Normal Vital Signs by Age: HR, RR, BP, Temp, SpO₂

Q: What is a normal heart rate for a newborn?

Roughly 100–205 beats per minute awake and 90–160 asleep, in the ranges commonly taught on PALS courses. Centile charts from Fleming and colleagues show a median of about 127 at birth, peaking around 145 at one month. In infants, the apical or brachial pulse is more reliable than the radial.

Q: What is a normal respiratory rate for a child?

It falls steeply with age: from a median of about 44 breaths per minute at birth to about 26 at two years, according to Fleming and colleagues, and towards 12–20 in adolescence. Counting for a full minute matters most in infants, whose breathing is irregular.

Q: What blood pressure is considered normal in adults?

The 2023 ESH guidelines classify office blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg as optimal, 120–129/80–84 as normal and 130–139/85–89 as high-normal; hypertension starts at 140/90. NICE NG136 also uses 140/90 in clinic, confirmed by an ambulatory or home average of 135/85 or higher. Other guidelines draw the lines slightly differently.

Q: What is a normal body temperature?

Around 36.5–37.5 °C in most people, varying with the measurement site, the time of day and age. A temperature of 38.0 °C or more is widely used as the threshold for fever. In older people fever can be blunted, so a smaller rise over their usual baseline may already matter.

Q: What is a normal oxygen saturation?

Usually 95% or above in healthy children and adults at sea level. Targets for patients receiving oxygen are prescribed individually and may be lower for people at risk of carbon dioxide retention. Cold hands, movement, nail polish and darker skin can all make the pulse oximeter reading less accurate.

Q: Why do different sources give different normal ranges?

Older ranges were often based on expert consensus rather than measured data, they mix awake and asleep values, and they use different age bands. A 2011 systematic review found that many published ranges for children fell outside its own 1st and 99th centiles.

At a glance

Age group	Heart rate (awake, /min)	Respiratory rate (/min)	Systolic BP (mmHg)
Newborn (0–28 days)	100–205	30–60	60–84
Infant (1–12 months)	100–180	30–53	72–104
Toddler (1–2 years)	98–140	22–37	86–106
Preschool (3–5 years)	80–120	20–28	89–112
School age (6–11 years)	75–118	18–25	97–120
Adolescent (12–15 years)	60–100	12–20	110–131
Adult	60–100	12–20	see adult table
Older adult	60–100	12–20	see adult table

Children’s values follow the ranges widely taught on PALS courses (AHA 2020); the newborn respiratory range is the conventional 30–60. Temperature is about 36.5–37.5 °C and SpO₂ usually 95% or above at all ages after the first minutes of life. Ranges differ between sources, so we recommend reading the notes below before relying on any single number.

Why do normal vital signs differ between sources?

There is no single official table. Sources differ because:

the data behind them differ. Many traditional ranges were based on expert opinion. Fleming and colleagues (Lancet, 2011) pooled 69 studies and built centile charts for children; they found that published ranges often crossed the median or went beyond the 1st and 99th centiles.
the age bands differ. PALS (American Heart Association), APLS (used in the UK and elsewhere) and national early warning tools group ages differently.
awake and asleep values are mixed. A sleeping infant’s heart rate can sit well below the awake range.
the purpose differs. A “normal” range describes healthy children; an early warning threshold is set to flag deterioration and is deliberately different.

In practice, it is advisable to stick to one reference and to read every value together with its trend and the patient’s overall condition.

Children in more detail

Heart rate and respiratory rate

Age	HR awake	HR asleep	RR
Newborn	100–205	90–160	30–60
Infant	100–180	90–160	30–53
Toddler	98–140	80–120	22–37
Preschool	80–120	65–100	20–28
School age	75–118	58–90	18–25
Adolescent	60–100	50–90	12–20

Fleming’s centile charts give a useful picture of how these values change. Median respiratory rate falls from about 44 breaths/min at birth to 26 at two years, the steepest decline of childhood. Median heart rate rises from about 127 at birth to 145 at around one month, then falls to about 113 by two years and continues to decline through adolescence.

Blood pressure

Age	Systolic (mmHg)	Diastolic (mmHg)
Newborn, 12 hours (about 3 kg)	60–76	31–45
Newborn, 4 days	67–84	35–53
Infant	72–104	37–56
Toddler	86–106	42–63
Preschool	89–112	46–72
School age (6–9 years)	97–115	57–76
Pre-adolescent (10–12 years)	102–120	61–80
Adolescent (12–15 years)	110–131	64–83

Paediatric blood pressure depends on height and sex as well as age, so detailed assessment uses centile tables. Resuscitation courses also teach a lower limit for systolic pressure: about 60 mmHg in term newborns, 70 mmHg in infants, 70 + (2 × age in years) from one to ten years, and 90 mmHg from ten years.

Temperature and SpO₂ in children

Normal temperature is about 36.5–37.5 °C, and 38 °C or more is the usual definition of fever. In newborns, oxygen saturation rises gradually after birth and reaches the adult-like range only after the first few minutes; from then on, healthy infants and children are usually at 95% or above.

Adults and older adults

Routine vital signs

Sign	Typical adult range	Notes for older adults
Heart rate	60–100/min at rest	Fit adults may sit lower; beta-blockers blunt the response to illness
Respiratory rate	12–20/min	Often the earliest sign of deterioration, and the one most often estimated rather than counted
Temperature	about 36.5–37.5 °C	Baseline may be lower and fever can be blunted
SpO₂	usually 95% or above	Lower targets may be prescribed for people at risk of CO₂ retention

In older people living in long-term care, infectious disease guidance (IDSA) suggests a lower threshold for fever, such as a single oral reading above 37.8 °C or a rise of more than 1.1 °C over the person’s baseline. Systolic pressure tends to rise with age, and orthostatic hypotension becomes more common. It is usually defined as a fall of at least 20 mmHg systolic or 10 mmHg diastolic within three minutes of standing.

Adult blood pressure categories (office readings)

ESH 2023 category	Systolic (mmHg)		Diastolic (mmHg)
Optimal	< 120	and	< 80
Normal	120–129	and/or	80–84
High-normal	130–139	and/or	85–89
Grade 1 hypertension	140–159	and/or	90–99
Grade 2 hypertension	160–179	and/or	100–109
Grade 3 hypertension	≥ 180	and/or	≥ 110
Isolated systolic hypertension	≥ 140	and	< 90

NICE NG136 (UK) defines stage 1 hypertension as clinic pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher confirmed by an ambulatory or home average of 135/85 or higher, stage 2 as 160/100 in clinic with 150/95 out of clinic, and severe hypertension as clinic systolic 180 or diastolic 120 and above. Other guidelines, such as the ESC 2024 and AHA/ACC 2025 documents, use different labels and cut-offs, so it is advisable to check which one a report refers to.

Two related values on this site: the mean arterial pressure calculator (for 120/80 mmHg the MAP is about 93 mmHg) and the shock index calculator, which divides heart rate by systolic pressure.

Measuring correctly

Blood pressure: seated and rested for a few minutes, back supported, feet flat, arm supported at heart level, no talking. A cuff whose bladder fits the arm is advisable: too small overestimates, too large underestimates. Two or three readings a minute or two apart, averaged, are usually recommended, and both arms are commonly measured at a first assessment.
Respiratory rate: counting for a full 60 seconds is advisable, ideally without the person noticing, since awareness changes breathing. In infants, irregular and periodic breathing makes a full minute especially important.
Heart rate: counting for 60 seconds is advisable if the rhythm is irregular. In infants the apical or brachial pulse is more reliable than the radial. Heart rate also drives QT correction on the ECG; the guide to QTc formulas shows how much the choice matters.
Temperature: the site matters. Oral, axillary, tympanic, temporal and rectal readings are not interchangeable, so it is advisable to record which was used. Electronic axillary thermometers are commonly recommended for young infants.
SpO₂: a warm, still finger and a good waveform are advisable. Cold peripheries, movement, nail polish and poor perfusion can give false readings, and pulse oximeters may overestimate saturation in people with darker skin. An arterial blood gas measures oxygenation directly; see how to read an arterial blood gas.

Early warning scores

Early warning scores turn several vital signs into a single number so that deterioration is noticed and escalated consistently. In adult hospital care, the best known is the National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) published by the Royal College of Physicians (London, 2017), which combines respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, use of supplemental oxygen, systolic pressure, pulse, level of consciousness and temperature. Paediatric (PEWS) and maternity (MEOWS) versions exist, with thresholds adapted to those groups. We recommend taking the chart and escalation thresholds from the official source, not from summaries.

Other bedside tools draw on the same measurements: qSOFA uses respiratory rate, systolic pressure and mental status, and the Glasgow Coma Scale gives a structured picture of consciousness.

If a reading is far outside these ranges and the person is unwell, we recommend calling for help: the emergency numbers by country list the right number wherever you are.

Common pitfalls

Comparing a child’s values with adult ranges, or a sleeping infant’s with awake ranges.
Estimating the respiratory rate instead of counting it.
Using one wrong-sized cuff for everyone.
Treating a single “normal” reading as reassuring when the trend is moving.
Mixing thermometer sites between readings.
Ignoring the patient in front of you: a child with normal numbers who looks unwell still needs attention.

This guide is for education only. For assessment and escalation, we recommend following local protocols.

How to sit for a reading

Back supported, after about 5 minutes sitting quietly, without talking.
Cuff on the bare upper arm, 2–3 cm above the elbow crease, at heart level. A cuff of the right size for the arm gives more reliable readings.
Arm resting on the table, relaxed.
Feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed.

Two readings 1–2 minutes apart, averaged, are usually recommended; it is better to avoid coffee, smoking and exercise in the 30 minutes before.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal heart rate for a newborn?

Roughly 100–205 beats per minute awake and 90–160 asleep, in the ranges commonly taught on PALS courses. Centile charts from Fleming and colleagues show a median of about 127 at birth, peaking around 145 at one month. In infants, the apical or brachial pulse is more reliable than the radial.

What is a normal respiratory rate for a child?

It falls steeply with age: from a median of about 44 breaths per minute at birth to about 26 at two years, according to Fleming and colleagues, and towards 12–20 in adolescence. Counting for a full minute matters most in infants, whose breathing is irregular.

What blood pressure is considered normal in adults?

The 2023 ESH guidelines classify office blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg as optimal, 120–129/80–84 as normal and 130–139/85–89 as high-normal; hypertension starts at 140/90. NICE NG136 also uses 140/90 in clinic, confirmed by an ambulatory or home average of 135/85 or higher. Other guidelines draw the lines slightly differently.

What is a normal body temperature?

Around 36.5–37.5 °C in most people, varying with the measurement site, the time of day and age. A temperature of 38.0 °C or more is widely used as the threshold for fever. In older people fever can be blunted, so a smaller rise over their usual baseline may already matter.

What is a normal oxygen saturation?

Usually 95% or above in healthy children and adults at sea level. Targets for patients receiving oxygen are prescribed individually and may be lower for people at risk of carbon dioxide retention. Cold hands, movement, nail polish and darker skin can all make the pulse oximeter reading less accurate.

Why do different sources give different normal ranges?

Older ranges were often based on expert consensus rather than measured data, they mix awake and asleep values, and they use different age bands. A 2011 systematic review found that many published ranges for children fell outside its own 1st and 99th centiles.