Expert: John Thai, M.D. - 7/2/2009

Question
We live in MN and I have a six year old daughter who's healthy and active but
for the past few months whenever she sees our digital ear thermometer she
likes to take her temperature. The odd thing is that she always seems to be
running a low grade fever of 99 or 100. I have then taken my temp to make
sure it's not the thermometer but I always come out in the normal range.
What could be causing my daughter to have a low grade fever so often?

Answer
Hi Melissa,

There are many reasons as to why she may be running a 99 to 100. But the most common problem is the variations in a child's ear anatomy and the technique used to obtain the temperature. It could also be due to the activity the child is engaged in immediately prior to obtaining her temp. By simply failing to follow the manufacturer's protocol like positioning the thermometer at the same depth and angle in the ear canal can yield an inaccurate reading. That's why pediatricians still recommend oral thermometers over all over fancy new products for accurate reading.

If she still runs at 100, then contact your pediatrician for an investigation.