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Vital Signs in Children

Topic Overview

What are vital signs?

Vital signs include heart rate, respiration (breathing rate), blood pressure, and temperature. Knowing the ranges for vital signs for your child can help you notice problems early or relieve concerns you may have about how your child is doing. The table below includes information that can help.

Normal ranges for vital signs

Vital Sign

Infant

Child

Pre-Teen/Teen

0 to 12 months

1 to 11 years

12 and up

Heart Rate

100 to 160 beats per minute (bpm)

70 to 120 bpm

60 to 100 bpm

Respiration (breaths)

0 to 6 months

30 to 60 breaths per minute (bpm)

6 to 12 months

24 to 30 bpm

1 to 5 years

20 to 30 (bpm)

6 to 11 years

12 to 20 bpm

12 to 18 bpm footnote 1

Blood Pressure ( systolic/ diastolic) footnote 1

0 to 6 months

65 to 90/45 to 65 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)

6 to 12 months

80 to 100/55 to 65 mm Hg

90 to 110/55 to 75 mm Hg

110 to 135/65 to 85 mm Hg

Temperature

All ages

98.6 F

(normal range is 97.4 F to 99.6 F)

All ages

98.6 F

(normal range is 97.4 F to 99.6 F)

All ages

98.6 F

(normal range is 97.4 F to 99.6 F)

Learn more

Learn more about how to take your child's temperature, take a pulse, measure blood pressure, and count breaths with these topics:

Current as of: November 20, 2017

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics & Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine & John Pope, MD, MPH - Pediatrics & David Messenger, BSc, MD, FRCPC, FCCP - Emergency Medicine, Critical Care Medicine