Pediatric blood pressure chart by age
A quick pediatric BP chart for newborns, infants, children, and adolescents. Use it for bedside screening, then use age-, sex-, and height-based percentile guidance for formal high-blood-pressure decisions.
Screening range, not a diagnosis
Quick answer
- This chart shows broad pediatric BP ranges for quick screening, not formal hypertension diagnosis.
- Formal pediatric hypertension classification uses age, sex, height percentile, and repeated measurements.
- An undersized cuff can falsely elevate BP, while an oversized cuff can underestimate it.
- A low or falling BP with poor perfusion is more urgent than an isolated borderline high BP reading.
Pediatric blood pressure chart
These age bands match the site's pediatric vital signs calculator. They are useful for quick screening and handoff language, not for formal hypertension classification.
| Age band | SBP range | DBP range | Use note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neonate (0–28 days) | 67-84 mmHg | 35-53 mmHg | Neonatal BP varies by gestational age, day of life, and illness context. |
| Infant (1–12 months) | 72-104 mmHg | 37-56 mmHg | Check BP when clinically indicated or when risk factors are present. |
| Toddler (1–2 years) | 86-106 mmHg | 42-63 mmHg | Use the right cuff size and repeat unexpected values after the child settles. |
| Preschool (3–5 years) | 89-112 mmHg | 46-72 mmHg | Formal high-BP decisions require age, sex, height percentile, and repeat readings. |
| School‑age (6–12 years) | 97-115 mmHg | 57-76 mmHg | Screening values should be confirmed and trended before labeling hypertension. |
| Adolescent (≥13 years) | 110-131 mmHg | 64-83 mmHg | AAP guidance uses simplified adolescent categories, but local protocols still matter. |
Need HR and RR too? Use the pediatric vital signs chart by age.
How to measure pediatric blood pressure
- Use the right arm when possible, with the arm supported at heart level.
- Choose a cuff with bladder width about 40% of arm circumference and length covering most of the arm circumference.
- Let the child sit quietly before routine readings when the situation allows.
- Repeat unexpected values, especially if the child is crying, anxious, in pain, or moving.
- Confirm high oscillometric readings with a manual auscultatory reading when feasible and clinically important.
When to use official BP percentile tables
Use official pediatric BP percentile tables when the question is hypertension classification, follow-up timing, medication effects, kidney disease, cardiac disease, or repeated high readings.
- Children under 13 years: classification depends on age, sex, height percentile, SBP, and DBP.
- Adolescents 13 years and older: AAP guidance uses simplified categories that align more closely with adult thresholds.
- Any high reading should be repeated with correct technique unless urgent symptoms require immediate escalation.
BP red flags and escalation
- Low BP or a falling BP trend with poor perfusion, lethargy, weak pulses, mottling, or altered mental status.
- Severe headache, chest pain, neurologic symptoms, shortness of breath, or concern for hypertensive emergency.
- High BP with kidney disease, cardiac disease, diabetes, obesity, transplant history, or medication risk.
- Repeated high readings despite correct cuff size, rest, and confirmation.
- Infants or children under 3 years with BP concerns or risk factors, where routine percentile interpretation is more nuanced.
Related tools and references
Frequently asked questions
Normal pediatric blood pressure varies by age, sex, and height. This quick chart gives broad screening bands by age, but formal high-BP classification requires percentile tables and repeat measurements.
No. Pediatric hypertension decisions should use age-, sex-, and height-based percentiles for children under 13 years and current adolescent categories for teens, with confirmation over repeated readings unless the child is acutely ill.
AAP guidance supports routine BP screening starting at age 3 years, and earlier checks for selected children with risk factors such as prematurity, kidney disease, heart disease, certain medications, or systemic illness.
A cuff that is too small can make BP look falsely high. A cuff that is too large can read falsely low. Correct cuff size is one of the most important parts of pediatric BP measurement.
Urgency depends on symptoms and trend. Escalate for low or falling BP with poor perfusion, or high BP with severe headache, neurologic symptoms, chest pain, shortness of breath, kidney disease, or other concerning context.