Pediatric Maintenance Fluids
Holliday-Segar maintenance requirements — hourly (4-2-1) and daily (100/50/20) from weight.
Enter the child’s weight to calculate.
How the rule works
Holliday-Segar allots 4 mL/kg/hr for the first 10 kg, 2 mL/kg/hr for the next 10 kg, and 1 mL/kg/hr for every kg above 20 (100/50/20 mL/kg/day for daily totals). It estimates maintenance needs only — deficit replacement and ongoing losses are calculated separately.
Maintenance formulas don’t apply to neonates in the first days of life and need caution in renal, cardiac, and SIADH-risk patients, where ordered rates often run below calculated maintenance.
Educational use only. IV fluid type and rate are provider orders; this calculator supports order verification and exam practice, not independent fluid decisions. This material supports nursing education and exam review. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for clinical judgment, institutional policy, or medical direction. Always follow facility protocols and current provider orders.