Resuscitation and airway
Normal vital signs by age
Usual breathing rate, heart rate and systolic blood pressure ranges for age.
For education. Check against your unit's guidance and a second clinician before use.
Enter an age, or use the table below.
Before you use this
- Ranges differ between sources and local early warning (PEWS) charts. Use your unit's chart for escalation.
- Fever, pain, crying and anxiety raise heart and breathing rates. The trend matters more than a single value.
Commonly quoted normal ranges
| Age | Breathing rate | Heart rate | Systolic BP (mmHg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 year | 30–40 | 110–160 | 70–90 |
| 1 to 2 years | 25–35 | 100–150 | 80–95 |
| 2 to 5 years | 25–30 | 95–140 | 80–100 |
| 5 to 12 years | 20–25 | 80–120 | 90–110 |
| Over 12 years | 15–20 | 60–100 | 100–120 |
How this is calculated
- Ranges are looked up from the table below for the age entered.
- Hypotension (PALS definition): systolic under 60 mmHg in term newborns (0–28 days), under 70 mmHg from 1 to 12 months, under 70 + (2 × age in years) mmHg from 1 to 10 years, and under 90 mmHg over 10 years.
Sources
- Advanced Life Support Group. Advanced Paediatric Life Support (APLS). Wiley-Blackwell.
- American Heart Association. Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) provider manual (hypotension definition).
- Fleming S, et al. Normal ranges of heart rate and respiratory rate in children from birth to 18 years. Lancet 2011;377:1011–8.
Checked by PICUlearn, 21 Sept 2026.