How many heart beats per minute for child

Pulse

Medical Tests A-Z

Definition

The pulse is the number of heartbeats per minute.

Alternative Names

Heart rate; Heart beat

How the Test is Performed

The pulse can be measured at areas where an artery passes close to the skin. These areas include the:

Back of the knees
Groin
Neck
Temple
Top or inner side of the foot
Wrist

To measure the pulse at the wrist, place the index and middle finger over the underside of the opposite wrist, below the base of the thumb. Press with flat fingers until you feel the pulse.

To measure the pulse on the neck, place the index and middle fingers just to the side of the Adam's apple, in the soft, hollow area. Press gently until you locate the pulse.

Note: Sit or lie down before taking the neck pulse. The neck arteries in some people are sensitive to pressure. Fainting or slowing of the heartbeat can result. Also, do not take the pulses on both sides of the neck at the same time. Doing so can slow the flow of blood to the head and lead to fainting.

Once you find the pulse, count the beats for 1 full minute. Or, count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2. This will give the beats per minute.

How to Prepare for the Test

To determine the resting heart rate, you must have been resting for at least 10 minutes. Take the exercise heart rate while you are exercising.

How the Test will Feel

There is a slight pressure from the fingers.

Why the Test is Performed

Measuring the pulse gives important information about your health. Any change from your normal heart rate can indicate a health problem. Fast pulse may signal an infection or dehydration. In emergency situations, the pulse rate can help determine if the person's heart is pumping.

Pulse measurement has other uses as well. During or immediately after exercise, the pulse rate gives information about your fitness level and health.

Normal Results

For resting heart rate:

Newborns 0 to 1 month old: 70 to 190 beats per minute
Infants 1 to 11 months old: 80 to 160 beats per minute
Children 1 to 2 years old: 80 to 130 beats per minute
Children 3 to 4 years old: 80 to 120 beats per minute
Children 5 to 6 years old: 75 to 115 beats per minute
Children 7 to 9 years old: 70 to 110 beats per minute
Children 10 years and older, and adults (including seniors): 60 to 100 beats per minute
Well-trained athletes: 40 to 60 beats per minute

What Abnormal Results Mean

Resting heart rates that are continually high (tachycardia) may mean a problem. Talk to your health care provider about this. Also discuss resting heart rates that are below the normal values (bradycardia).

A pulse that is very firm (bounding pulse) and that lasts for more than a few minutes should be checked by your provider as well. An irregular pulse can also indicate a problem.

A pulse that is hard to locate may mean blockages in the artery. These blockages are common in people with diabetes or hardening of the artery from high cholesterol. Your provider may order a test known as a Doppler study to check the blockages.

References

Bernstein D. History and physical examination. In: Kliegman RM, Stanton BF, St. Geme JW, Schor NF, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 20th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2016:chap 422.

Simel DL. Approach to the patient: history and physical examination. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 25th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2016:chap 7.

Review Date: 07/02/2019

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright ©2019 A.D.A.M., Inc., as modified by University of California San Francisco. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

Information developed by A.D.A.M., Inc. regarding tests and test results may not directly correspond with information provided by UCSF Health. Please discuss with your doctor any questions or concerns you may have.

What Your Child’s Heart Rate and Other Vital Signs Tell You

Written by Paige Fowler

How to Read Your Child’s Vital Signs

Your child’s vital signs can give you important health clues. Many things can affect the numbers. But if they’re outside the normal range, it could be a sign of possible health issues.

Note that normal vital sign values for children are different than they are for adults. They also vary depending on age, sex, and weight.

The four vital signs are:

Body temperature
Heart rate
Respiration, or breathing, rate
Blood pressure

Temperature

A fever means your child’s temperature is higher than usual. It’s the main way their body fights an infection.

How to check

Use a digital thermometer to take your child’s temperature in the mouth, or rectally in the bottom. A rectal temperature gives the more accurate reading. That’s the way you should do it if your baby is younger than 3 months. With older infants and children, an oral reading is fine unless your doctor tells you otherwise. Always clean the thermometer in soapy water and rinse with cool water before you use it. Never use the same thermometer to take an oral and rectal temperature.

To take a rectal temperature:

Place your child on their belly across your lap.
Put a small amount of petroleum jelly on the end of a thermometer.
Insert it half an inch into the anal opening.
Remove the thermometer when it beeps and read the temperature. (It’s normal for the baby to poop after the thermometer is removed.)

To take an oral temperature:

Slip the end of the thermometer under your child’s tongue.
Have your child close their lips around the thermometer.
Remove it when it beeps and check the temperature.

Normal temperature

A normal temperature is 98. 6 F if taken in the mouth, and 99.6 F if taken in the bottom. If the oral temperature is above 99.5 F or the rectal reading is 100.4 F or higher, your child has a fever.

Call your doctor ASAP if your baby is younger than 3 months and has a rectal temperature of 100.4 F or higher. Even if your baby doesn’t have any other symptoms, a fever in infants can be serious.

Heart Rate

Also called a pulse, this is how many times the heart beats each minute. It’s faster when your child is active and slower when they’re seated or asleep. Your doctor will check the heart rate during well-child visits. If you need to monitor your child’s heart rate because of a medical condition, your doctor will tell you how and how often to check it.

You should also check your child’s pulse if they:

Complain of chest pain or things like a “racing” feeling or a “skipped” heartbeat
Faint
Have trouble breathing (not because of asthma)
Become pale or their lips turn blue

How to check

Make sure your child has been seated for at least 5 minutes before you start. Place your first two fingers on the front of their neck or the inside of the wrist, armpit, or elbow crease. You should feel thumps against your fingers. Set a timer for 30 seconds and count the beats. Double that number, and that’s your child’s heart rate.

Normal heart rate:

Infant (to 12 months): 100-160 beats per minute (bpm)
Toddler (1-3 years): 90-150 bpm
Preschooler (3-5 years): 80-140 bpm
School-aged child (5-12 years): 70-120 bpm
Adolescent (12-18 years): 60-100 bpm

A heart rate that’s slower than usual can signal a problem. For infants, it can mean:

Exposure to certain medications before birth
Breathing problems
A drop in body temperature (hypothermia)

A slower than usual heart rate in kids can also mean there’s an issue in the structure of their heart.

Respiratory Rate

This is how many breaths your child takes per minute. This number may go up when they’re excited, nervous, in pain, or have a high fever. A fast or slow respiratory rate means your child may have trouble breathing. Call your pediatrician if you have any concerns.

How to check

Set a timer for 30 seconds and count the number of times your child’s chest rises. Double that number to get their respiratory rate.

Normal rate (breaths per minute):

Infant (0-12 months): 30-60
Toddler (1-3 years): 24-40
Preschooler (3-5 years): 22-34
School-aged child (5-12 years): 18-30
Adolescent (12-18 years): 12-16

If your baby or child’s pulse is fast or they have any of the following symptoms, it could mean they’re having trouble breathing:

Bluish color around the mouth
Pale or gray skin
A grunting sound with each breath out
Nose flares
Wheezing
Sweating
Tiredness
Upper chest sinks in with each breath
Not eating or drinking well
Vocalizing less

Respiratory distress is serious. It means your child isn’t getting enough oxygen. This might be because of:

An infection
Chronic illness
A blocked airway

Call your doctor or 911, or get to the emergency room right away. Stay calm and try to keep your child calm while keeping them in a comfortable position.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood as it flows through the vessels that move blood from the heart to the body. Children can get high blood pressure just as adults do. If your child grows up with high blood pressure, or hypertension, it could make them more likely to have a stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney disease.

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers:

Systolic is the first number. It measures how much pressure is on your artery walls each time your heart beats.
Diastolic is the second number. It measures how much pressure is on your artery walls between heartbeats, when your heart is at rest.

Your child might have high blood pressure because of:

A heart defect
Kidney disease
A genetic condition
A hormone disorder
Being overweight

Hypotension is blood pressure that’s too low. It can make your child feel nauseated, dizzy, or faint.

Your child may have low blood pressure because of:

Medication they’re taking
Dehydration
Blood loss
Heart problems
Infection
Allergies
Endocrine problems
Nutrition issues

How to check

Your child’s doctor will start to check blood pressure at age 3. Your child may need to have it checked sooner if they:

Were born prematurely or had low birth weight
Have congenital heart disease
Take medicine that can make blood pressure rise
Have other medical conditions that can lead to high blood pressure

If your doctor tells you to check your child’s blood pressure at home, use an automatic monitor with a cuff that fits on the upper arm. Take the monitor with you to your next appointment so your doctor can check that you use it correctly.

Normal levels

These numbers differ for children, depending on their age, height, and sex. The top number is systolic pressure, and the bottom one is diastolic pressure. Both numbers should be below the limit.

For boys:

1 year old: less than 98/52

2 years old: less than 100/55

3 years old: less than 101/58

4 years old: less than 102/60

5 years old: less than 103/63

6 years old: less than 105/66

7 years old: less than 106/68

8 years old: less than 107/69

9 years old: less than 107/70

10 years old: less than 108/72

11 years old: less than 110/74

12 years old: less than 113/75

For girls:

1 year old: less than 98/54

2 years old: less than 101/58

3 years old: less than 102/60

4 years old: less than 103/62

5 years old: less than 104/64

6 years old: less than 105/67

7 years old: less than 106/68

8 years old: less than 107/69

9 years old: less than 108/71

10 years old: less than 109/72

11 years old: less than 111/74

12 years old: less than 114/75

For boys and girls 13 and older: less than 120/80.

Abnormal Vital Signs

If your child’s vital signs are off, you may need to see a doctor. Vital signs can vary based on time of day and the emotional state of your child. If your child has a drastic change, that could be a sign of a problem.

Your doctor will have a better idea of what’s outside of normal and can monitor your child over time if needed.

Heart palpitations in children

Has your child complained of palpitations (tachycardia) or have you yourself noticed how often and strongly his heart beats? Do not rush to get scared and first determine the cause of such a reaction of the body. This is usually associated with physical or emotional stress, fear or fever due to illness.

You need to know the heart rate values according to the child's age in order to understand if he really has a rapid heartbeat.

Normal heartbeat:

up to a year - 130-150 bpm;
from 1-3 years old - 120 bpm;
from 4-5 years old - 100 bpm;
from 6-7 years old - 90 bpm;
from 8-10 years old - 85 bpm;
from 14-15 years old - 70-75 bpm

If these figures differ, this may be due to the presence of cardiovascular or other diseases.

Baby's heart rate is affected by factors such as:

Age;
Season;
body temperature;
Activity level;
Presence of disease;
Heartbeat measurement time (wake, rest).

Healthy children are physically active and emotional, so an increase in heart rate is normal for them. If the indicators are exceeded, we are talking about tachycardia , which harms the body of a small person and leads to various complications in the cardiovascular system.

A rapid heartbeat in a child may also be a sign of paroxysmal tachycardia, which is characterized by a disorder in the functioning of the heart muscle. The disease may be accompanied by acute attacks of tachycardia lasting up to several hours, as well as nausea and vomiting. In infants, against the background of such an attack, shortness of breath, coughing and even convulsions may occur.

If a child has a rapid heartbeat (tachycardia), it is necessary:

Lay the child on a flat surface;
Try to calm and distract him;
Call a doctor.

Treatment for palpitations

Children of all ages and adolescents diagnosed with palpitations must be treated by a physician. The choice of treatment method should be based on the analysis of data obtained on the basis of the results of diagnostics and the study of the anamnesis of a small patient.

Multidisciplinary medical center "Medicenter" provides services for the treatment of any childhood illness. The Department of Pediatrics is staffed by experienced and qualified pediatric cardiologists who diagnose and treat diseases of the cardiovascular system in the youngest children.

Thanks to the latest equipment and effective methods for detecting and preventing heart diseases, the cardiologists of the Medicenter clinic network have been helping to fight and defeat even the most serious complications that arise in the work of the heart for several years.

Our clinics in St. Petersburg

Structural subdivision
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Alley Polikarpova 6k2
Primorsky district

Pionerskaya
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Komendantskiy

Structural subdivision
Zhukov
Prospekt Marshala Zhukov 28k2
Kirovsky district

Avtovo
Veterans Avenue
Leninsky Prospekt

Structural subdivision
Devyatkino
Okhtinskaya alley 18
Vsevolozhsk district

Devyatkino
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You can get detailed information and make an appointment by calling +7 (812) 640-55-25

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Rapid pulse in children as a result of emotional and physical stress

Rapid pulse in a child may indicate many disorders in the body, and it is extremely important to visit a pediatric cardiologist in Saratov on time and regularly to monitor the child's condition at different ages and make decisions about treatment .

What is a normal pulse in children?

Each age has its own specific indicators that can be checked in pediatric cardiology in Saratov. During the appointment, the doctor listens to the heart, determines or eliminates the presence of noise, and in addition, counts the number of heartbeats. If necessary, an ECG or ultrasound of the heart may be prescribed. An experienced pediatric cardiologist in Saratov will draw the attention of parents to the fact that the heart rate is decreasing every year. If at birth 150-160 heart beats are considered the norm, then by the age of 12-13 this number is 75 beats.

The pulse rate directly shows how the heart copes with its function and how efficiently it pumps blood. In case of too many contractions, fatigue of the heart muscle can occur and heart failure can develop.

Why is it important to control your heart rate?

Visiting pediatric cardiology in Saratov, the specialist will pay attention to the fact that sometimes too high a pulse rate does not provoke pain. It is extremely important to monitor the behavior and reaction of the child after physical exertion, as well as after emotional outbursts. A small patient may complain of shortness of breath, headache, pain in the sternum with recoil to the arm, as well as severe fatigue after:

active physical exercise;
long walk in a calm rhythm;
walk up to low floors.

An increased heart rate in a child can also be observed after an emotional overstrain. A pediatric cardiologist in Saratov will explain that laughter, like tears, watching a cartoon for a long time, strong emotional reactions can cause an increase in heart rate. It is important to measure the performance after such a state, and besides this, parents should make a lot of effort to check the frequency of contractions in the usual mode.

Why does my heart rate increase?

During emotional or physical stress, adrenaline is released, which irritates the cerebral cortex. The hormone cortisol may also be released. Its excess causes insomnia and too vigorous state. It is especially dangerous if the child's pulse rate increases in the late afternoon, when he should lie down, relax and fall asleep. Adrenaline, getting into the blood, causes its increased speed of movement, while the heart begins to pump the blood flow faster, which means it works with increased load.

Additional reasons why the pulse rate may increase include:

infectious and viral diseases suffered by a woman during pregnancy,
natal injuries;
acute diseases of a child with fever;
transferred surgical interventions.

Children's cardiologist in Saratov often diagnoses heart palpitations, other variants of heart rhythm disorders, heart murmurs, fluctuations in blood pressure. These symptoms can be caused both by diseases of the heart and blood vessels, and a number of other conditions: disorders in the endocrine system, nervous system, kidneys. A complete examination is required to identify the cause of the disease.

Sometimes for such an examination in pediatric cardiology in Saratov, a Holter heart rate monitoring method is prescribed, with which the heart rate is recorded over a 24-hour period. During the day, the child's emotional background and mood change, there is physical activity, periods of sleep and quiet activities, study load, which affects the work of the heart. And when deciphering the recording of the circadian rhythm, a pediatric cardiologist in Saratov sees what changes have occurred in the work of the heart.

Critical periods of age

For young patients, there are critical periods in which an increased heart rate is often observed. Most often, the child cannot explain exactly how bad he is and what is the reason for such physiological changes. He feels pressure in his chest, dizziness, sometimes chills, and may even lose consciousness. You should not bring to such frequent reactions, and you should visit a pediatric cardiologist in Saratov immediately upon detection of the first symptoms. A small patient himself may be afraid that his body reacted to running, watching his favorite movie and the fact that he received a gift that he had been dreaming of for so long.

What is the danger of a rapid pulse in the future?

If you do not notice in time and do not contact pediatric cardiology in Saratov for adequate treatment, the child will eventually experience frequent pain, and in addition, he may develop concomitant disorders:

with vessels, veins and arteries;
with nervous system;
with a hormonal background.

Children's cardiologist in Saratov, based on the results of monitoring and analysis, will determine and make an accurate diagnosis, which will allow you to prescribe treatment, the effectiveness of which will not be long in coming. It is also important to fix the changes after a certain time in order to adjust the medication course and prescribe additional physiotherapy procedures, choose the appropriate sport. It is important to take measurements immediately after physical activity of varying strength and intensity, after strong positive or negative psychological reactions. Measurements of the pulse rate after sleep are also important for determining the diagnosis by a pediatric cardiologist in Saratov and prescribing effective and appropriate treatment.

Over time, as the child matures, it is necessary to teach him to monitor his pulse rate, especially after physical or emotional stress. There are drugs that allow you to quickly restore the pulse rate, and besides this, supportive therapy. Every year a little patient must learn to listen to his body, and an experienced pediatric cardiologist in Saratov will help with this.

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