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Pediatric Maintenance Calories Calculator

Enter the child's weight to estimate daily maintenance calories.

How it is calculated

The tool uses the Holliday-Segar tiers on body weight W in kilograms. The first 10 kg count 100 kcal each, the next 10 kg (up to 20 kg) count 50 kcal each, and every kilogram above 20 kg counts 20 kcal: kcal = 100 × min(W,10) + 50 × min(max(W−10,0),10) + 20 × max(W−20,0). It also shows kcal ÷ W, the average kcal per kg. Weight must be greater than zero and may have decimals. The tool does not stop at a child's age or weight: a 70 kg input is still computed with the same tiers. The figure is a resting maintenance estimate and does not add for fever, illness, activity or catch-up growth.

Worked example

A child weighs 14.5 kg. The first 10 kg: 10 × 100 = 1,000 kcal. The remaining 4.5 kg fall in the second tier: 4.5 × 50 = 225 kcal. Nothing is above 20 kg. Total: 1,000 + 225 = 1,225 kcal. Average per kg: 1,225 ÷ 14.5 = 84.48. Result: 1,225 kcal per day, or 84.48 kcal/kg.

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Common mistakes

  • Applying 100 kcal/kg to the whole weight. Only the first 10 kg count at that rate, so a 14.5 kg child would be overestimated by about 225 kcal.
  • Entering weight in pounds. The tool expects kilograms, and 32 lb typed as 32 gives a result for a 32 kg child.
  • Treating the number as a feeding target for a sick or underweight child. It is maintenance only and carries no allowance for illness, malnutrition or growth.
  • Using the output for adults. The 20 kcal/kg tier keeps producing numbers for any weight, but the formula was designed for children.
  • Confusing the daily total with a per-feed amount. The result covers 24 hours.

Sources

About this calculator

The Holliday-Segar method is the standard bedside formula for estimating a child's daily maintenance caloric (and fluid) needs from body weight alone: 100 kcal/kg for the first 10 kg, plus 50 kcal/kg for the next 10 kg (11–20 kg), plus 20 kcal/kg for every kilogram above 20 kg. A 25 kg child, for example, needs roughly 1,000 + 500 + 100 = 1,600 kcal per day at rest.

Originally published in 1957 alongside a matching fluid formula, it remains the go-to quick estimate used by pediatricians, pediatric dietitians, and NICU/PICU staff when writing enteral feeding or basic nutrition orders — a starting point that's later refined for illness, activity, and growth needs.

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  • Editorial team

    Watch the per-kilogram line as weight changes: it falls from 100 kcal/kg at 10 kg to 75 kcal/kg at 20 kg and 56.67 kcal/kg at 30 kg, because each tier is cheaper than the last. A rising total with a falling per-kg figure is expected, not a bug. The number is a starting point for a clinician or dietitian, who adjusts it for illness and growth. Do you want a fluid-volume version added?

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