Vital Signs in Children: A Parent’s Guide to What’s Normal

10th October 2025 By Phoenix Hospital Group

As a parent, it’s natural to keep a close eye on your child’s health and wellbeing. Everyday signs, such as how fast they’re breathing, whether they feel warm to the touch or how quickly their heart beats, can give you important clues about their overall health. These vital signs help doctors understand how well your child’s body is working.

Knowing what’s normal for children of different ages can be reassuring. It allows you to feel more confident when caring for your child at home and helps you recognise when it may be time to seek medical advice. At Phoenix Hospital Group, we believe in informing and supporting parents, so we’ve created this guide to children’s vital signs and what they mean for your child’s health.

What are vital signs?

Vital signs measure the body’s most basic functions, providing an overall picture of how your child’s body is working. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals use them to monitor health, detect potential problems and guide paediatric treatment if needed.

Typically, they will check four main vital signs:

Heart rate (pulse) – how many times the heart beats each minute
Breathing rate (respiratory rate) – how many breaths a child takes each minute
Temperature – a measure of the body’s warmth, which can signal infection or illness
Blood pressure – the force of blood moving through the blood vessels

Together, these signs act as essential indicators of your child’s health. Doctors and other experts often measure them during routine appointments, at hospital visits or when your child is unwell.

Vital signs to check in your children

When you’re caring for your child, a few simple signs can help you understand how well they’re doing. You might feel your child’s heartbeat when you hold them close or check their pulse. You may notice how their breathing sounds and whether it seems comfortable, or take their temperature at home if they feel warm or unwell.

These signs don’t replace a doctor’s assessment, but having a sense of what’s normal can help reassure you. It also means you’ll be better placed to recognise when something isn’t usual and know when to seek medical care.

Heart rate in children

A child’s heart rate, or pulse, is how many times their heart beats in one minute. It changes with age. Babies and younger children typically have faster heart rates, which gradually slow over time.

What’s a normal heart rate for my child?

It’s normal for your child’s heart rate to increase when they’re active, excited or unwell with a fever, and it should return to normal once they’re resting.

At rest, the typical heart rate ranges for children are:

Newborns up to 1 year: 100–160 beats per minute
Children 1–2 years: 90–110 beats per minute
Children 2–5 years: 70–110 beats per minute
Children 5–12 years: 65–110 beats per minute
Teenagers: 60–80 beats per minute

You should seek urgent medical care if your child’s heart rate seems unusually fast or slow and doesn’t improve with rest, or if they also have symptoms like fainting, chest pain or trouble breathing.

Breathing rate in children

Your child’s breathing rate is the number of breaths they take in a minute. Like the heart rate, this changes with age. Babies and toddlers breathe faster than older children and teenagers, and their breathing rate usually slows as they grow.

How slow or quick should my child’s breathing be?

Breathing should look calm and steady, without your child needing to work hard to take each breath. It’s normal for their breathing to speed up when they’re active, excited or crying, but it should slow once they relax.

At rest, a normal breathing rate for children is:

Babies under 1 year: 30–60 breaths per minute
Children 1–2 years: 24–40 breaths per minute
Children 2–5 years: 22–34 breaths per minute
Children 5–12 years: 18–30 breaths per minute
Teenagers: 12–16 breaths per minute

You should seek emergency medical help if you notice your child is breathing very fast at rest, is struggling to catch their breath, making wheezing or grunting sounds, or their skin looks pale or blue.

Temperature in children

Checking your child’s temperature is one of the easiest ways to spot if they might be unwell. A fever is often the body’s natural response to fighting an infection, and while it can be worrying, it’s very common in children.

What should my child’s temperature be?

A normal body temperature in children is usually around 36–37°C. A fever occurs when the body temperature is 38°C or above. Some people have a thermometer at home that allows them to check their child’s temperature easily.

It’s normal for your child’s temperature to vary slightly during the day, and it can also rise if they’ve been running around or wrapped up warmly in a coat or blanket.

If your child has a fever but is otherwise alert, drinking fluids and comfortable, you can usually care for them at home.

Seek medical advice if:

They’re under 3 months old and their temperature is 38°C or higher
They’re 3–6 months old and their temperature is 39°C or higher
They’ve had a fever for more than five days and don’t want to eat
They’re unusually drowsy, irritable, have difficulty breathing or aren’t drinking enough

Blood pressure in children

Blood pressure measures the force of blood moving through the blood vessels. It’s an essential check in adults, but doctors measure it less often in healthy children.

Doctors typically check a child’s blood pressure when there’s a specific health concern, such as a problem with the kidneys, heart or hormones – or if they’re taking specific medicines that affect blood pressure.

Blood pressure isn’t something you’ll measure at home and is best checked at the doctor’s. For accurate results, the correct cuff size is crucial, and the doctor usually takes a reading while your child is sitting calmly.

What’s a healthy blood pressure for my child?

Unlike adults, where doctors use a standard range, children’s blood pressure is assessed against what’s normal for their age, height and sex. So, what’s healthy for one child may differ for another.

Generally, doctors consider high blood pressure in children when readings are consistently higher than expectations for their age and size. Low blood pressure can also be a concern if it causes symptoms like dizziness or fainting.

Your doctor will explain what the numbers mean for your child when checking their blood pressure and whether they need a follow-up.

When to seek medical attention for your child

It’s normal to worry if your child’s vital signs don’t seem quite right. Often, changes are temporary and linked to exercise, excitement or a mild illness. But sometimes it’s essential to get medical advice quickly.

You should call 999 if your child:

Has a very fast or slow heart rate at rest
Is breathing quickly, struggling to breathe or making unusual sounds when breathing
Has a persistent fever, especially if they’re under six months
Seems unusually sleepy, confused or difficult to wake
Has pale, mottled or bluish skin
Faints, has chest pain or ongoing dizziness

Call 999 straight away if your child is seriously unwell or struggling to breathe. Trust your instincts – you know your child best.

Supporting your child’s health at Phoenix Hospital Group

At Phoenix Hospital Group, we understand how important your child’s health is to you. Our dedicated paediatric specialists in London and Chelmsford offer a broad range of services, from routine health checks to advanced diagnostics. We’re proud to provide care in a calm, supportive environment where children feel safe and parents are reassured.

With consultant-led care, same-day access to many tests and a child-friendly approach at every stage, we’re here to give you clarity and confidence when you need it most. Whether your child needs a one-off check or ongoing support, our team will keep you fully informed and supported.

If you’d like to learn more about our children’s health services or book an appointment, please get in touch with our friendly team today.