Normally, it is more accurate for infants to have their underarm temperature measured.
There are more parts of the body for temperature measurement, including the forehead, ears, mouth, anus and other parts of the body. However, since these parts are easily affected by external factors, especially when infants are young, it is usually not suitable to carry out, so the common temperature measurement is the armpit.
For the measurement of axillary temperature, it takes about 5 minutes if a mercury thermometer is chosen, and if an electronic thermometer is chosen to be used, the measurement is finished after the thermometer makes a sound. The temperature results then need to be interpreted before the next step is given.
When taking the temperature of an infant, it should be avoided after meals, crying or strenuous activities to avoid errors in the results.
When an infant has a high temperature, it is advisable to seek medical attention without delay.