Rectal thermometer...

Okay....I'm almost embarassed to ask but how do I do this? It sounds ridiculous because I have four kids but I've just never been able to bring myself to do it. I called the dr.'s office this morning and they said if Keegan's fever gets beyond 100.5 rectally to get him in. So I have to go buy one and take his temp this afternoon and I'm dreading it!!! What's the easiest way? If I try to just lay him on his tummy he's going to start trying to crawl again. He rarely sits still.

Lay him across your lap or if you have someone else hold him on their chest/head on the shoulder while standing and then you can stick it in that way. It doesn't have to go far. I find having someone else hold him up on their chest while standing works the best.

Sorry to hear you have to do that - I prefer under the arm or the ear thermometers.

Good Luck

I don't know..I still have nightmares of rectal thermomoters! i remember once when I was like 4, I went with my mom to take my baby brother to the dr b/c he had an ear infection. They used a rectal therm on him. I vividly recall telling myself I would NEVER tell my mom that I had a ear infection..for fear they'd use one on me! LOL
and I remember suffering through several in silence!

I personally have never used one, but at a dr's'appt once when Cameon was very little they used one and they laid him on his back and held his feet up toward his head liek they were changing a diaper and inserted it that way. They used vaseline on it and only inserted int about 1/2 inch.. hope that helps... I would just take it under the arm and add one degree it's about as close as you can get to the actual internal temp without going internal.

This post has been edited by cam&kat's_mom on Apr 21 2005, 11:53 AM

yup, this is how I've done it too. they make them with a safety thing so it does't go in too far

good luck! hope he is better soon

yuck! i can't do it that way either and cringed when they have done it in the hospital. they did the feet in the air thing too. i am scarred by that stuff because Jacob could never take meds orally as a baby, so if he was sick we had to use abenol... tylenol suppositories . horrible!!

I just layed him on his back--like a diaper change as well--a little vaseline does help. It's not that bad--Jack didn't cry a bit. It onlt goes in a tiny bit.. Our thermometer reads in 10 seconds.

I have never used one either.

Did you take his temp? How is he feeling? I hope he is feeling better soon.

Well, I chickened out. Couldn't do it. Just did under the arm. He quit throwing up by noonish the next day and his temp went down so he must have just had a 24 hour thing. We are still getting some explosive diapers but only 1 or 2 a day.

The good thing that came out of it is his mouth, when he was upset, got into perfect "ma" shape and he is now saying "ma ma ma" a lot. It is soooo cute.

Awww that is so sweet!

I'm glad he's feeling better!

Glad he is feelign a little better.

That is sooo sweet about ma ma! I bet he just wanted you to know how much he appreciates that you are there to take care of him!