What is the normal heart rate range for a child older than 3 years?

• A. 50-90
• B. 65-110
• C. 70-120
• D. 90-140

Answer: (B)

Resting heart rate changes with age, and as children grow older it tends to slow compared with younger kids and infants. For a child older than 3 years, a normal resting heart rate is about 65 to 110 beats per minute. This range reflects a calm, resting state where the heart doesn’t need to push as hard as in younger ages, yet is still higher than an adult’s resting rate.

If the heart rate falls below this range, it can indicate bradycardia in a child, while a rate above this range can indicate tachycardia due to factors like fever, pain, dehydration, anxiety, or recent activity. The other ranges shown are not typical resting values for this age group; they tend to be either too low to be normal at rest or too high to reflect a normal resting rate in a child older than 3.