For children in the 1990s, Were rectal temperatures considered abusive and very unusual?

Im wondering if anyone else who was a child in the late 90s still had this done -even if they hated it and protested?

I recently was reading on a parenting forum how parents and dr are hesitant to do rectal temperatures on even infants, hardly do it on a child over 2-3.

Most agreed that they would not do on a child who was older and embarrassed and bothered by it.

In which decade 70s, 80s or 90s they began to be considered highly unusual a TO USE ON AN OLDER CHILD ( I'm not referring to a toddler or preschool child, which many still use on today ).

My daughters were born in the 1990s. I am a real OR nurse and I DO NOT have a rectal temperature fetish. That's one of the last med-fet things that would ever enter our sexual repertoire, and it ISN'T because I don't like rectal temps. If I want something in my ass, I want a substantial sized toy that I know is really in there.

Rectal temperatures for young children has never been considered abusive. The parenting forums you are reading apparently show a lack of intelligence among the parents. Parents should use rectal temperatures for young children when necessary. On an infant, I want to know what the real temperature is and since you cannot use oral on the very young, and the scanners are not always very accurate, rectal is the method to use. On older children the exact temperature is less important.

Parents do need to know when to take charge and not be a politically correct, spineless, ignorant snowflake parent who relents when a child objects. Very often an intelligent and knowledgable parent will be able to tell if the child has a fever simply by kissing the child's forehead. The lips are very sensitive to temperature perturbations and often you don't even need to take a temperature to know if they have fever.

The fact that you hated rectal temps is immaterial. Young children don't get to vote.

SwitchableSusie- thanks for your reply.

I'm NOT talking about VERY YOUNG children. i see nothing wrong with doing it on childern who are 3 or 4. I'm talking about 7-9 year olds. That's almost a pre-teen. That's not very young in my book.

At that age- is was considered normal to do it in the 90s? today its definitely not acceptable not by parents or pediatricians

I can remember my mother taking my rectal temperature when I was age three and throughout my childhood. When I would go to the doctor's office as a child, I had my temperature taken using a rectal thermometer. When I was twelve years old and became sick when visiting a national park, a nurse whom my parents met took my temperature using a rectal thermometer. Although at times it felt a little uncomfortable when my temperature was taken in that manner, it was ok with me to receive rectal temperature taking.

Catchca: Born in the early 1970s, raised in France. Back then, in my country, it was very common in families, and was the rule in hospitals, to use rectal temperatures for everybody, adults included.

The only difference was that after a certain age, you were handed the thermometer and had to insert it yourself. That age may have depended on the family etc. I recall being given the thermometer to insert myself when I was about 9 year old and was in hospital for appendicitis, meaning nurses expected that a child that age was able to cope and deserved the privacy. I don't recall mom inserting the thermometer herself on a regular basis, so I guess it stopped when I was 6 perhaps.

(Recall these were the days of glass thermometers, which took 1-3 minutes to register and would break if dropped. Not so easy to use orally on small children...)

When I asked mom why she enforced rectal temperatures whereas all cartoon/comics characters got them in the mouth, she said the mouth was unreliable.

Question to you: what kind of thermometer did your parents use? electronic?

Pecan - my mother only used and still only uses the mercury ones. she never used digital. the mercury ones have to be held for a few minutes- which makes it harder for a child to do properly

That's part of my question- how uncommon was it to have a mercury thermometor in the late 90s?

My quesiton is about a child who is old enough to listen and hold the thermometer orally.

Switchablesusie is right about her post and I agree with her. Now my temperature was taken rectally during my infant and toddler years. I was born in 1979 and my rectal temperature years were during 1982 until 1983.

I was born in 1986. My mom had a glass rectal thermometer, but I have absolutely no memory of it ever been used on me. She used a glass oral thermometer on me instead. I remember as a toddler, before I was old enough to hold a thermometer in my mouth, she would use it under my arm.

Like SwitchableSusie said, she could also tell if I had a fever by feeling or kissing my forehead, but that didn't stop her from also taking my temperature when necessary.

It would be uncommon to use a mercury thermometer in the 1990s. My mother had a mercury thermometer, but bought a second glass thermometer using a different liquid inside because she feared the consequences of breaking a mercury thermometer. As I was older she purchased an electronic thermometer but I don't even think it was used on me.

So in the 1990s it would be weird to use mercury.

I got RTs till i was 16 back in the 1960s

I grew up in the 50's and 60's and never remember having my temp taken rectally, so my experience was that rectal temps weren't the norm back then. I'm sure when I was little - under 3 (?) I got it up the butt. I distinctly remember getting oral temps in grade school etc. and when I visited the Dr. - but never rectal. Most articles on the web recommend rectal temps for kids under three. I'd be curious to see the article stating it could be considered "abusive" on a child older than 3. If a child over 3 is capable of an oral/TA/ancillary temp - the added accuracy of a rectal probably isn't warranted, but I wouldn't consider it abusive unless the giver gets off on doing it that way!

Pecan- its possible it was a different liquid. i beleive it was murcury- definitely not digital

im still wondering if anyone growing up in the 80s or 90s or after -remembers having a rectal thermometer used on them? it seems very unusual.

im referring to as an older child- when they were REFUSING VIOLENTLY. ( not as toddler/ pre- schooler)

Pecan- its possible it was a different liquid. i beleive it was murcury- definitely not digital

im still wondering if anyone growing up in the 80s or 90s or after -remembers having a rectal thermometer used on them? it seems very unusual.

im referring to as an older child- when they were REFUSING VIOLENTLY. ( not as toddler/ pre- schooler)

A totally rotten child like that would be sent to his/her room with no tv, no phone, no friends, no toys for about four hours as a toddler to a week as a child who is public school aged. They would be totally grounded with no sympathy from me. If I ever thought any of my children would turn out to be an example of a worthless human, I would have made certain to use a contraceptive every time we had sex.

Tough love works. Rotten children have to learn they do not make the rules.

We used mercury rectal thermometers with our daughters who were born in the middle 1990s when they were young.

I was born in mid 70's. I did not even think about rectal temps until I had children of my own, which was only used for accuracy purposes when they were infants. My parents had me while in their teens, so maybe that made a difference. We did have mercury thermometers but no rectals that I know of. (I broke one once, holding it to light bulb too long.)

I don't know if they were considered abusive or unusual by others as we didn't discuss it with others.

But we didn't think it abusive and hence used it.

I don't really see to conceive it as abusive.

I received rectal temps from my mother, the nurses when I went to doctors office or hospital, and from the nuns at school. Most stopped by the age of 5 except the nuns who did until age 10 if you went to the clinic. I am thinking some of them were a bit kinky!

SwitchableSusie- im curious until what age did you use them and did you use murcury or digital. i totally agree that is not abuse or anything close to it. and youngsters should not make medical related decisions. i thought that was far fetched also

A totally rotten child like that would be sent to his/her room with no tv, no phone, no friends, no toys for about four hours as a toddler to a week as a child who is public school aged. They would be totally grounded.

Tough love works. Rotten children have to learn they do not make the rules.

You are referring to an older child and rectal temps, correct? More children should be taught bodily autonomy. My possibly unpopular opinion.

and youngsters should not make medical related decisions. i thought that was far fetched also

Are you still referring to taking a temperature of an older child? I wouldn't let my child make a decision over a necessary medical treatment but anal temp of an older child? That's a bit different.

A totally rotten child like that would be sent to his/her room with no tv, no phone, no friends, no toys for about four hours as a toddler to a week as a child who is public school aged. They would be totally grounded.

Tough love works. Rotten children have to learn they do not make the rules.

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You are referring to an older child and rectal temps, correct? More children should be taught bodily autonomy. My possibly unpopular opinion.

I'm talking about rotten, defiant, recalcitrant, obstinate children in general regardless of their offense, the punishment being proportional to the severity of the infraction.

As I posted and you quoted, a toddler could get sent to their room with no phone, no tv, no stereo, no toys, etc for up to a few hours and an older child could get grounded for a week or more depending on their offense.

If a teenager didn't want a rectal temperature I would use oral because teens would only need rectal for extenuating circumstances. If I felt there was a specific reason to use rectal they would not get to make the final decision.

.As I posted and you quoted, a toddler could get sent to their room with no phone, no tv, no stereo, no toys, etc for up to a few hours and an older child could get grounded for a week or more depending on their offense.

I suppose maybe we just disagree that this would be considered an offense. If something is going on severe enough to feel that an anal temperature reading is necessary, I hardly see how grounding a toddler to their room with no phone- addresses the issue. The right to bodily autonomy shouldn't be a punishable offense. Based on the listed punishments suggested, it would clearly not be a medical emergency issue. Or I would atleast hope not.

You are misinterpreting what I am saying.

In the same sense that a person in prison does not have what you call bodily autonomy (whatever that is) who WILL get a body cavity search if the prison official deems it necessary, neither does a youngster in deciding their treatment. A toddler might just be held down if needed. The age and circumstance of older children would be taken on an individual basis and I am not prepared to list all the possibilities here. I will say that I have little patience for children who don't do what their parents say to do. The child is not the boss.

From the "all knowing" Google:

"Bodily autonomy means a person has control over whom or what uses their body, for what, and for how long. It's why you can't be forced to donate blood, tissue, or organs. Even if you are dead."

I don't think I'm misinterpreting. However, you may not be thinking of the same type of parents that I am thinking about. I'm o.k. with agreeing to disagree and appreciate you taking the time to attempt clarification.

I was born in 1994 and my temperature was always taken rectally through the new millenium!

There are many different valid parenting methods. putting aside parenting differences.

medically speaking- were rectal temperatures commonly used on older children in the 90s ( i dont mean toddlers) it seems with digital thermometers the need for them were replaced. were digital thermometers as popular then as they are today?

My sister is almost 15 years older than me and she has 4 kids; 1 boy and 3 girls. Her son was born in 1990 and his temperature was taken rectally during his infant and toddlers and her 3 girls were born in the 1990s as well and their temperatures were taken rectally too.

I mean on older children - not on toddlers or preschool children

Are you doing a thesis on this topic?

It is a natural question to wonder whether one was treated "normally" or "abnormally" by parents...

What was "normal" and "abnormal" depended on the era and location, and even the kind of family background.

And personal opinions differ. I've told here several episodes of my past; some say this was normal and no big deal, some say it was abnormal.

If I recall, the 90's ushered in that "mosquito" policy, known as political correctness. I found myself being scorned by my daughter's pediatrician, for taking her temperature rectally at the time....in spite of the fact that she was semi-conscious, and it was high enough to require a trip to the E.R. That was the era that prompted the fabricated belief that you were an abusive parent, for using such "invasive" temperature methods on your children. If you've noticed, rectal thermometers virtually disappeared from drug store shelves not long after that.

I was older in the early '90s and no, it wasn't done - not even in the hospital at 13. My parents moved to other means during the early '80s I think.

I imagine the biggest reason it is discouraged is because of the risk of perforating the rectum if you're careless.