Vicks Baby Rectal Thermometer

Update 5/5/2016: I'm bumping it up to 5 stars because it started working again, and now almost 5 years later the battery finally died. We kept the 2nd one Amazon sent us for our 2nd kid, and it has been working too. So this is a good thermometer, just don't wash it with a faucet, use wipes. Original 8/19/2011: I hated researching for a baby thermometer, spent way too much time on Amazon since all of them have some negative reviews and their is no clear winner. Went with this one anyway. I can say that when it works it is easy to use and precise, in that I got very repeatable measurements going the rectal route (cannot comment on accuracy because I did not compare it to a NIST standard). It is easy to use with a screaming wiggling baby and the beeping lets you know you have your measurement, and that measurement is locked on the display until you turn it off. That is all great. The reason I give this 3 stars is that after two uses the LCD screen filled up with moisture and became unreadable. This was after gently cleaning with soap and water as stated in the instructions. It is a very poor design that water can get in the LCD screen, I mean this is something you stick up your childs rectum, of course it is going to see a little moisture, and I was even being careful having read about this problem in other reviews. Just one simple O-Ring seal and this thermometer would be 5 stars and be the clear Amazon favorite. Amazon is sending me another, which is great, and meanwhile 12 hours later the LCD screen seems to be drying out enough to function. Perhaps I can update this to 4 stars if it salvages itself.

After our daughter was born, I discovered that the things I had worried about before she was born fit into three categories: a) this is a big deal that you didn't even know you'd have to worry about b) yes, this is a big deal and c) no, this is so not a big deal. One of the worries in category c was "taking a rectal temperature." This was something I was dreading, and other people will pay lots of money for thermometers that will get you an accurate reading without sticking anything up your child's butt. The Vicks thermometer may be more expensive than other digital thermometers out there, but it is cheaper than those temporal artery thermometers, and it makes taking your child's temperature no big deal. Initially, I thought that the biggest pro to this thermometer was its design, which makes it impossible to stick the thermometer in too far, even when you have a wiggly older baby who will not stay still. But recently, our daughter was sick and we needed to take her temperature, only to discover that we misplaced our Vicks thermometer and had to use a regular digital one. Only then did I appreciate how FAST you get a reading with the Vicks. It is so much faster than a regular thermometer. I did not realize how important this would be, but it is. Especially if your baby is old enough to get bored and not want to stay still. I now buy this for my new mom friends, because it's something they don't realize they'll need. We are buying a new one to replace the one we can't find, but even if/when we find it, having 2 is helpful, so we don't have to use regular thermometers again.

Vicks is my go-to brand for thermometers, and this baby rectal version did not disappoint. We’ve used their adult thermometers before and always found them to be top-notch. I actually compared the readings from this device with the professional ones at our pediatrician’s office, and the difference was negligible. Its incredibly accurate!

Original review (2013): Straight out of the box, it wouldn't turn on. We had to run to find a new thermometer for our baby at 2:30 am. Not a fun experience. Updated review (2015): So my original experience with this was very negative (see above), but this thermometer really doesn't deserve the 1-star rating I gave it. Despite the initial difficulty, I've come to believe that this thermometer is really the best low-priced baby thermometer on the market. We've tried other rectal ones that take FOREVER to give you a reading (as if your baby will lie still for something in her bottom for that long). We've tried more expensive ear and forehead thermometers that were not nearly as consistent or accurate. For the price (or a few magnitudes above it), you just can't get another thermometer that is so quick (10 seconds or fewer) and reliable.

I don't have much to add over the other reviews here - but this thermometer is very fast, seems to be much more accurate (readings are consistent over multiple attempts), and our son doesn't even realize what we're doing. We were initially against the 'rectal' route, but that was mostly based on old prejudices against really long, really slow older models (that we grew up with). This thermometer has a very short probe (no worries about going too far), and he has yet to even notice what we're doing. And it reads in 10 seconds or less, which is great because you're trying to get a temperature when he's screaming and crying. The armpit model we used before took up to 60 seconds, which is an eternity when he's thrashing and you're trying to hold the probe under his (thrashing) arm. All in all, works fantastic, it's pretty cheap, and we don't have to dread getting a temp!

This takes all the scare out from taking a rectal temperature. I did a lot of reading while pregnant and kept seeing that this was the most accurate way to take a baby's temperature. I had bad experiences with the forehead scanners when I nannied when it showed the child did not have a fever when in fact he was burning up, and the ear ones never seemed to read the same. I don't know if that is the same with every brand, but it was enough to make me leery. I decided that rectal thermometer's were probably the most accurate, but I also wanted one that would be relatively painless as the idea of using it scared me as a first time mom. My biggest fear was putting it in too far, but the design of this Vicks one made that impossible. It was easy to put a little Vaseline on the tip and slide it in, and it read SO QUICK. Seriously, maybe 10 seconds and it would beep. My baby barely had time to squawk or make a peep and it was done already. My toddler puts up a bit more of a fight, but I can still use it on his huge 3-yr-old body, and he never says "ow". It's easy to grip, too, and the battery has lasted forever on this. We lost our first one and I purchased a second one at the store. I's worth every penny!!

*UPDATE* I originally posted a great review about this product,that was after I had been using it for a month. I have now been using this thermometer for 4 months, and during the last 4 months i have used this maybe 4 times. Today i Went to turn it on and the light flashed and then it shut off. It will not come on. According to the manual this thermometer ships with a long life battery and if the battery is low there will be an indication wih an upside down triangle as a warning. I never got any such warning, nor have a i used thise thermometer heavily. It is a rectal thermometer so I only use it when I absolutely have to, which has been no more than 4 times since I bought it. Now the unit is dead. I called in to their customer service line and the best they could do is ask me to ship it back in and wait 4 weeks for a replacement thermometer to be shipped back to me. Why would i want to wait 4 weeks without a thermometer when I have a sick baby? They rep told me to just replace the batteries, I didnt think it was the battery and when I tried replacing the battery it is still dead. DO not buy this product because the manufacturer doesnt stand behind it and they dont care if you have any issues with it.

As the title says, it's cheap, accurate, and easy to use. We have one of those fancy $60 forehead thermometers that is all over the place in its readings and a bit tricky to use. It's fast and that really is the best argument for it. This little job, though, only takes about 20 seconds to use. Turn it on, smear on a pea-sized blob of KY Jelly, stick it in, and 9 seconds later you have a very accurate reading. The display is back-lit so it's easy to read, and the thing cleans up with a baby wipe. My wife was all reluctant to use it, preferring the forehead thermometer, but now she's see how simple and accurate it is and she is a convert. The probe is so small that it doesn't upset the baby at all. When your kid is sick you want a quick accurate temperature, and this gives it to you.

Es un buen producto, solo se recomienda tener a la mano un convertidor para °C

I love the fact that the tip is so small. I was afraid to read my baby's temperature rectally. With this thermometer, I can do it fast and in the most accurate way.