Most 8-month-olds need 3 to 5 bottles of formula (or breastfeeding sessions) per day, with each bottle holding about 6 to 7 ounces. That puts total daily milk intake somewhere around 24 to 32 ounces. The exact number depends on how much solid food your baby is eating, since by 8 months, solids are becoming a real part of the diet rather than just practice.
Daily Bottle Count and Volume
UC Davis Health recommends 6 to 7 ounces every 3 to 4 hours during the day for babies in the 8- to 9-month range, which works out to about 4 to 6 feedings. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ sample menu for this age includes breast milk or 4 to 6 ounces of formula at breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack, and again before bedtime. That’s roughly 4 to 5 bottles spread across the day, with a possible fifth or sixth if your baby is on the hungrier side or eating less solid food.
If your baby is formula-fed, a typical day might look like four bottles of 6 to 7 ounces each, plus a smaller bedtime bottle of 6 to 8 ounces. If you’re breastfeeding, the same general rhythm applies: 4 to 6 nursing sessions in 24 hours, offered on demand.
How Solids Change the Picture
At 8 months, your baby is likely eating three small meals of solid food each day, plus one or two snacks. The CDC recommends offering something to eat or drink every 2 to 3 hours, which totals about 5 to 6 eating occasions daily. Some of those will be bottles, some will be solid meals, and some will be both together.
As your baby eats more solids, they’ll naturally drink a bit less milk. This is normal and expected. You don’t need to force a full bottle after a big meal of mashed vegetables and yogurt. Milk is still the primary calorie source at this age, but solids are gradually taking on a bigger role. A practical approach: offer the bottle before or alongside a meal so your baby gets their milk first, then let them explore solid foods. Some parents find the reverse works better for their baby. Either way, follow your baby’s lead.
What a Typical Day Looks Like
The AAP’s sample menu for 8- to 12-month-olds gives a useful framework:
- Breakfast: Cereal or scrambled egg with fruit, plus breast milk or 4 to 6 ounces of formula
- Mid-morning snack: Breast milk or 4 to 6 ounces of formula, with cheese or vegetables
- Lunch: Yogurt, beans, or meat with cooked vegetables, plus breast milk or 4 to 6 ounces of formula
- Afternoon snack: A cracker or soft fruit with water
- Dinner: Protein, vegetables, and a soft starch, plus breast milk or 4 to 6 ounces of formula
- Before bed: Breast milk or 6 to 8 ounces of formula
That schedule includes 4 to 5 milk feedings, with water offered at one snack. You can also offer small sips of water throughout the day. The CDC says babies between 6 and 12 months can have 4 to 8 ounces of plain water daily, but water shouldn’t replace milk.
Night Bottles at 8 Months
Most 8-month-olds no longer need to eat overnight. UC Davis Health’s guidelines note “no night-time feeds” starting in the 8th to 9th month for formula-fed babies. Breastfed babies may still wake for 0 to 3 feedings per night, though the need is often more about comfort than hunger at this point.
If your baby is gaining weight well and eating enough during the day, experts recommend beginning to wean off nighttime feedings around 8 to 9 months. A baby who is eating less during the day or whose pediatrician has concerns about growth may still benefit from a nighttime feed. But for most babies at this age, the calories they need can come entirely from daytime meals and bottles.
How to Tell Your Baby Has Had Enough
Eight-month-olds are getting better at communicating when they’re done. The CDC lists several fullness cues to watch for: pushing food or the bottle away, closing their mouth when more is offered, turning their head away, or using hand motions and sounds to signal they’re finished. If your baby consistently leaves an ounce or two in the bottle, that’s not waste. It’s your baby telling you their portion size is a little smaller than what you poured.
Resist the urge to encourage your baby to finish every last ounce. Babies who are allowed to stop when they’re full tend to develop healthier eating patterns. The 6- to 7-ounce guideline per bottle is an average, not a target your baby must hit every single time. Some feedings will be bigger, others smaller, and the total tends to even out across the day.