The authors have proposed specific revisions to current International Headache Society (IHS) criteria for the diagnosis of headache. They include: (1) the use of the terms 'clinically definite' and 'clinically probable' to preface the diagnosis of a particular headache disorder to distinguish between situations in which (a) all criteria for the disorder are fulfilled and (b) one or two criteria are not fulfilled; (2) a slight revision to the criteria for the diagnosis of migraine with aura; (3) acceptance by the IHS of a category 'co-existing migraine and tension-type headache'; (4) consistency in the use of terms and elimination of ambiguous phrases; and (5) the omission of rule 7. The authors trust that these suggestions will help make the recommendations of the IHS more applicable to paediatric practice.