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Normal Newborn and Infant Vital Signs
A newborn's normal heart rate is 100–205 beats per minute awake and 90–160 asleep, with 30–53 breaths a minute. From 1 to 12 months the awake heart rate is 100–190 and the breathing rate stays 30–53. These are the AHA PALS ranges for a baby at rest; the chart below adds blood pressure.
Newborn and infant vital signs chart
| Age | Heart rate awake | Heart rate asleep | Respiratory rate | Blood pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neonate (0–28 days) | 100–205 bpm | 90–160 bpm | 30–53 breaths/min | 67–84/35–53 mmHg |
| Infant (1–12 months) | 100–190 bpm | 90–160 bpm | 30–53 breaths/min | 72–104/37–56 mmHg |
The newborn blood pressure row is the PALS value at about 4 days (96 hours) of age. PALS lists lower values in the first hours of life and in preterm babies. For older children, see the pediatric vital signs chart and age lookup.
How to check a baby's vital signs
- Breathing: watch the belly rather than the chest, before you touch the baby, and count for a full 60 seconds. Short pauses of a few seconds are normal in newborns.
- Heart rate: listen over the chest (apical pulse) for a full minute; wrist pulses are hard to feel in babies.
- Context: note whether the baby was asleep, feeding, crying, warm or receiving oxygen. A crying baby's numbers will be high.
- Blood pressure: use an infant cuff that fits the arm and repeat any unexpected reading before acting on it.
Temperature and oxygen in young babies
- Fever: a rectal temperature of 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) or higher counts as fever in the AAP guideline for infants 8 to 60 days old. A baby under 2 months with a fever needs to be seen by a doctor straight away, even if they look well, and especially in the first month of life. See fever thresholds by age and route.
- Low temperature can also be a sign of serious illness in a newborn.
- Oxygen: record room air or oxygen. Blue lips, low oxygen readings or hard breathing matter more than where a number falls on a chart.
Red flags: when a baby needs urgent care
A baby who looks unwell needs assessment even when every number is inside the range. Seek urgent care for:
- Fast breathing with grunting, nasal flaring, pulling in between the ribs, pauses in breathing or blue color.
- Poor feeding, unusual sleepiness, floppiness, or crying that cannot be settled.
- Cold hands and feet with mottled skin, or a slow capillary refill.
- Any fever in a baby under 2 months, or a temperature that is too low.
- A slow heart rate, or numbers that stay abnormal after the baby settles.
Premature babies and the first days of life
For babies born preterm, corrected age can be a better comparison than age from birth in the first months. In the first days, read vital signs alongside feeding, weight change, jaundice and blood sugar.
- Adjusted (corrected) age calculator
- Gestational age calculator
- Newborn bilirubin calculator for jaundice in babies born at 35 weeks or later
Frequently asked questions
In the PALS tables a newborn (first 28 days) has a heart rate of 100–205 beats per minute awake and 90–160 asleep. Crying and feeding push it toward the top of the range; quiet sleep brings it down.
30–53 breaths per minute, the same PALS range used for the whole first year. Newborns breathe irregularly and can pause for a few seconds (periodic breathing), so count for a full minute. Fast breathing with grunting, flaring or pulling in between the ribs needs prompt assessment.
Heart rate 100–190 bpm awake and 90–160 asleep, respiratory rate 30–53 breaths/min and blood pressure about 72–104/37–56 mmHg (PALS).
Crying, feeding, fever, pain and dehydration all raise heart rate. Recheck when the baby is calm, and look at breathing effort, color, feeding and alertness alongside the number.
A rectal temperature of 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) or higher, the definition the AAP guideline uses for infants 8 to 60 days old. A baby under 2 months with a fever needs to be seen by a doctor straight away: call your doctor now or go to the emergency department, especially in the first month of life.
Often yes in the first months. Corrected age (age counted from the due date) can be a better comparison than age from birth. Follow your neonatal team’s guidance for medically fragile infants.
Usually not in healthy infants. It is measured when a baby is ill, was born preterm, has a heart or kidney condition, or is being monitored in hospital.
References
- American Heart Association. Pediatric Advanced Life Support Provider Manual. 2020. Vital sign tables reproduced from Hazinski MF, Nursing Care of the Critically Ill Child, 3rd ed. Mosby; 2013.
- Pediatric Vital Signs, protocol 14.1 (source: AHA PALS 2020). San Francisco EMS Agency, effective October 1, 2025. media.api.sf.gov/documents/EMSA-Protocol-14.1-Pediatric-Vital-Signs-Final-10.1.25.pdf
- Fleming S, Thompson M, Stevens R, et al. Normal ranges of heart rate and respiratory rate in children from birth to 18 years of age: a systematic review of observational studies. Lancet. 2011;377(9770):1011-1018. doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62226-X
- Pantell RH, Roberts KB, Adams WG, et al. Evaluation and Management of Well-Appearing Febrile Infants 8 to 60 Days Old. Pediatrics. 2021;148(2):e2021052228. doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052228