About Baby Thermometers

A thermometer by definition is an instrument for measuring temperatures. Thus a baby thermometer is one specially designed for use on babies. The most common type uses a glass tube bulb and a liquid located inside the bulb that is either mercury or colored alcohol. This liquid expands or contracts, making the level appear to rise or fall in the tube with the changing of the temperature around it.

History

Their inventors called the first thermometers thermoscopes. Galileo invented the first very simple thermoscope in 1593. It was used for measuring water temperatures and had no markings for measuring the actual temperature. Galileo's thermoscope only showed the changes in the surrounding temperature. Later, Santorio Santorio was the first inventor to put a number scale onto the device. In 1709, Gabriel Fahrenheit created the first alcohol thermometer, and in 1714, he created the mercury thermometer. As time went on, baby thermometers were perfected for use on infants and small children.

Features

Thermometers measure in two different temperature grades. One, called Fahrenheit after the inventor, measures on a scale of 32 degrees F, which is the freezing point, and 212 degrees F, which is the boiling point. The second is called Celsius, also known as centigrade. The scale ranges from 0 degrees C at its freezing point to 100 degrees C at its boiling point.

Types

Baby thermometers come in several types, all designed to make taking a baby's temperature a comfortable experience. Pacifier thermometers are the most popular, while ear and temple thermometers are non-evasive. All are digital and take a quick reading.

Significance

Any parent with a fussy child can attest to how difficult it is to get a small child or infant to sit still for a regular thermometer reading. Baby thermometers thus provide a way to get the reading without causing even more discomfort to an already sick child.

Warning

Though mercury thermometers have been the most common type of thermometer for over 200 years, they are now being phased out. Mercury is considered a hazardous material, and is costly to dispose of properly. There isn't enough mercury in a thermometer to harm children just by use. However, if one should break, it could be very hazardous for a child. American doctors are urging parents to err on the side of caution, and suggest that parents use digital baby thermometers.