Our lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12
CLINICAL PLACEMENT COORDINATORS
Telephone: +353 1 4282707 Bleep: + 353 1 4096100 Bleeps 8597 / 8596 / 8599
naomi.bartley@olchc.ie / amanda.scott@olchc.ie / elaine.harris@olchc.ie
NORMAL RANGES OF VITAL SIGNS
NOTE: This table is only a guide to assist you while you are on your paediatric clinical placement.
To ensure patient safety and effective nursing care is maintained when performing vital signs, you
must:
 assess each infant/child individually
 report the values of the vital signs to your preceptor/staff nurse supervising you
.
PULSE RATES
RESPIRATION RATES
Age (years)
Newborn-3
months
Beats/min
95-205(awake)
140 (average)
Age (years)
<1
Breaths/min
30-40
3mths-2yrs
100-180 (awake)
130 (average)
1-2
26-34
2-10 yrs
60-140 (awake)
80 (average)
2-5
24-30
> 10 yrs
60-100 (awake)
75 (average)
6-12
20-24
>12
12-20
BLOOD PRESSURES
TEMPERATURES
Age (years)
0-1 month
Systolic Blood Pressure
> 60
Age (years)
<1
Centigrade
37.5 – 37.7
1-12 months
80
2-5
37.0 – 37.2
1-10 yrs
90 + (2 x age in yrs)
5-12
36.7 – 36.8
>10 yrs
120
< 12
36.6
Resuscitation Council UK (2008) Paediatric Immediate life support, 1st edition. London: RCUK.
Nov 2010
NURSING PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT UNIT