Doctor Said to Throw it Out
Written: Jul 10 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: easy to use, easy to clean, easy to store
Cons: sometimes hard to see colors, does not seem accurate
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| shelleysuzanne's Full Review: Forehead Fever Thermometer |
When I called my doctor to report baby's fever, he wanted to know what kind of thermometer we used. He said he didn't trust readings from ear or forehead thermometers. He recommends taking a baby's temperature in the armpit with the inexpensive but hard-to-read glass thermometer.
The Gerber forehead thermometer insert says that the product is to be used for "temperature screening between uses of a glass oral or rectal thermometer." Reading further, the instructions say that, if the forehead thermometer registers above-normal temperature, "you should check its magnitude with a conventional glass thermometer." Another telling sentence in the insert warns that for children under two, this thermometer is useful to measure changes in temperature trends but "not as a true indication of internal temperature."
Using this thermometer is wonderfully easy--just stick the thing on baby's forehead for 15 seconds. The forehead must be dry, you must be indoors in a normal temperature room (60-80 degrees), and baby should have been sitting or lying down for at least five minutes beforehand.
Reading the results is a bit harder--I couldn't always tell if a color "lit up" or not. If a color corresponding with an above-normal temperature (95, 96.8, 98.6, 100.4, 102.2 and 104 degrees are the only choices on this thermometer) does light up, you are instructed to subtract one degree from the highest changed color.
I found that my baby nearly always registered in the 100.4 range, then when I took his temperature under the arm with a glass thermometer, I got a normal reading.
This thermometer is not to be used outdoors or stored in a car where extreme temperatures may damage it. It does come with a handy storage case and the instructions say that it may be stored in a "clean pocket or wallet." It may not be immersed in water, but it comes clean easily when wiped with a soft cloth or damp tissue.
The packaging states that this product "will last for thousands of uses." I doubt that I'll ever find out if Gerber can deliver on that promise. I loved the concept and hoped it would reduce the times I had to use a glass thermometer, but I end up having to take his temperature twice nearly every time I start with this forehead thermometer.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
shelleysuzanne
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Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 7 members
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