How Does a Baby Thermometer Work?
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Types of Baby Thermometers
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There are several different types of thermometers for babies and all work differently. Some are also more accurate than others. Thermometers for babies are made to be used orally, in the armpit, rectally, and in the ear. Each type has pros and cons, and which one you use may depend on your baby's temperament and on which type you are most comfortable using. Also, your doctor may recommend one type over another.
How Traditional Glass Thermometers Work
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Oral thermometers are glass tubes, the tip of which is placed under the tongue. They are filled with colored alcohol, formerly mercury until it was found to be poisonous. Alcohol expands when heated, so if the baby has a fever, the alcohol will rise up the tube. When it stops rising, that indicates the temperature the baby has. Although this type of thermometer is very accurate, it is very hard to hold it under a baby's tongue for the three minutes it takes to work properly. For that reason, many parents and doctors use digital ear thermometers instead.
These same glass thermometers can be placed under a child's armpit, but it must be held there for at least a minute and is not as accurate as the temperature reading taken from under the tongue. One should add 1 or 2 degrees to a reading taken from under the armpit. Finally, these thermometers can also be placed in the baby's bottom, about half an inch down. This method is also very accurate, but again, the baby must hold still for at least a minute.
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Digital and Ear Thermometers
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Digital thermometers use a tiny sensor that sends information to an equally tiny computer. The computer reads that information and displays a temperature reading on the digital readout. Digital thermometers have a metal tip that can be placed in the same areas as traditional thermometers. The sensor, located in that tip, will sense a rise in temperature and will send that information to the computer until the temperature stops rising. At that point, the computer calculates the temperature reading and displays it. The computer will beep when it stops sensing a rise in temperature, so you don't have to time how long to hold the thermometer. Simply remove it when it beeps.
Ear thermometers work by reading infrared radiation emissions from the eardrum. All humans emit infrared radiation, or heat energy. Ear thermometers pick up these emissions and use them to calculate the temperature of the body, much as a motion detector senses infrared emissions to detect intruders. Measuring this infrared radiation emitted from an eardrum is the easiest way to determine the temperature of a baby. The reading is almost instantaneous, so the baby only has to hold still for a moment.
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