Mary Kay said,

<< I believe the 2.5 figure came from information to MAINTAIN weight and
 the 2.75 or 3.0 figure would be more useful to calculate for growth
 needs. I learned this from Kittie Frantz at a UCLA Lactation Educator
 course 12 years ago. I will check current syllabus for a reference.
 Perhaps in Kittie's book? >>

I've not heard a higher figure than 2.5 x the current weight.  There is also
another "formula" and that is to convert the weight to ounces & divide by 6.
I believe that is based on 120 kcal/kg of body weight.  It will give you the
total number of ounces per day.  The problem with both these methods (or any
"method") is that it tells you just an approximation, and both are based on a
fairly high energy need of the newborn.  It doesn't account for the lower
energy needs as the baby grows.  Nor does it account for the increase in
caloric value of breastmilk as the baby gets older.  So while it is useful as
an estimation of how much a newborn needs to increase his intake who is a
slow weight gain or FTT, neither method is terribly helpful in determining
how much a baby who is, say, 4 months old needs if he is falling off the
weight charts.

Unless, of course, the baby is formula fed.  In that case the only
consideration is the baby's age and energy needs as the formula is static,
unchanging, and -- um -- dead.

Jan B. in sunny Wheaton -- leaving for San Francisco in a couple of days!

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