Smart Thermometer App: How to Keep a Family Fever Log
The short answer: a single temperature tells you very little. What helps you, and your doctor, is the pattern: when the fever started, how high it went, what medicine was given and when, and whether it is coming down. Write down the time, the temperature, how it was taken, any medicine with its dose, and any new symptoms, for each person separately. A smart thermometer app can do most of that for you.
Why one reading is not enough
Normal body temperature is not a single number. It changes with age, time of day and activity. That is why the TempBuddy user manual advises focusing on trends over time rather than one reading. A child at 100.9 °F who was at 102.5 °F two hours ago is in a different place from a child at 100.9 °F who was at 99.5 °F.
A record also answers the questions a doctor or nurse will ask, and that are hard to remember at the end of a long night: when did it start, what was the highest reading, what have you given, and when?
What to write down
- Date and time of every reading.
- The temperature, and how it was taken (forehead, ear, oral, armpit). Readings from different methods are not directly comparable.
- Medicine: name, dose and time. This is what stops a second dose being given too early.
- Symptoms: cough, rash, vomiting, how much they are drinking, how they seem.
- A separate record for each person, so two sick children do not end up on one sheet of paper.
Paper or an app?
A notebook on the bedside table works. Its weakness is the moment you need it most: half asleep, one hand on the child, trying to find a pen. A thermometer that saves its own readings removes the step most likely to be skipped.
How the TempBuddy app does it
- Every reading saves itself to the right family member, with the date and time. Profiles can include a name, age and photo.
- A timeline shows the last 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days as a colour-coded graph, so you see the shape of a fever instead of a list of numbers.
- Symptoms and medication are logged beside the temperature.
- Reminders for medicine and temperature rechecks, on each person's own schedule.
- PDF export: the whole history, with dates and times, as one report you can email or save.
By morning, the record reads something like: 101.3 °F at 2am, ibuprofen at 2:15, down to 99.4 °F by six. That is the answer to the question you always get asked.
The symptom and medication log is a convenience feature of the app. It is not part of the thermometer's certified medical function, and neither the colours nor the graph are a diagnosis.
Sharing it with your doctor
Export the report as a PDF and send it to your doctor, the walk-in clinic, or whoever sees your child next. When you hand it over, mention that the readings were taken on the forehead. Forehead readings usually run a little lower than core temperature, and a clinician will read them with that in mind.
Where the data is stored
By default, readings are stored on your phone and are not shared with Zanis. You do not need an account to take or save a reading. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.
When to call a doctor
A log is a tool for noticing, not a reason to wait. The NHS advises getting medical help for a baby under 3 months with a temperature of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher, or a baby of 3 to 6 months at 39 °C (102.2 °F) or higher.1 The AAP also advises calling right away if a fever rises above 104 °F (40 °C) repeatedly, or if a child looks very ill, is unusually drowsy, has a seizure, or has symptoms such as a stiff neck, an unexplained rash or repeated vomiting.2 If you are worried, call. Trust your instinct over any number.
Keep reading
- Phone thermometer: how a thermometer that plugs into your phone works
- The best thermometer for grandparents and elderly parents
- How to take a child's temperature while they sleep
- Best contactless thermometer for families: what to look for
- TempBuddy, the thermometer that plugs into your phone
Sources
- NHS: High temperature (fever) in children.
- American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org: How to Take a Child's Temperature.
- TempBuddy ZTP-800 Full User Manual, on our support page.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about someone's temperature or symptoms, contact a health professional. See our medical disclaimer.