When an illness strikes one of your family members, one of the most reliable tests to assess your loved one's state of health is to take his/her temperature with a thermometer. A temperature above 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the body's immune response fighting the presence of a bacteria or virus, but if this temperature exceeds 100 degrees in infants or 104 degrees in children and adults, steps will need to be taken to lower body temperature and thermometers play a pivotal role in monitoring that status.
If it's time to replace your home's thermometer, there are more options on the market than you may realize. Best of all, if you have a flexible spending account (FSA), thermometers are eligible for reimbursement!
Let's explore the options of FSA-eligible thermometers:
Digital Thermometers: Whether placed in the mouth, rectum or armpit, digital thermometers can accurately read body temperatures through the use of electronic sensors. This often takes a minute or less.
Check out: FKD Digital Thermometer
Smartphone-Compatible Thermometer: Looking for a thermometer that also easily connects to your smartphone? Now you can shop for thermometers that display your readings and can be used with your phone to monitor a fever!
Check out: Withings Thermo Smart Thermometer
Digital Ear Thermometers: These devices are geared toward small children who may experience discomfort with devices that are inserted into the mouth or rectum. These thermometers, also known as tympanic thermometers, use an infrared ray to measure temperature inside the ear canal.
Check out: Ademp Tympanic Ear Thermometer
Special FSA-eligible thermometers for kids and babies:
Forehead Thermometers- This variant is also designed to aid parents whose children may experience difficulty with traditional thermometers. Forehead thermometers use an infrared ray to scan the temporal artery in the forehead to measure body temperatures.
Check out: Braun No-Touch + Forehead Thermometer
Pacifier Thermometer - Taking an infant's temperature can be extremely difficult, but pacifier thermometers are great solutions to the problem. It is held in the mouth for 3 to 5 minutes and has a digital display on top that displays the temperature. However, this product should not be used on infants three months or younger.
Check out: Vicks Baby Pacifier Digital Thermometer
Alternatively, there's the TempTraq Baby Bluetooth Thermometer that keeps track of a baby's fever through a comfortable, soft patch placed under your baby's arm. This non-invasive thermometer will make monitoring a fever easy and comfortable for your baby.
Shop for the TempTraq Baby Bluetooth Thermometer
Glass Thermometers - These thermometers utilize a glass bulb connected to a capillary that is filled with an organic liquid, while the space above the liquid is filled with nitrogen. As temperature rises, the volume of the liquid expands and can be read on the scale inscribed on the side. Today's glass thermometers mainly use alcohol, but traditionally they contained mercury which is highly toxic. If you have an old mercury thermometer, don't throw it in the trash! Consult your local health department or poison control center to find a safe means of disposal.
No matter what you need to support your family's health and wellness, FSAstore.com has you covered! We have the web's largest selection of FSA eligible products to keep you and your loved ones healthy year-round.