How to take vital signs in children
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
Children's normal values change with age. Measure the least upsetting things first.
Step by step
Prepare
Keep the child calm on the parent's lap. [1]
Breathing first
Count breaths for a full minute while the child is calm. [1]
Pulse
Apical in infants and small children, full minute. [1]
Oxygen saturation
Probe on a finger or toe. [1]
Temperature
Route by age and policy. [1]
Blood pressure
Right cuff size; last because it may upset the child. [1]
Compare with age
Use age-based ranges and look at the whole child. [1]
Common errors
- Using adult ranges.
- Counting breaths for 15 seconds.
- Wrong cuff size.
Approximate ranges at rest [1]
| Age | Heart rate | Breathing rate |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn | 100 to 160 | 30 to 60 |
| 1 to 3 years | 90 to 150 | 24 to 40 |
| 4 to 5 years | 80 to 140 | 22 to 34 |
| 6 to 12 years | 70 to 120 | 18 to 30 |
| 13 to 18 years | 60 to 100 | 12 to 20 |
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Tuberculosis, contact with symptoms
- Older man feeling weak (full assessment)
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Postpartum hemorrhage
- Transfusion reaction
- Heart failure, worsening
168 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.