Ages and Stages How age affects respiration
When assessing respirations in pediatric and older patients, keep these points in mind:
When listening for stridor in infants and children with croup or asthma, check for sternal, substernal, and intercostal retractions.
In infants, an expiratory grunt indicates imminent respiratory distress.
In older patients, an expiratory grunt indicates partial airway obstruction.
A child's respiratory rate may double in response to exercise, illness, or emotion.
Normally, the rate for newborns is 30 to 80 breaths/minute; for toddlers, 20 to 40 breaths/minute; and for children of school age and older, 15 to 25 breaths/minute.
Children usually reach the adult rate (12 to 20 breaths/minute) at about age 15.