Business Insider: The best baby thermometers in 2020

By Amanda Krupa 

When you think about it, buying or registering for a digital thermometer for your baby is just as an important as buying a car seat. Both have overwhelming product options and evoke parental questions about safety. Yet it should ease your parenting jitters to know that no one thermometer, or car seat for that matter, is safer than the other — all must meet federal standards before being sold in the United States.

There are some features that make thermometers easier to use when your baby is very small, sick, or when you're on the go, including age-specific fever indicators, mute options, quick reads, backlight displays, and memory recall, to name a few. 

"We usually send NICU grads home with a hospital thermometer and direct parents to use it under baby's arm the first few days home and then just as needed," she said. "We don't recommend rectal or ear, because they are just too small." 

• If your baby is under 3 months old and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 F or higher, call your pediatrician immediately. Fevers in a newborn are considered a medical emergency.
• If you have a preemie at home, a temperature lower than 97 F also warrants a call to the doctor, said Hubbard. "Many babies may actually have low temperatures as a sign of infection, and we don't really talk about that as much as we probably should."
• If your baby is 3 months old or older, call if the fever persists for more than 24 hours or is 104 F or greater. Pay more attention to your baby's other symptoms, like how they look and act.

To slow the spread of COVID-19, the CDC recommends everyone check their temperature in conjunction with other virus-protection protocols before going off to work, day care or school, or other public places. Additionally, all adults and children 6 months and older should get a flu shot to protect not only themselves but also those too young or too sick to receive their vaccines. Statistics show the younger the child, the more likely they are to visit an emergency room for the flu.

Read the full list via Business Insider

Learn more about COVID-19 symptoms in children