A complete guide to measuring children's blood pressure at home

Blood pressure is a measure of how hard the heart is working to push blood through the blood vessels. If your child is diagnosed with high blood pressure, you will need to have it measured at home regularly. Then, why is it necessary to measure children's blood pressure regularly and how to do it at home?

Why is it necessary to measure children's blood pressure regularly?

High blood pressure or what is commonly called hypertension occurs when blood flow from the heart to the walls of the blood vessels (arteries) is very strong. This condition can happen to anyone, including children.

Based on data from The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), there is an increasing number of children with hypertension in the United States. It is recorded that 19% of boys and 12% of girls in the United States suffer from hypertension.

If left untreated, this condition can last until the child is an adult and will increase the risk of complications from hypertension, such as kidney disease, stroke, heart attack, or heart disease.

Therefore, it is necessary to prevent these complications by measuring and controlling blood pressure in children regularly, especially those suffering from hypertension. The doctor will take the right treatment steps according to your child's condition. However, this also needs to be accompanied by adopting a healthy lifestyle by eating foods for hypertension, staying away from various dietary restrictions that trigger hypertension, and doing regular exercise for hypertension.

Things to do before measuring a child's blood pressure

Measuring a child's blood pressure is tricky. You need to know a few things that must be done when taking measurements so that the results can be accurate. Here are some things that need to be considered before measurements are made:

Consult a doctor. The doctor will provide guidance on how many measurements need to be taken in a day, what is a good measure of blood pressure, and what needs to be done, according to your child's condition.
Take the child's blood pressure when your child is relaxed and resting.
Take your child's blood pressure before giving blood pressure medication.
Too much activity, excitement, or nervous tension can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure.
If your child has symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and blurred vision, this may mean that your child's blood pressure is too high or too low.
Every 6 months, you must bring a blood pressure gauge when you come to the clinic so that it can be checked for accuracy.

In addition to paying attention to these things, you also need to prepare equipment to measure blood pressure in children, namely a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. Ask the nurses at the clinic or hospital where your child is seeking treatment to find out where you can get these items.

Some blood pressure cuffs are with a manual dial and some are electronic. Using a manual blood pressure measuring device does require special abilities. You can ask the nuns to teach you to use these tools. If you don't want to be bothered, you can also choose an electric blood pressure meter. With this tool, you can easily check your baby's blood pressure with just one click.

Don't forget to prepare a special notebook to record the progress of your child's blood pressure. In the note, you also need to record the date and time the measurement was taken.

How to measure your child's blood pressure?

When all the equipment and condition of your child is ready, you can start measuring the child's blood pressure at home. Keep in mind, always take measurements according to doctor's instructions. Your doctor or nurse will guide you and show you how to measure your child's blood pressure at home accurately. Here are the steps if you are using manual tools:

Sit your child in a chair next to a table or lie down so that the child can rest their arms close to the heart.
Turn the screw beside the rubber ball to the left to open it. Let the air out of the cuff.
Place the cuff on your child's upper arm above the elbow, with the Velcro edge facing out. Wrap the cuff around your child's arm. Fasten the Velcro edges.
Place the first and second fingers on the inside of your child's elbow and feel for a pulse. Place the flat part of the stethoscope where you feel the pulse, then place it earphones in your ear.
Turn the screw beside the rubber ball to the right until it is stuck.
Pump the ball off the cuff with one hand until you can no longer hear the pulse.
Slowly unscrew the screw until you hear the first pulse. Remember the number of the needle points to the number when you hear the first pulse sound. That number is systolic pressure, the top number in blood pressure (for example, 120 /).
Keep watching the numbers and slowly continue to unscrew the screw until you hear the pulse change from a loud hum to a soft sound or until the sound disappears. Pay attention to the numbers on the numbers when you hear a soft sound or no sound. That number is the diastolic blood pressure, the lower number of blood pressure (for example, / 80).
Record blood pressure measurements (for example, 120/80) in a diary.

This special notebook for measuring blood pressure needs to be taken with you every scheduled consultation with your pediatrician. The doctor will read the results and provide information about your child's health development.

How to read blood pressure

Not only how to measure, you need to know how to read the blood pressure printed on the instrument. This certainly makes it easier for you to take notes in a book and find out whether your child's blood pressure is well controlled.

When measuring blood pressure, there are two numbers to read. For example, the result of blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg. So, for the top number (in this example, which is 120) is the systolic pressure. This shows the pressure of blood flowing through the blood vessels as the heart contracts and forces blood out.

The bottom number (in this example, 80) is the diastolic pressure, which tells you the pressure of blood flowing through your blood vessels while your heart is resting.

What to do if your child's blood pressure is too high?

If after measuring and found that your child's blood pressure is too high, there are a number of things you can do before taking high blood pressure medication from a doctor. Here's what you need to do:

Make sure that your child is calm and rested.
Check your child's blood pressure again after 20 to 30 minutes. If it is still too high, give medicine.
If blood pressure does not drop within 45 minutes after administering medication, contact your child's clinic.

Taking high blood pressure medications regularly may not be enough to keep blood pressure within a normal range. Your child may be prescribed a dose of blood pressure medication "prn," which means the dose is taken as needed.

What to do if your child's blood pressure is too low?

If after measuring blood pressure you get low blood pressure results in your child, you can do the following:

Have your child lie down and rest.
When it is time to give your child a dose of blood pressure medication, don't give it.
Take your child's blood pressure again in 15 minutes.
If the blood pressure remains too low, or if your child looks unwell, contact your doctor or pediatric clinic for further treatment.