Guide · Interactive
How to count your baby's breathing.
Fast breathing is one of the earliest signs of pneumonia, and pneumonia is still one of the biggest killers of Nigerian children under five. It is also one of the easiest things in medicine for a parent to check at home, you need a clock and one quiet minute. Count with the tool below.
Come in now, do not wait for morning
Any one of these on its own is enough. You do not need all of them.
- Fast breathing at or above the number for their age
- Skin pulling in under the ribs or at the neck
- Grunting with each breath
- Blue or dusky lips, tongue or gums
- Stopping breathing for more than 20 seconds
- Too breathless to feed, or refusing feeds
- Floppy, very sleepy, or hard to wake
- Convulsions
Count it now
Your baby must be calm, not crying, not feeding, not just woken. A crying baby breathes fast and it means nothing. Lift the clothing so you can see the chest and tummy, pick the age band, then tap once for every single breath (one rise and fall together counts as one).
Breath counter
Sixty seconds. Tap on every breath you see. We will tell you what the number means.
The numbers that matter
These are the World Health Organization thresholds used in clinics across Nigeria. At or above the number for your child's age counts as fast breathing.
| Age | Usual range | Fast breathing is |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 months | 30–60 a minute | 60 or more |
| 2 to 11 months | 25–50 a minute | 50 or more |
| 1 to 5 years | 20–40 a minute | 40 or more |
Newborns are irregular by nature. A brand-new baby may breathe quickly for a few seconds, pause for up to about ten seconds, then start again. That pattern on its own is normal. A pause longer than twenty seconds, or one where the baby goes blue or floppy, is not — that is an emergency.
What to look for besides the number
The count is only half of it. These signs matter even if the number comes out normal:
- Indrawing: the skin sucking inwards under the ribs or at the base of the neck with each breath. The chest should rise outwards, not pull in.
- Grunting: a short sound on breathing out, almost like a small complaint each time. In a newborn this is a serious sign.
- Nostrils flaring wide open with each breath.
- Head bobbing in time with breathing.
- A blue or dusky tinge to the lips, tongue or gums.
- Stopping to breathe while feeding, or being unable to finish a feed.
- Wheezing or a barking cough.
Common questions
My baby was crying while I counted. Does it count?
No. Crying, feeding and having just woken all push the rate up. Wait until your baby is settled and count again. If your baby is too distressed to ever be calm, that itself is worth a call.
What exactly is one breath?
One rise and one fall together. Watch the tummy rather than the chest in small babies, it moves more obviously. Counting the rises only is the commonest mistake and it halves your number.
Can I count for 30 seconds and double it?
It is better than not counting, but a full minute is more reliable in babies precisely because their breathing is irregular. A short count landing on a fast patch can frighten you for no reason, and landing on a slow patch can falsely reassure you.
The number was normal but I am still worried.
Then bring your baby in. A normal count does not rule out illness, and a mother's sense that something is wrong is a recognised clinical warning sign in its own right. Nobody here will think you wasted their time.
Is this the same as pneumonia?
Fast breathing is how pneumonia is screened for in children, but it is not a diagnosis. Asthma, bronchiolitis, malaria, anaemia, a blocked nose and a high fever can all raise the rate. Working out which is what a clinician is for.
Does a blocked nose count?
A snuffly newborn can sound dramatic and be completely fine — babies breathe through their nose, so a blocked one is noisy. Noise is not the same as difficulty. It is the rate, the indrawing and the feeding that tell you whether it is serious.
Next
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Handwashing that works, and visitor rules nobody will be offended by.
Read the guideAsk a question
Real questions from Nigerian mums, answered properly.
Browse questionsIf the count worries you, come in.
If this is an emergency, do not message or book — come straight in, or go to the nearest emergency department. Do not drive yourself. Call +234 809 016 0175.