A six-month-old infant weighs 15 pounds. If daily energy requirement is 108 kcal/kg/day, how many calories should the infant receive per day (rounded to the nearest whole number)?

• A. 735 calories per day.
• B. 420 calories per day.
• C. 575 calories per day.
• D. 650 calories per day.

Answer: (A)

Infants need a specific number of calories per kilogram of body weight each day, so the calculation starts with converting weight to kilograms and then multiplying by the energy need per kilogram.

Convert 15 pounds to kilograms: 15 lb ÷ 2.2046 ≈ 6.804 kg.

Multiply by 108 kcal/kg/day: 6.804 × 108 ≈ 734.8 kcal/day.

Round to the nearest whole number: about 735 kcal/day.

This aligns with the given daily energy requirement per kilogram and shows why the infant should receive roughly 735 calories daily.