A calorie is a measurement of energy. Your child needs adequate energy to perform daily activities, but if this energy is not burned, it is stored as fat. The number of calories or energy needed daily for children varies, depending on age, sex and activity level. You can calculate your child's daily energy needs with a simple calculation. This will help you know how much food your child should be getting each day to help her perform her best at school and at play.
Step 1
Measure your child's height in inches. Stand your child in socks or bare feet with his back against the wall, looking straight ahead, with his feet shoulder-width apart. Using a pencil, compress his hair and make your mark even with the top of the head. Measure from the floor up to the mark in inches.
Step 2
Weigh your child in pounds. To get the most accurate reading, have her remove her clothes. Place the scale on a hard, level surface and have her step on, looking ahead and maintaining a relaxed position. The first thing in the morning, immediately after going to the bathroom, will give the the most accurate body weight.
Step 3
Input the height and weight measurements into the Harris-Benedict formula for base metabolic rate (BMR).
Girl: BMR = 655 + (4.35 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years).
Boy: BMR = 66 + (6.23 x weight in pounds) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in year).
Step 4
Multiply the BMR by the activity level of your child. Sedentary (little or no exercise), BMR x 1.2; lightly active (light exercise one to three days a week), BMR x 1.375; moderately active (moderate exercise or sports three to five days a week), BMR x 1.55; very active (hard exercise or sports six or seven days a week), BMR x 1.725; extra active (very hard exercise or sports or heavy training), BMR x 1.9.
Step 5
Use the result to determine daily caloric needs for weight maintenance, always allowing for growth and energy changes. Make weight loss or gain adjustments under medical recommendations.
Tips and Warnings
- There are a number of children's caloric calculators online for quick and easy access (see Resources). A good time to determine average calories is after well child visit with accurate weight and height measurement. Follow the height and weight measurement guidelines for use in any method of calculation.
Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Scale
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