Pediatric Vital Signs Calculator (Normal Ranges by Age)
See the normal heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure for a newborn, baby, toddler, child or teen (PALS ranges), and check whether your child’s measurements are in range.
How it works
Normal ranges by age group from the PALS (AHA) reference tables · systolic hypotension: < 60 mmHg (newborn), < 70 (infant), < 70 + 2 × age in years (1–10 years), < 90 (10 years or older)
Children’s normal vital signs change a lot with age: a newborn’s heart beats 100–205 times a minute while awake and breathes 30–53 times a minute, whereas a teenager’s values are close to an adult’s. The American Heart Association’s Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) course publishes these reference ranges, together with the rule of thumb that systolic pressure below 70 + 2 × age (years) means hypotension in children 1–10 years old. Fever, crying, pain and activity raise heart and breathing rates, so measure when the child is calm and interpret values together with how the child looks.
Worked example
A toddler (1–2 years) with a heart rate of 120 bpm, a respiratory rate of 30 breaths/min and a systolic pressure of 95 mmHg: the normal awake heart rate is 98–140 bpm, breathing 22–37 breaths/min and systolic pressure 86–106 mmHg, so all 3 measurements are within the normal range (hypotension would be below 72–74 mmHg).
Sources: American Heart Association — Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) Provider Manual: normal vital signs · University of Calgary Pediatrics — Normal pediatric vital signs (PALS)
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal heart rate for a baby?
For PALS, a newborn’s awake heart rate is about 100–205 bpm and an infant’s (1–12 months) about 100–190 bpm; during sleep it drops to about 90–160 bpm.
How many breaths per minute is normal for a child?
Babies under 1 year breathe about 30–53 times a minute, toddlers 22–37, preschoolers 20–28, school-age children 18–25 and adolescents 12–20. Count for a full minute while the child is calm or asleep.
What is low blood pressure in a child?
A quick PALS rule for children aged 1–10 years is that systolic pressure below 70 + 2 × age in years is hypotension. Below 60 mmHg in newborns, below 70 mmHg in infants and below 90 mmHg from 10 years are also considered hypotension.
When should I worry about my child’s vital signs?
Seek urgent care if your child breathes very fast or with effort, has pauses in breathing, looks pale, gray or blue, is unusually sleepy or hard to wake, or has a very fast heart rate that does not settle with rest and fever control.
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This calculator gives general guidance and is not a diagnosis or medical advice. If you are worried about your child, or they seem unwell, contact your pediatrician, a health center or emergency services.