Originally published on June 1, 2025. Updated on August 19, 2026.
If you have ever taken an infant CPR class, watched a first aid demonstration, or searched how to check a baby’s pulse, you may have heard the words brachial pulse.
The brachial pulse is found along the inside of a baby’s upper arm, and it is a pulse site healthcare professionals may use when assessing an infant.
But there is an important distinction every parent and caregiver should understand:
If a baby is unresponsive and not breathing normally or is only gasping, parents and other lay rescuers should not delay CPR while trying to find a pulse.
Canadian Paediatric Society guidance explains that lay rescuers should assess responsiveness and normal breathing rather than delaying CPR for a pulse check. Healthcare professionals may add a pulse check as part of their assessment.
So yes, we can absolutely learn where a brachial pulse is and how to find one.
We just need to understand when that information is useful and, even more importantly, when finding a pulse should not be our priority.
Let’s walk through it together.
What Is a Brachial Pulse?
Every heartbeat sends blood through the arteries in the body.
In infants, one place this pulse can be felt is along the brachial artery in the upper arm. Healthcare professionals commonly use the brachial pulse when assessing an infant because it can be accessed without using the smaller pulse points found at the wrist.
The brachial pulse is located on the inside of the upper arm, between the shoulder and elbow.
You are looking for a gentle, rhythmic beat beneath your fingertips.
Where Do You Find a Brachial Pulse on a Baby?
If you are simply learning the anatomy or have been asked by a healthcare professional to check your baby’s pulse, start when your baby is calm and comfortable.
Step 1: Position Your Baby Safely
Lay your baby on their back on a safe, stable surface or hold them securely in a position that allows you to comfortably reach their upper arm.
There is no need to straighten or pull the arm forcefully.
Simply support it in a relaxed position.
Step 2: Find the Inside of the Upper Arm
Look at the area between your baby’s shoulder and elbow.
The brachial artery runs along the inside of the upper arm.
Step 3: Use Two Fingers
Place the pads of your index and middle fingers gently against the inside of the upper arm.
Avoid using your thumb.
Your thumb has a pulse of its own, which can make it easier to mistake your heartbeat for your baby’s.
Step 4: Apply Gentle Pressure
Press gently until you feel a soft, rhythmic beat.
You do not need to press hard.
In fact, pressing too firmly can make a pulse more difficult to feel.
It may take a little repositioning, especially with a wiggly baby. That is completely normal.
Should Parents Check a Baby’s Pulse During a CPR Emergency?
This is the most important part of this article.
Generally, no.
For parents, grandparents, babysitters and other lay rescuers, a pulse check should not delay CPR.
If an infant is:
Unresponsive
Not breathing normally
Or only gasping
treat the situation as a cardiac arrest emergency.
Current paediatric guidance recommends that lay rescuers begin CPR rather than attempting to determine whether a pulse is present. Pulse detection can be difficult and unreliable, even when someone knows where to look.
⚠️ If a Baby Is Unresponsive and Not Breathing Normally
If this is happening right now:
Make sure the area is safe for you to respond.
Check whether the baby responds.
If the baby is unresponsive and is not breathing normally or is only gasping, call 911 or have someone else call.
Put the phone on speaker if possible so the dispatcher can guide you.
Begin infant CPR immediately.
Use an AED as soon as one is available and follow its prompts.
Continue until the baby shows signs of life or emergency responders take over.
Do not spend valuable time repeatedly searching for a brachial pulse.
Heart & Stroke’s current Canadian CPR guidance emphasizes starting CPR promptly and including rescue breaths during infant and child CPR. Breaths are particularly important in paediatric emergencies because cardiac arrest in children often develops following a breathing problem.
If you are not confident in your CPR skills, call 911 and follow the dispatcher’s instructions.
What About Healthcare Professionals?
This is where you may have seen a brachial pulse check included in CPR training.
Healthcare professionals trained in paediatric Basic Life Support may include a pulse assessment when evaluating an infant.
For an infant, the brachial pulse is one of the pulse sites used.
However, even for healthcare professionals, the pulse check should take no more than 10 seconds. If a definite pulse cannot be felt or the provider is unsure, CPR should begin rather than continuing to search for one.
That difference matters.
Parent or lay rescuer: recognize unresponsiveness and abnormal breathing and begin CPR.
Healthcare professional: may additionally perform a rapid pulse assessment according to their training.
Why Don't We Ask Parents to Check for a Pulse First?
It sounds simple enough: find the pulse, decide whether the heart is beating, then decide what to do.
In real life, it is not always that straightforward.
Pulse checks can be difficult during a stressful emergency. A pulse may be weak, a baby is very small, and adrenaline can make it surprisingly hard to tell whether the beat beneath your fingers belongs to you or the baby.
Research reviewed in current paediatric resuscitation guidance has found that lay rescuers cannot reliably determine whether a pulse is present. That is why current recommendations prioritize recognizing an unresponsive infant who is not breathing normally and starting CPR without delaying for a pulse check.
This simplifies the decision when seconds matter.
You do not need to become a tiny-heartbeat detective.
You need a clear plan.
What Is a Normal Heart Rate for a Baby?
Parents are often surprised by how quickly a baby’s heart beats.
HealthLink BC lists a normal heart-rate range of approximately 70–190 beats per minute for infants from birth to 12 months.
That is intentionally a very broad range.
A baby’s heart rate can change depending on whether they are:
Sleeping
Awake
Crying
Feeding
Moving
Unwell
Feverish
Upset or uncomfortable
This is why one pulse measurement taken at home should not be used on its own to decide whether your baby is well or unwell.
And importantly, this normal heart-rate range is not a CPR decision-making tool for parents.
If your baby looks unwell, has difficulty breathing, has an unusual change in colour, is difficult to wake, or you are otherwise concerned about their condition, seek medical assessment rather than relying on a home pulse count for reassurance.
If your healthcare provider has specifically asked you to monitor your baby’s heart rate, follow the technique and timing they recommend.
When Might a Parent Ever Need to Find a Brachial Pulse?
For most families, checking a brachial pulse will not become part of the everyday baby-care routine.
You may learn to locate it because:
You are curious about what you learned in a CPR class.
A healthcare professional has asked you to monitor your baby’s heart rate.
You work in healthcare and use the skill professionally.
You are completing healthcare-level CPR or Basic Life Support training.
You simply want to understand your baby’s anatomy a little better.
Learning where the pulse is can be useful.
The goal is simply not to confuse knowing where the pulse is with needing to check it before giving CPR.
Common Mistakes When Checking a Brachial Pulse
Using Your Thumb
Use your index and middle fingers instead.
Because your thumb has its own detectable pulse, it can sometimes create confusion about whose heartbeat you are feeling.
Pressing Too Hard
More pressure is not necessarily better.
Use gentle pressure and make small adjustments with your fingertips until you feel the pulse.
Searching for Too Long During an Emergency
This is the biggest one.
If an infant is unresponsive and not breathing normally, parents and lay rescuers should begin CPR rather than spending time looking for a pulse.
Using a Heart-Rate Number to Decide Whether a Baby Needs CPR
For parents, CPR is not started because a home pulse reading falls below a certain number.
The emergency decision is based on the baby being unresponsive and not breathing normally or only gasping.
Assuming a "Normal" Pulse Means Everything Is Fine
Heart rate is only one part of assessing a child.
How your baby is breathing, behaving, responding, feeding and looking all matter.
If something about your baby’s condition concerns you, trust that observation and seek appropriate medical care.
✅ Brachial Pulse Quick Reference
If you are learning where the pulse is:
✔ Find the inside of the upper arm between the shoulder and elbow.
✔ Use your index and middle fingers.
✔ Do not use your thumb.
✔ Apply gentle pressure.
✔ Remember that babies naturally have faster heart rates than adults.
If you are responding to an emergency:
✔ Check responsiveness and breathing.
✔ If the baby is unresponsive and not breathing normally or is only gasping, call 911 and begin CPR.
✔ Do not delay CPR while searching for a pulse.
✔ Include rescue breaths during infant CPR if you are trained to do so.
✔ Use an AED as soon as one is available.
✔ Follow the 911 dispatcher’s instructions.
Why Practising CPR Matters More Than Practising a Pulse Check
Knowing where the brachial artery is can be interesting and useful.
But if you are deciding where to spend your practice time as a parent, CPR and choking first aid deserve the priority.
Learning how to recognize an emergency, position your hands correctly, perform effective compressions, give breaths, respond to choking and use an AED gives you a practical sequence your brain and hands can fall back on when stress is high.
Heart & Stroke’s 2025 Canadian CPR guidance continues to emphasize immediate CPR and rescue breaths for infants and children.
And this is exactly why we practise before we need the skill.
Not because we expect an emergency to happen.
Because preparation makes it easier to act if one ever does.
A written article can help reinforce what you have learned, but it cannot replace practising CPR and choking first aid with proper instruction.
Final Thoughts
If you came here wanting to know where your baby’s brachial pulse is, now you know.
Inside the upper arm. Two fingers. Gentle pressure.
But the most important takeaway is actually something different:
Parents and caregivers do not need to find a pulse before beginning CPR on an infant who is unresponsive and not breathing normally.
That is one less thing to second-guess in an already stressful moment.
Recognize what is happening.
Call for help.
Start CPR.
Use the AED.
Follow the dispatcher.
Prepared parenting is not about memorizing every medical assessment a healthcare professional performs. It is about knowing the actions that are yours to take and feeling confident enough to take them.
That is what we are building together.
You’ve got this!
Continue Learning
Continue building your family’s safety toolkit with these trusted resources from Bump + Baby Matters.
Infant & Child CPR + Choking Classes
Infant Choking First Aid: The 5 + 5 Rule Explained
Unexpected Choking Hazards Parents Often Overlook (And How to Spot Them)
Browse More Parent Safety Articles
Canada’s Ultimate Parent Giveaway
Have a question? We're always happy to help. Send us a message on Instagram.