2 Items Parents Forget to Include in Diaper Bags

Seems to be flu season and Noah has, unfortunately, become a carrier as well. Rushed him to the hospital yesterday when his fever spiked and realized that both clinics he frequented were closed for the day. After his Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) scare in August, we were told to be extra careful when Noah runs a temperature.

Just before he was hospitalized for UTI in August, we were planning on bringing Noah for a swim at the BabySpa. When I took him out of the carrier, what I initially thought was our body heat from using the carrier was actually a fever and he seemed to be getting warmer as the minutes passed. We panicked and wanted to bring him to the nearest clinic but the one in the shopping centre was already closed.

We were unsure of his temperature and had no immediate way of helping him. So that one time left us to ensure that we’ve always got these two items packed and ready in both his diaper bags.

1. Thermometer

We knew he was having a fever but we didn’t know how high it was. Knowing your child’s temperature is important because you know how much time you have to work with. I’m not underestimating a slight fever but if you’re working around that instead of a 38.5, you know you’ve got time to go home to pack extra diapers and milk in case the wait at the clinic or hospital is longer than expected.

(Brand of thermometer from left to right: Braun, Omron, Pigeon, Guardian)

We purchased the Braun Thermoscan 7 from Mothercare at $169 but you can easily find it elsewhere like on Lazada or Shopee which goes at less than $100. We usually leave this at home because it's the most accurate but also the most bulky. The Omron was passed on to us by a relative and I understand she bought this at a clinic. I bought the Pigeon flexi-tip thermometer at a baby fair for $5.90 and the Guardian one for $9.50.

When talking accuracy, and how efficient they are at taking temperatures, the Braun Thermoscan 7 would place first without a doubt. It has what they call Age Precision Technology where you can select the age of the person before taking their temperature. They have 0-3 months, 3-36 months, and 36 months +. This helps to determine whether those pesky 37 point somethings are considered slight or an "official" fever, especially in babies of younger ages. What I like about this thermometer is that it also has a colour coded display (i.e. green, yellow, and red) for temperature readings and can also store the last 9 readings in case you need a quick look back on past readings. The Omron and Guardian are also quite accurate but takes quite awhile to take a reading. The pigeon thermometer, in my opinion, is the least accurate and takes the longest time to take a child's temperature. It can be quite a challenge to get an accurate reading especially if you've got a squirmy baby like me.

2. Fever patch

I swear by these now. Plop it on your child's forehead and it usually helps to reduce their temperature a little, and sometimes a whole lot, within the next hour. Of course it's not a long term bulletproof solution and neither is it the only solution you should be undertaking, especially if your child is running a really high fever. But it helps your child through the duration you go home to pack the extra necessities or while you're on your way to the doctor. Be sure to keep the patches away from the sun or hot places because I left mine in the diaper bag near a window and found the sticky side to be a little more gooey than usual and even had some of it stuck on my fingers when placing it on Noah's forehead.

Now that I've got these 2 items packed and ready in both my son's diaper bags, I whip them out like a hero whenever the need arises. Really does feel better than guessing his temperature with the palm of my hand and not being able to help my sick baby.