Normal Vital Signs by Age
Heart rate and breathing rate fall as children grow; children's blood pressure is judged against percentiles, and adolescents 13 and older use the adult cut points.
Pulse (heart rate) at rest
| age group | normal range (beats/min) | source |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn (0-1 month) | 70-190 | MedlinePlus |
| Infant (1-11 months) | 80-160 | MedlinePlus |
| Child 1-2 years | 80-130 | MedlinePlus |
| Child 3-4 years | 80-120 | MedlinePlus |
| Child 5-6 years | 75-115 | MedlinePlus |
| Child 7-9 years | 70-110 | MedlinePlus |
| Children 10 years and older, adolescents, adults (including seniors) | 60-100 | MedlinePlus |
| Well-trained athletes | 40-60 | MedlinePlus |
A nursing textbook gives 120-160 beats/min for a newborn at rest (can reach 180 when crying). Different references use different age bands; know which source your course uses.
Count for a full minute, or 30 seconds x 2. MedlinePlus notes 15 seconds x 4 or 10 seconds x 6 is usually accurate for a regular pulse.
Preview only. The full sheet also covers: Respiratory rate at rest; Blood pressure; Body temperature by route; Fever thresholds.
Sources
- Pulse (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Vital signs (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Rapid shallow breathing (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Clinical Nursing Skills, 15.6 Respiration · OpenStax, Rice University
- Maternal-Newborn Nursing, 23.1 Physical Assessment of the Newborn · OpenStax (Rice University)
- Flynn JT, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline for Screening and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2017;140(3):e20171904 (definitions read via the PMC review below) · American Academy of Pediatrics
- Implications of the 2017 AAP Clinical Practice Guidelines for Management of Hypertension in Children and Adolescents: a Review (Table 1) · Current Hypertension Reports via PubMed Central
- High blood pressure in children (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Body temperature measurement (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Fever (Medical Encyclopedia) · MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine
- Clinical Nursing Skills, 15.4 Temperature · OpenStax, Rice University
- Jones DW, et al. 2025 AHA/ACC/AANP/AAPA/ABC/ACCP/ACPM/AGS/AMA/ASPC/NMA/PCNA/SGIM Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. Hypertension. 2025;82(10):e212-e316 (full text not reachable; read via ACC and Merck summaries) · American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology