“How do you know if your child is breathing too fast?”

Talk to your family doctor.

Breathing is automatic. Fast breathing may reflect air hunger, as in asthma or pneumonia. See a doctor if breathing is labored and not just due to exercise or exertion. Rate can be counted per minute, and should be less than 24 at rest. Infants may have a higher rate.

The normal respiratory rate for a 7-year-old is 18-30 breaths per minute. Apart from fast breathing, other things that might be a concern is if he complains of being short of breath ("I'm out of breath") or you notice that he is sucking the wall of his chest between his ribs or sucking his stomach in when he inhales.

You can count the number of times he breathes per minute; this is best accomplished when he does not know it is being done, and should be done when he is at rest, or sleeping. Set a timer for one minute or look at your watch, then count his breaths for an entire minute. Normal rate for a child his age is between 18 and 30 breaths per minute. Simply put, this means that, when at rest, your child should not breathe more often than every two seconds.

Randall Fisher, M.D.