The Heat is On...

It is now one week after I started what I know must have been the flu. I've explained to you the homeopathic treatment undergone my my son and me, and we've talked about a few other possible solutions. Today I'd like to compare two thermometers we've used for our baby.

The first is one I purchased before he was born. It's from Parents, the parenting magazine, who also now puts out an interesting line of baby products. I thought this thermometer was rather ingenious. It's in the nipple of a pacifier, and there's a digital readout on the front. It's worked pretty well when I've had to check for a fever during teething. My son chomps away on it for the approximately three minutes needed for the thermometer to beep its reading. But when the real illness hit, he had other ideas for the pacifier - mainly spitting it out or throwing it. Besides, he was often stuffy and couldn't handle breathing through his nose for the wait.

At the end of his first day of being sick, we purchased a Braun ThermoScan thermometer, one of those pricey ear thermometers that takes a reading in about three to five seconds. At first I thought it might be a rather exorbitant purchase being made by two paranoid parents who were just about willing to throw anything into the shopping cart that might help the baby feel better. But we've looked at these in the past, and besides, it's something the whole family can make use of.

This is the easiest thermometer I've ever used. Although my son didn't always feel like sitting still for even the three seconds required to hold the device in his ear canal, we managed just fine. The reading seems pretty accurate if you hold the sensor in far enough, and there doesn't seem to be any danger of inserting it too far, due to its shape.

Overall, they're both good thermometers. The biggest difference here has to do with how much you're willing or able to spend. On the low end of the spectrum, the pacifier thermometer ran about $3 - $5, if I'm remembering correctly. On the higher end, the Braun thermometer runs just under $40.

In the end, I've been getting more use from the thermometer than he did. I've also been checking into a lot more natural remedies as I struggle to get better without the aid of conventional medicines. So check back tomorrow, and I'll share with you some of the things I've been doing to alleviate all those unpleasant symptoms of cold and flu.