Have your child sit or lay down as long as thermometer is in his mouth. Gently insert the thermometer under your child's tongue as far as it will comfortably go. Hold it in place (or have your child hold it) until the reading is finished. Don't let your child talk or breathe through his mouth. Be sure the thermometer stays under the tongue by watching the angle of the thermometer. A correctly-placed thermometer should point up. A thermometer that has slipped out of place will be level or point down.

Have your child sit or lie down. Place the tip of the thermometer into the middle of the armpit, against the child's bare skin. (Don't do it through your child's t-shirt or nightgown.) Hold the thermometer in place with one hand. Keep your child's arm pressed firmly against his side with your other hand until the reading is taken.

Hold the baby on his or her stomach across your lap. Let his or her legs hang down freely. Gently insert the thermometer about 1/2" into the baby's rectum. Hold the thermometer between two fingers as you lay the palm of your hand across the baby's buttocks. Don't leave the baby alone with the thermometer inserted. Leave the thermometer in for 3 minutes. Be sure to clean the thermometer well with soap and warm water after use.

Follow instructions that come with the thermometer. Remember that, to get an accurate reading, there must be a good seal around the tip of the thermometer, and the tip must be aimed straight toward the eardrum.

They can be. Vomiting and diarrhea can be harmful to children because they can cause dehydration. Dehydration occurs when too much fluid is lost from the body. Young babies can become dehydrated very quickly, but dehydration can occur in a child of any age. Signs of dehydration include:

Yes. Even though eating may cause the amount of diarrhea to increase, your child will be able to get some nutrients from the food. This may prevent your child from losing too much weight and help your child get better quicker.

If your child has had diarrhea, dairy products are best avoided for three to seven days. Sometimes bland foods are recommended for the first 24 hours. Foods that are bland include bananas, rice, applesauce, toast and unsweetened cereals. If these foods don't bother your child, other foods can be added over the next 48 hours. Most children can return to normal eating habits in about three days after the vomiting and diarrhea stop.

This usually isn't needed. Diarrhea doesn't usually last long. If it is caused by an infection, diarrhea is a way for the body to get rid of the infection. Giving medicines that stop diarrhea may interfere with the body's efforts to get rid of the infection. Antibiotics are usually not necessary either. Talk to your family doctor if you think your child needs medicine.

If your child has had several bouts of vomiting or diarrhea, he or she will need to drink fluids to replace those lost with vomiting and diarrhea. Encourage your child older than two years to drink water and other clear fluids. Ask your doctor about giving your baby or toddler oral rehydration solution (ORS), which contains the right mix of salt, sugar, potassium and other elements to help replace lost body fluids.

Children older than two years can have drinks such as apple juice, chicken broth, sports drinks (Gatorade), ginger ale or tea. Plain water can cause problems, such as lowering the amount of salt or sugar in the blood.

If your child is younger than two years and you are worried that he or she is dehydrated, ask your doctor about using ORS. ORS comes as a powder that you mix with water, or a liquid that is already mixed and as frozen popsicles.

Brands of ORS include Pedialyte, Rice-Lyte, Rehydralyte and the World Health Organization's Oral Rehydration Solution (WHO-ORS). Ask your doctor about which one to use.

If breastfed and over 1 month old: Infrequent BMs every 4-7 days that are soft, large and pain-free can be normal. Before 1 month old, infrequent stools usually means an inadequate intake of breast milk. Grunting or straining while pushing out a BM is normal in young infants. (Reason: difficult to pass BM lying on back with no help from gravity). Infants commonly become red in the face during straining. Brief straining or pushing for less than 10 minutes can occur occasionally at any age. Large BMs - Size relates to amount of food consumed and BM frequency. Large eaters have larger stools. Hard or dry BMs are also normal if passed easily without straining. Often relates to poor fiber intake. Some children even have small, dry rabbit-like-pellet stools.

Once children are on a regular diet (1 yr), the normal range for BMs is 3 per day to 1 every 2-3 days. The every 4-5 day kids all have pain with passage and prolonged straining.

The every 3 day kids often drift into longer intervals and then develop symptoms.

Passing a BM should be fun, or at least free of discomfort. Any child with discomfort during BM passage or prolonged straining at least needs treatment with dietary changes.

Establish a regular bowel pattern by sitting on the toilet for 10 minutes after meals, especially breakfast.

Warmth helps many children relax the anal sphincter and release a BM.

For prolonged straining, have your child sit in warm water or apply a warm wet cotton ball to the anus.

For infants > 1 month on breast milk or formula alone: Add 1 oz./month-old of apple, pear, prune juice per day.

For infants > 4 months: add high-fiber baby foods twice/day (peas, beans, apricots, prunes, peaches, pears, plums).