Temperature Under Arm Baby Fever
This measurement also known as axillary temperature tends to be about half a degree to a degree below oral temperature 1.
Temperature under arm baby fever. A digital thermometer can take an oral rectal or axillary temperature. It s also commonly used to check temperature in infants to 5 year olds because it s. You probably always heard that the average human body temperature is 98 6 f. If an axillary temperature does not show a fever but your child feels warm and seems unwell take a rectal measurement.
Your child has a fever if he or she. A systematic review published in april 2000 in bmj found that there was wide variation between axillary and rectal temperatures. Underarm temperature is considered the safest way to check the body temperature of children under 3 months old. It can be nearly 2 degrees lower than a rectal temperature which is the most accurate.
A baby s normal temperature can range from about 97 to 100 3 degrees fahrenheit. An armpit temperature is generally 1 degree lower than an oral temperature. Therefore normal axillary temperature would range between 97 6 degrees and 98 1 degrees fahrenheit 36 4 36 7 degrees celsius. Rectal temperatures are the gold standard for accurate measurement.
Has a rectal ear or temporal artery temperature of 100 4 f 38 c or higher has an oral temperature of 100 f 37 8 c or higher has an armpit temperature of 99 f 37 2 c or higher. Temperature taken under the arm usually is considered to be less accurate than most other body locations for measuring temperature. If your baby is younger than 3 months and you ve taken a rectal temperature of 100 4 f 38 c or higher call the doctor. But the reality is that a normal body temperature can fall within a wide range from 97 f to 99 f.
The armpit axillary method is usually used to check for fever in newborns and young children but it s not as accurate as a rectal temperature. Axillary or armpit temperature is the least accurate of the three. A common definition for fever using the rectal method is 100 4 f while for the axillary method it s 99 3 f.