Although children commonly travel to high altitudes, their respiratory adaptation to hypoxia remains elusive. Therefore, in the present study respiratory inductive plethysmography, pulse oximetry (Sp,O 2 ) and end-tidal CO 2 tension (PET,CO 2 ) were recorded in 20 pre-pubertal children (aged 9-12 yrs) and their fathers during 1 night in Zurich (490 m) and 2 nights at the Swiss Jungfrau-Joch research station (3,450 m) following ascent by train within ,3 h.In children, mean¡SD nocturnal Sp,O 2 fell from 98¡1% at 490 m to 85¡4 and 86¡4% at 3,450 m (nights 1 and 2, respectively); PET,CO 2 decreased significantly from 37¡6 to 32¡3 and 33¡4 mmHg (3,450 versus 490 m). In adults, changes in nocturnal Sp,O 2 and PET,CO 2 at 3,450 m were similar to those in children.Children spent less time in periodic breathing at 3,450 m during night 1 and 2 (8¡11 and 9¡13%, respectively) than adults (34¡24 and 22¡17%, respectively), and their apnoea threshold for CO 2 was lower compared with adults (27¡2 and 30¡2 mmHg, respectively, both nights). Sp,O 2 , PET,CO 2 and time in periodic breathing at altitude were not correlated between children and their fathers.In conclusion, children revealed a similarly reduced nocturnal O 2 saturation and associated hyperventilation at high altitude as adults but their breathing pattern was more stable, possibly related to a lower apnoea threshold for CO 2 .