. Given that, rectal temperature will be 0.5° to 1.0° F higher than oral temperature, according to the Mount Sinai network of hospitals. Ear (or tympanic) temperature will also be 0.5° to 1.0° higher than oral temperature. Meanwhile, external measuring methods like from the armpit or forehead tend to indicate 0.5° to 1.0° lower than an oral reading. 

So how do you account for those differences? First, it’s important you follow the instructions provided with your thermometer. You won’t get a good reading if you’re using it incorrectly. Second, you should know what a normal temperature looks like for your child. The average normal body temperature is 98.6°F, but a child’s temperature can vary by one or two degrees based on age, time of day, level of activity and other factors. As such, taking regular temperature checks when your child is healthy will help you establish a good baseline for what normal is for them. If you suspect a fever but aren’t seeing 100.4° on your thermometer, you can look at a chart like this one from C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital to see what you might get if you measured by a different method. 

At the end of the day, the best thermometer for you is going to be the one you know how to use and will be comfortable using on a regular basis. By using it regularly, you’ll know that particular instrument better than anyone else, so if it measures a little bit high or low you’ll be able to take that into consideration. Whichever type you go with, make sure to tell your doctor what kind of thermometer you used when you tell them your child registered a fever. 

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