<s>[INST] What is the best way to take a child’s temperature? [/INST] For healthy babies under three months of age, it’s okay to use an armpit thermometer to quickly screen for a fever. A simple digital thermometer will work, and you may have gotten one from the hospital where you delivered. If a baby’s armpit temp is 99F degrees or higher, then a rectal temperature must be done to confirm your baby’s temperature. (Here’s a how-to video from Mount Sinai.) If the rectal temperature is 100.4F degrees or higher, call your pediatrician immediately or go to your nearest emergency room.

For kids over three months, an armpit thermometer remains a good option for screening. If the temperature is over 99F degrees, you can confirm a fever with a rectal or forehead (temporal artery) thermometer.

After six months of age, ear thermometers become an option, but can have some variability in accuracy. You’ll have the best chance of getting a correct temp by gently pulling your child’s ear up and back, while aiming the tip of the ear probe between the opposite eye and ear. Check both ears, and assume the higher temperature is correct.

Over the age of four years, an oral thermometer is thought to be the most accurate. Make sure your child has not consumed anything cold or hot for at least 15 minutes before taking a temperature. Ear and forehead thermometers are also great options for this age. Source: KC KIDS DOC. Link: https://kckidsdoc.substack.com/p/fever-a-quick-guide-for-parents. Field: Infectious Disease. Disease: Fever </s>