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Digital Thermometer

Name: Digital Thermometer
SKU: 994030
Price: 32.47 AUD
Availability: InStock

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A digital thermometer is the contact type: the probe touches the body, holds still for a few seconds, and beeps when the reading settles. It is the simplest and least expensive way to check a temperature accurately, and it is the one most first aid kits, homes and treatment rooms should have.

What counts as a fever?

In Australia the working threshold is straightforward. According to healthdirect, a fever is a body temperature of 38 degrees or higher, and a normal body temperature is usually 36.5 to 37 degrees. Normal is a range rather than a single number, and it shifts with your age, the time of day, whether you are awake or asleep, and how the temperature was taken.

That last point is the one people underestimate. The same person measured under the arm and under the tongue at the same moment will not give you the same number, which is why it is worth measuring the same way each time when you are tracking someone over a day or two. A trend from one consistent method tells you far more than a single reading from whichever device was closest.

How to take an accurate temperature

Wait if they have just eaten or drunk. For an oral reading, hot or cold drinks, food and smoking all shift the result. Give it a few minutes.
Place the probe properly. Under the tongue means in the pocket beside the base of the tongue with the mouth closed, not resting on top of it. Under the arm means the tip fully in the armpit with the arm held down against the body.
Wait for the beep. Taking it out early is the single most common cause of a falsely low reading. Let the device tell you it has finished.
Note the method with the number. If you are reporting to a doctor or nurse, tell them how it was taken. Under-arm readings in particular tend to read lower than oral ones.
Clean it between uses, and use a fresh probe cover on any thermometer shared between people.

Digital, ear or forehead: which type to choose

They are not interchangeable, and each is better at a different job.

Type	Best for	Trade-off
Digital contact	Accuracy at low cost, oral or under-arm, home and first aid kits	Slowest of the three, needs contact and cleaning
Infrared ear	Quick readings on older children and adults	Positioning matters, and earwax or a small ear canal can skew it
Infrared forehead	Speed and no contact, screening, a sleeping child	Surface reading, affected by sweat, draughts and recent sun

For a non-contact reading, look at the slimline infrared forehead thermometer or the combined ear and forehead thermometer. For a dedicated tympanic unit there is the infrared ear thermometer. For clinic use where the same device is shared across patients, the AERODIAGNOSTIC digital clinical thermometer is the trade-supplied probe version.

Taking a baby or young child's temperature

Small children are the reason most households own a thermometer at all, and they are also the hardest to measure. A wriggling toddler will not hold a probe under the tongue, so under the arm is usually the practical choice with a digital thermometer, accepting that it reads a little lower. For a sleeping baby, a non-contact forehead device avoids waking them, which is often worth more than the last fraction of a degree.

Whatever you use, the number is only part of the picture. How the child looks and behaves - alert or floppy, drinking or refusing, breathing comfortably or not - matters more than the reading on its own.

Get emergency care if a fever comes with seizures, confusion or difficulty breathing. For a child, healthdirect lists a first seizure, a seizure lasting more than 5 minutes, drowsiness, difficulty breathing, looking blue or pale, or being on chemotherapy as reasons to seek emergency care.

When to see a doctor about a fever

Beyond the emergencies above, healthdirect advises seeing a doctor soon if you have a fever and you have recently been in hospital, have returned from overseas, are immunocompromised, have sensitivity to light, an unusual rash or a severe headache, or if the fever lasts more than three days.

A thermometer measures. It does not diagnose, and a normal reading in someone who is clearly unwell is not a reason to stop worrying.

Specifications

Type	Digital contact thermometer
Use	Body temperature measurement, oral or under the arm
Reading	Digital display, audible beep when the reading settles
Suits	Home, workplace, school and first aid room kits
Fever threshold	38 degrees or higher, per healthdirect
Consumables	Probe covers for shared use

Fit out the rest of the room with first aid room equipment.

Digital thermometer FAQs

What temperature is a fever?

38 degrees or higher, according to healthdirect. A normal body temperature is usually 36.5 to 37 degrees, but it varies with age, the time of day, whether you are awake or asleep, and the method used to take it, so treat 38 as a threshold rather than a precise switch.

How long does a digital thermometer take to read?

Longer than an infrared scan, which is the trade-off for a contact reading. Most units beep once the reading has stabilised, and the important habit is waiting for that beep. Pulling the probe out early is the most common reason a temperature reads lower than it really is.

Is under the arm as accurate as under the tongue?

Under-arm readings tend to come out lower than oral ones, so the two are not directly comparable. Neither is wrong, but be consistent: use the same site each time when you are tracking someone across a day, and tell your doctor or nurse which method you used when you report a number.

Can I use it on a baby?

Under the arm is the practical site for a digital thermometer with a small child, since they will not hold a probe under the tongue. For a sleeping baby, a non-contact forehead device is often the better tool. Whatever you use, how the child looks and behaves matters more than the number, and a fever with drowsiness, difficulty breathing, a seizure or a blue or pale appearance needs emergency care.

Do I need probe covers?

For a single person at home, no, provided you clean it between uses. For anything shared, such as a family, a workplace kit, a school or a treatment room, yes. A cover is the simplest way to keep a shared probe hygienic and it takes a second to change.

How do I know if I have a fever without a thermometer?

You do not, reliably, and that is the honest answer. A hand on a forehead tells you about skin temperature, not core temperature, and people commonly feel hot when they are not and feel normal when they have a temperature. Chills, aching, sweating and flushed skin are suggestive, but if the number matters, measure it.

Can I use this thermometer for food or cooking?

No. A clinical thermometer is built for the narrow range of human body temperature and is not designed or calibrated for cooking temperatures. Food and meat thermometers are a separate category with a much wider range, and using a clinical one on food risks damaging it and gives you a reading you cannot trust anyway.

How should I clean and store it?

Wipe the probe clean after each use following the manufacturer instructions supplied with the unit, let it dry, and store it in its case somewhere it will not be knocked about. Keep it out of extreme heat, and check the battery occasionally rather than discovering it is flat at two in the morning.

Sources. Fever thresholds, normal temperature range, measurement sites and the escalation criteria are from healthdirect.gov.au, the Australian government health service. Last reviewed 17 September 2026.

Follow the manufacturer instructions supplied with your thermometer. This information is a general guide and is not medical advice. A thermometer reading supports a decision, it does not replace assessment by a health professional. If you are concerned about a fever, particularly in a baby, an older person or anyone immunocompromised, seek medical advice.