Objective This study examines the impacts of an improved electrode placement on the electrocardiogram (ECG) results in order to determine a better electrode placement for ECG monitoring in children.Methods ECG was recorded using the traditional electrode placement and the modified electrode placement (with shortened electrode distance) respectively in 50 pediatric patients. The amplitudes of P wave and QRS wave on ECG by the two measurements were compared. Furthermore, the impacts of different body positions on the amplitudes of P wave and QRS wave were studied after applying the modified electrode placement.Results There were no significant differences in the amplitudes of P wave and QRS wave on ECG by the traditional electrode placement and the modified electrode placement (P>0.05). When modified electrode placement was utilized, the body position change did not lead to significant changes in the amplitudes of P wave and QRS wave (P>0.05).Conclusions A satisfactory ECG can be obtained with the modified electrode placement independent of patient's body position, suggesting that the modified electrode placement can be used instead of the traditional placement in children.