by Kimberly Smith

Created on: May 02, 2009

The normal adult human body temperature in 98.6. This range can be higher in infants and smaller children, as they tend to run a slightly higher temperature at these stages of life.

There are several ways and several tools used to measure the body's temperature. You can select the one that works best for you and your child or whomever you may be taking the temperature of.

One of the newest methods is the digital thermometers that are faster than mercury thermometers and seem simpler to use. They do not require any shaking down before taking a reading and they are considerably safer if bit, dropped or stepped on by accident. The most important thing to remember about digital thermometers is that they are battery operated and you will need to make sure you keep a fully charged battery install to get accurate readings.

Another method that has been used for ages is a rectal reading. This is usually done on infants and small children. The best way to approach a rectal temperature reading is to lay the child on their stomach across your lap, allowing their legs to dangle over the edge of your lap. With petroleum jelly lubricate the rectal thermometer. Gently insert the thermometer about " into the rectum. Hold it between two fingers and rest the palm of your hand on the child's bottom. Never leave a child unattended with a thermometer inserted into their rectum. Leave the thermometer inserted for 3 minutes. You will need to subtract 1 degree from the reading, as a rectal reading is generally a degree higher than an oral reading. Clean the thermometer thoroughly with warm water and soap after use.

To take an oral reading have the child sit or lay down as long as the thermometer is in their mouth. Gently insert the thermometer under the child's tongue as far as it will comfortably go. You or the child will need to hold the thermometer in place until the reading is complete. Do not allow the child to talk, breathe through their mouth or any other thing that would require them to open their mouth during the reading. You will not get an accurate reading if air is allowed to enter the mouth during the reading. It should take approximately 3 minutes to get an accurate reading. Make sure during the reading that the thermometer does not slip out of place. It should be pointing upwards at all times. If it is level or pointing downwards, it has slipped out of position and will need to be repositioned. This should be an accurate read without adding or subtracting in amounts from

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