Hold the thermometer in the same spot for about 40 seconds. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Symptoms of high fevers (103–106°F or 39.4–41.1°C) often include hallucinations, confusion, severe irritability and convulsions — they are considered medical emergencies and you should seek emergency care immediately. Some research suggests that temporal artery thermometers are also good options for newborns due to accuracy and reproducibility. Do you know what's inside a thermometer? Usually, the thermometer will make a beeping noise when the final reading is done (usually about 30 seconds). Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals Although most digital thermometers function in generally the same way, you want to make sure you understand how to use your specific instrument perfectly. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. The key is to not hold the thermometer in your hands because your hands will warm it up and give a skewed reading. You can hang the thermometer inside or outside. Hang the thermometer from a hook to find out the air temperature. They are the fastest and probably the easiest thermometers to use. Fevers are reflective of an increase in your body temperature. [1] Although many thermometers now have a digital reading, quite a few people have glass thermometers in their homes, and some facilities use glass thermometers in certain circumstances. Temporal Thermometer Use . It's difficult to get readings in the 1/10 of degrees because the liquid crystals tend to show a range of temperature when they change color. The spheres in the thermometer take a few minutes to float to the correct places. There may be an on/off button, but you won't typically have to "activate" anything. This temperature reading process takes a lot longer than a good digital meat thermometer, which can usually read the temperature in a few seconds. * Short lines indicate 0.2 degree. She received her MD from Georgetown University in 2015. If I remove the plastic sleeve does it affect the reading for tympanic thermometers? She received her MD from Georgetown University in 2015. You can hang the thermometer inside or outside. If you're taking an oral reading, place the thermometer at the back of your mouth, under your tongue, and close your mouth. Read the directions included with the thermometer carefully. It's called mercury. Digital ear thermometers are often considered the quickest, easiest, and least messy way of taking body temperatures. The left thermometer shows a very cold day. Some thermometers will beep when they have found your temperature. Ear infections are common and occur with regular frequency in newborns and toddlers, which affect the readings of infrared ear thermometers due to inflammation within the ear. There should be a tiny screen near the piece you use to take the temperature. Prepare students of grade 1 through grade 4 to read temperatures on Celsius and Fahrenheit scales from a large variety of temperatures recorded on our distinctly designed thermometers ranging from 0° to 50°, 0° to 100°, -50° to 50°, and a combo of Celsius and Fahrenheit scales. Go beyond reading books with our printable reading a thermometer worksheets. For better accuracy, take readings from both armpits and then average the two temperatures together. Earwax, ear infections, and small, curved ear canals interfere with the accuracy of ear thermometers (also called tympanic thermometers), so they are not the best types to use for newborns. And most importantly, a digital meat thermometer will give you an accurate reading at the probe’s tip, not over an area of inches. Mayo Clinic Mercury is toxic. How long do I keep the thermometer under my tongue? A beeping noise will start. Trustworthy Source Regular digital thermometers are pretty versatile and can record temperatures from the mouth (under the tongue), armpit, or rectum and are appropriate to use on newborns, toddlers, older children, and adults. These are more expensive, usually used in the hospital setting, and utilize infrared technology to obtain readings at the temporal region.