Digital Ear Thermometers - Why They Should Be Your First Choice in Thermometers

Are you old enough to remember having your temperature taken with one of those old mercury thermometers? Do you remember how awkward it was to sit there (for three whole minutes!), holding the glass tube under your tongue and trying not to wiggle around lest your temperature not be accurate? Even digital thermometers weren't a big improvement since you still had to sit still and wait for the beep.

Today's kids do not have to worry about that. Now, thanks to digital ear thermometers, taking a child's temperature only takes a couple of seconds (and doesn't involve their mouths or tongues at all).

This type of thermometer uses digital technology and thermal imaging to give parents and doctors an accurate temperature reading, and it does it in less than half a minute. All a parent has to do is gently insert the tip of the thermometer a little ways into the ear canal, push a button and wait for the beep!

The largest benefit of using an ear thermometer that is digital is of course the accuracy it provides. They are far more accurate than their older predecessors. Parents do not have to worry about trying to read a line of mercury or hoping that a malfunctioning battery isn't accidentally telling them that their child a fever (or hypothermia).

It is also healthier since germs are not transmitted as easily on a digital thermometer as they are on other types. A simple anti-bacterial wipe of the ear piece is usually all that is needed to keep it clean and sterile.

Perhaps the only drawback of digital ear thermometers are that kids cannot hold them up to light bulbs (or heaters) to raise the temperature reading on the thermometer to help them fake fevers and get out of going to school!