Pneumonia in children and babies

Pneumonia is a type of chest infection.

Your child has tiny air sacs in their lungs called alveoli. If they get pneumonia, these tiny air sacs swell up and fill with liquid. This makes it harder for your child to breathe. 

How common is pneumonia in children?

Babies and younger children are more likely to get pneumonia than older children. 

In Europe:  

• around 34 in every 10,000 children under the age of 5 get pneumonia
• around 14 in every 10,000 children over the age of 5 get pneumonia . 

Is my child at risk of pneumonia?  

Babies’ and young children’s lungs and immune systems are still developing and growing. This means that they’re more at risk of becoming seriously ill or needing to go to hospital because of pneumonia.

Children and babies may also be more at risk if they:

• are male
• were born prematurely
• have a long-term lung condition, for example asthma or cystic fibrosis
• have another long-term health condition or a weakened immune system
• have been exposed to tobacco smoke
• have been exposed to indoor air pollution
• live in an overcrowded house.  

We have more advice about early life risks to your child’s lungs.

Pneumonia in children is usually caused by a bacterial infection or viruses.

There are different bacterial infections that can cause pneumonia in children, but it’s usually caused by bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae. 

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and flu are the main viruses that cause pneumonia in children. 

Pneumonia symptoms include:   

• a high temperature (fever)
• coughing
• difficulty breathing, for example:
• shortness of breath
• fast breathing
• noisy breathing or wheezing
• wider nostrils when breathing
• making grunting sounds
• babies and children under 5 may also have pauses in their breathing or suck their tummy under their ribs while breathing
• chest or tummy pain in children over 5.

Your child’s GP will usually diagnose them with pneumonia by asking you about their symptoms, examining them and listening to their chest. 

They will also do simple tests to check your child’s heart and breathing rate, temperature and blood pressure.  

They might use a pulse oximeter to check how much oxygen is in their blood.  This is a painless test that uses a sensor placed on your child’s fingertip or earlobe.  

Antibiotics are the main treatment for pneumonia. Usually children get antibiotic tablets or liquid to take for either 3 or 5 days. 

Most children are prescribed an antibiotic called amoxicillin, but there are lots of different antibiotics available to treat pneumonia. Your GP will choose the best antibiotic for your child.

It’s important that your child finishes their course of antibiotics even if they feel better, to make sure their pneumonia is fully treated. Stopping early may mean their infection could come back.

We have more information about taking antibiotics, including antibiotic resistance and other side-effects.

Will my child need to go to hospital? 

Your GP will assess if your child should be looked after in hospital based on their symptoms and other factors, including their age and if they have any long-term health conditions.  

If your child does need to be treated in hospital, they might get:

• antibiotics and fluids through their veins
• oxygen to help them to breathe. 

Seeing your child in hospital might be shocking or scary, but it means that they’re getting the right treatment. Our helpline are available to support you and talk through anything you need. The NHS also has information about staying with your child in hospital. 

If your child’s healthcare professional thinks they can be looked after at home, there are things you can do to help them get better.

Check on your child regularly

Check on your child throughout the day and night. If at any point you’re worried about them, or their symptoms get worse, contact your GP or NHS 111.  

Let your child rest

Let them rest until they feel better. Try to keep them at home and away from other people until they feel well enough to do everyday activities again. 

Keep your child hydrated

Give your child lots of water and fluids so they stay hydrated.  

The NHS has more advice about managing dehydration in children and babies, including what to do if you’re breastfeeding. 

Do not smoke, or let other people smoke, around your child

Cigarette smoke can make your child’s pneumonia symptoms worse and increase their chance of getting pneumonia again.   

We have more advice about how cigarette smoke can harm your child’s lungs and support to help you stop smoking. 

Use medicines

If your child is in pain or has a high temperature (fever), you can give them painkillers.

If your child has asthma, speak to a healthcare professional before giving them painkillers like ibuprofen, aspirin, or other anti-inflammatory painkillers. These medicines could trigger their asthma symptoms. Their healthcare professional can suggest different painkillers instead, like paracetamol.

Do not give your child cough medicine. Coughing will help them recover from pneumonia. If their throat is sore from coughing, give them warm water mixed with honey and lemon to help soothe it.

Manage their temperature

If your child has a fever, do not undress them or use a sponge to cool them down. The NHS has more advice about managing a high temperature (fever) in children.

If your child has asthma or another lung condition 

Make sure your child continues using any medicines or treatments they use to manage their lung condition unless a healthcare professional tells you otherwise. We have more information about managing lung conditions in children.

Recovery time is different for every child, but your child should start to feel better with treatment. In general: 

• their high temperature (fever) and difficulty breathing should go away in 3 to 4 days
• their cough should gradually improve, but might last for around 4 weeks
• they should be fully recovered with no long term side effects after 6 to 9 months. 

Vaccines that can help prevent pneumonia

Pneumococcal vaccine 

The pneumococcal (pneumonia) vaccine can help protect your child against Streptococcus pneumoniae. This is a type of bacteria that can cause infections including pneumonia.  

All babies can get the pneumococcal vaccine for free from the NHS.  

If your child has a long-term lung condition, they will be offered another pneumococcal vaccine when they’re older. This includes: 

• asthma, if they need constant or repeated use of steroids tablets to manage their asthma
• bronchiectasis
• cystic fibrosis
• interstitial lung disease
• bronchopulmonary dysplasia. 

If you want more advice about the pneumococcal vaccine, the NHS has information about: 

• how often your child will need a pneumococcal vaccine
• people who can get a free pneumococcal vaccine
• what’s in the pneumococcal vaccine
• how your child can get the pneumococcal vaccine
• side effects of the pneumococcal vaccine
• how the pneumococcal vaccine works. 

Other vaccines 

You can reduce the risk of your child getting viral pneumonia by making sure they get other vaccines they’re eligible for, like the flu vaccine and COVID-19 vaccine.  

If you’re 28 weeks pregnant or more you can also get the RSV vaccine to help protect your baby from RSV after they’re born. 

The NHS has more advice about what vaccines can help protect your child. 

Do not smoke, or let others smoke, around your child

Breathing in cigarette smoke can increase the chance of your child getting an infection like pneumonia by up to 50%. We have more advice about how cigarette smoke can harm your child’s lungs and support to help you stop smoking.