“Fever is something we need to evaluate in a baby under 2 months because their immune systems are more delicate, and they don’t have a developed blood-brain barrier that basically keeps things separate from the blood and separate from the brain,” Mona Amin, DO, a board-certified general pediatrician based in Florida and member of Buybuy Baby’s Parenting Pros, tells Verywell Family. “So we want to make sure that there’s no infection that’s coming into the blood or brain.” The best baby thermometers offer easy setup and use, a simple reading display, and quick response time. To help you narrow down your choice, we researched, reviewed, and tested a variety of thermometers on our own children. Of everything we tested, here are the best baby thermometers to get you started. Parents and caregivers will appreciate the thermometer’s quick response time, with results showing up in less than five seconds. We rated the Kinsa Smart thermometer a 5 out of 5 for its ease of use because, despite requiring an app, it was incredibly intuitive. When the thermometer is done reading a temperature, it alerts you by making a beeping sound. Plus, the tip is flexible and soft, making it more comfortable for everyone in the family, no matter how small. (Note: Once a thermometer has been used rectally, it should only be used rectally.) Price at time of publication: $25 Price at time of publication: $19 Price at time of publication: $30 Price at time of publication: $70 Price at time of publication: $15 Price at time of publication: $10 4.5 to 4.7 stars: These baby thermometers are excellent—they might have minor flaws, but we still recommend them. 4.0 to 4.5 stars: We think these are great baby thermometers, but others are better. 3.5 to 3.9 stars: These baby thermometers are just average. 3.4 and below: We don’t recommend baby thermometers with this rating; you won’t find any on our list. Once we narrowed down our options, we put more than 10 baby thermometers through our testing regimen, evaluating packaging, how fast the thermometer responded, consistency between readings, durability via drop testing, and maintenance. We tested each thermometer twice on two different children, an infant and a tween. We spent hours testing the thermometers, scoring each product on a scale of one to five in these categories: ease of setup, response time, data readability and storage, accuracy/consistency, durability and ease of cleaning, and overall value.
What to Look For in a Baby Thermometer
As much as we all want to buy a thermometer that’s accurate and easy to use, we should remember that it’s not the most important tool in determining whether a baby is sick. That is actually our power of observation. “In the end, what’s most important in a fever in a child over 3 months is how the child is acting. So being off a degree here in there with the type of thermometer is not a big issue,” Mona Amin, DO, a board-certified general pediatrician based in Florida and member of Buybuy Baby’s Parenting Pros. “If the child is miserable, dehydrated, or having difficulty breathing and feeling warm to a caregiver; we want to evaluate them.” That said, here’s how to choose the thermometer that’s right for your family.
Types of Baby Thermometers
Thermometers are classified based on where you place them to take the temperature.
Oral: An oral thermometer is one that’s placed directly under the tongue. This type of thermometer is easy to use, but it’s best for older children (4 years and up, per the American Academy of Pediatrics) and adults. As long as the mouth stays closed around the thermometer, the result should be accurate. This can be hard for smaller children to do, so you’ll want to keep that in mind.Rectal: Taking a baby’s temperature rectally will give you the most accurate results, especially for infants under the age of 3 months. While this method is challenging, it’s recommended by doctors. “These are the most accurate for a child who won’t keep a thermometer under their tongue. It gives the best ‘core-reading of the temperature.’ Unlike ear and forehead thermometers, it can’t be influenced by warmth on the surface of the skin such as laying down on one side,” Dr. Amin says. (Clearly mark your rectal thermometer to make sure it is never used in another way.)Armpit: Technically referred to as axillary thermometers, these resemble the design of oral thermometers and are easy to use. “These usually come all-in-one with the rectal thermometer. These are great ways to check a temperature for a child who is cooperative and can stay still for an axillary temperature or keep the thermometer under their tongue for an oral temperature,” Dr. Amin says. Armpit measures give you an idea if a fever is present, but isn’t considered the most accurate. Ear and forehead: Ear and forehead thermometers are often packaged as a two-for-one deal. Typically, you use it with a cap for taking temporal (forehead) temperatures and remove the cap to take tympanic (ear) temperatures. Dr. Amin says these are great options for kiddos, but she recommends waiting until the child is over 3 years old. “[Their temperatures] can be falsely high if the child is laying on one side, so for best accuracy, it would be a digital rectal thermometer,” she explains.Non-contact thermometers: Used often in school nurses’ offices (and so many other settings during the pandemic) because they reduce the spread of germs when used by multiple people, these thermometers use infrared technology to read temperatures on the forehead or ear. Though the AAP says they are fine to use on children of all ages, when we tested out some of the non-contact temporal thermometers, we got readings that were much less consistent than our top picks.
Ease of Use
At times, taking a baby’s temperature can be similar to changing a diaper: difficult. Babies move a lot, so finding a thermometer that’s easy to use for both you and your baby is key. Most electronic thermometers make things easier on the user with features such as a beeping when the temperature has been taken. Some take only one push of a button to activate. These small details may not seem like much, but when you have a sick kiddo, they mean you can get back to the business of comforting them sooner. Design also plays a large role in how easy a thermometer is to use. For example, if you plan on taking a baby’s temperature rectally, you’ll want a smaller thermometer to hold. For an ear and forehead thermometer, an ergonomic hold will likely feel most comfortable. Additionally, if any pieces need to be taken off, you’ll want to ensure removal and attachment are simple and that parts are easy to store so they aren’t lost.
Response Time
Whether you’re taking your own temperature or your baby’s, no one wants to wait for a thermometer reading to show up. Many parents and caregivers prefer a thermometer with a quick response time when caring for a sick baby. Before you make your final decision, check the thermometer’s response time. Typically, thermometer readings can take anywhere from one to 10 seconds, or possibly longer, to show up. Fevers can be scary for parents and caregivers, so while 10 seconds may not sound like a lot, it can feel like forever if you have to wait.
Data Readability and Storage
It’s no secret technology has taken over many aspects of our lives, and thermometers are no exception. For parents and caregivers wanting to track a baby’s temperature, some thermometers have the capability to connect to an app to record temperatures and symptoms for future reference and conversations with a doctor. If an app isn’t your thing, don’t panic. Many other thermometers on the market are designed to store temperature readings without the need for an app. Those can generally hold a certain amount of readings until it becomes full or readings need to be deleted.
Additional Features
Color-coding fever alerts, emojis, backlit displays, and other additional features come in handy for families, though they aren’t all necessary. For families who travel often, check to see if the thermometer includes a storage bag for simple portability. An app can help you see any trends in baby’s temperature, while a backlit display comes in handy during middle-of-the-night changes or thermometer readings.
Why Trust Verywell Family
Katrina Cossey has been a digital content producer and news and feature writer for more than six years. She has covered topics ranging from local and national news as well as writing and researching parenting content. Katrina is a parent herself and owns the iProven Digital Thermometer. She loves the color-coded warning system for fevers, but has trouble getting an accurate reading on her always-moving toddler. “It is a digital thermometer and registers the temperature quickly. I always have two in my house; just in case one stops working. To check a rectal temperature, put a little Vaseline on the tip and insert it into the rectum,” she recommends. But because some parents aren’t comfortable using the rectal method when their child is a toddler, Dr. Amin’s next recommendation would be a (contact) forehead thermometer for children over age 1. “[W]e know that a temperature above 100.4 is considered a fever in any person. By textbook, the average normal temperature is 98.6 degrees. But, that doesn’t mean that a temperature of 99 is a cause for concern. Babies’ temperatures can fluctuate throughout the day,” Dr. Amin clarifies. Babies under the age of 1 month with a confirmed fever may need to give a urine sample, bloodwork, or undergo a lumbar puncture to ensure a bacterial infection isn’t present, Dr. Amin says. “If they are showing any signs of congestion or cough, they may also need a viral swab to confirm if the cause is able to be a documented virus.” For babies over the age of 1 month, talk to your child’s pediatrician or their staff. “They will want to know what symptoms your baby has, any sick contacts, how they are feeding, and how many wet diapers they are making,” Dr. Amin says. “If they’re doing well, they will ask you to come in at the next available appointment or give you some things to monitor.” Fevers present for more than five days, even if the baby acts well, should be evaluated by a doctor, Dr. Amin recommends. “Overall, it’s how your baby is appearing clinically that is more concerning than the number on the thermometer,” she says. “Having a good thermometer can be helpful for monitoring the duration of a fever, but we are more concerned with how your child is acting than the number.”
