Savvy Toddler Mom

It’s been a rough week so far.  The toot woke up Sunday night at 1am (think: night of sleep before the grueling work week begins) with a fever of 102.4.  Ouch.  It was a long night.  You know how it goes… you distribute the Tylenol and ibuprofen and hope it starts to come down.  He was a bit better in the morning, but by evening was totally lethargic and I was worried.  So, we took him to the KidsCare, etc., etc.  We think it’s just a virus, so I’m just watching him carefully.  [7/1/07 Edit: It turned out he had roseola, a virus that children 6 months-3 years typically catch.  For the toot, it was a 4-day fever of 103.5 degrees that came down with medication, followed by an all-over-the-body rash for 4 days.  The rash is harmless - not itchy or anything.  The biggest concern with roseola (I understand) is to manage the fever appropriately.]

Side note: they did a strep test on him… did you know that makes a lot of kids throw up?  I didn’t.  My husband was the one holding the toot, though… unfortunately.  Unfortunately for HIM.  Sorry, hon.

Anyway, getting to the point… to keep a close eye on his fever, you need to take his temperature, right?  Well, up until now, we have simply had a rectal thermometer.  On the way home from the KidsCare, though, I insisted we stop at the store and get an ear thermometer.  I was done.  I wasn’t about to put my son through the discomfort of rectal readings at the frequency I decided I needed them.

I can say only this: I wish I had bought one a year and a half ago.  If you don’t have one, go get one.  They are worth every penny.

I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t use them on children under 1 — their ear canals aren’t big enough.

I picked up one made by Braun (the best choice I had from those at the local store).  I don’t know about any others, but this one seems to do the trick.  Only takes one second and so easy, the toot has already figured out how to do it himself.  He also added “temperature” to his vocabulary on Monday.

I was telling my friend… Best Friend with No Name (BFNN?)… about it and she said she had the same one, and that she bought it at Costco.  The one I picked up was $49.99, but I’m betting you could find it for less without much trouble.

Another thought on Tylenol and ibuprofen: make sure you are giving your kids the right dosage for their weight.  I discovered that I should have been giving the toot the next dosage up because he sneaked over the weight range when I wasn’t looking.  It would work for a while, but then wear off WAY before I thought it should and that was why. 

Also, if you don’t want to call your doctor’s office to ask for the right dosage for your child’s weight, call your pharmacist.  I always call my brother-in-law who is a pharmacist.  LOL… I call him at his pharmacy in Colorado.