pediatric housecalls Robert R. Jarrett M.D. M.B.A. FAAP

How to Take A Temperature: Child

Taking the temperature of an older child may be made more confusing by all the gadgetry available these days. When a child is five they are usually skilled enough to hold something in their mouth without biting on it so the oral method can be added to the rectal and axillary methods used on infants. Rectal is still the most accurate, oral is next best if they haven’t eaten or drunk anything in a half-hour and axillary is the worst of all. Here’s a video about it.