Most 11-month-olds do well with 3 to 4 bottles of formula (or breastfeeding sessions) per day, totaling roughly 24 to 32 ounces of milk. The exact number depends on how much solid food your baby is eating, since by this age, solids are making up a growing share of their diet.
How Many Ounces per Day
A good rule of thumb for formula-fed babies is about 2.5 ounces per pound of body weight per day. An average 11-month-old weighs around 20 pounds, which puts the daily target near 24 ounces, though some babies drink closer to 28 or 30. The upper limit is generally 32 ounces in 24 hours. Going consistently above that can crowd out solid foods and lead to too many calories from formula alone.
If you’re breastfeeding, exact ounce counts are harder to track, but the same general principle applies: 3 to 4 nursing sessions spread across the day, with solid meals filling the gaps.
Balancing Bottles and Solid Food
At 11 months, your baby should be eating about 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks every day, with something to eat or drink roughly every 2 to 3 hours. Milk is still important for nutrients like fat, calcium, and iron (in formula), but it’s no longer the sole source of nutrition the way it was at 4 or 5 months. Solid food is doing real work now.
A typical daily schedule might look like a bottle first thing in the morning, breakfast an hour later, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an afternoon bottle, dinner, and a final bottle before bed. Some parents offer a small bottle alongside meals, while others keep bottles and solids separate. Either approach works as long as the total milk volume stays in range and your baby is eating a variety of foods.
If your baby seems uninterested in solids, one of the most common reasons is too much milk. Cutting back by one bottle or reducing each bottle by an ounce or two often improves appetite at mealtimes.
Night Feedings at 11 Months
Formula-fed babies over 6 months are unlikely to wake at night from genuine hunger, since formula digests slowly and most babies this age get enough calories during the day. If your baby is still taking a nighttime bottle, it’s reasonable to work on phasing it out. For breastfed babies, night weaning is typically considered from around 12 months, when daytime food intake is reliably meeting their growth needs.
Signs Your Baby Is Getting Enough
The best indicators that your baby is drinking the right amount are steady weight gain on their growth curve, at least 6 heavy wet diapers every 24 hours, and a baby who seems alert and energetic when awake. If your pediatrician is happy with your baby’s growth at checkups, the number of bottles is working.
Starting the Switch to Cups
Eleven months is a great time to start offering some milk in a cup rather than a bottle. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends introducing a cup when solids begin (around 6 months) and gradually reducing bottles between 12 and 18 months. You don’t need to eliminate all bottles overnight at 12 months, but practicing with an open cup or straw cup now makes the transition smoother. By around age 2, open cups are the healthiest option for dental development.
Falling asleep with a bottle is worth avoiding at this age. Milk pooling around the teeth, whether formula or breast milk, increases the risk of early cavities. If your baby uses a bedtime bottle to wind down, try moving it earlier in the routine so you can wipe their gums or brush any teeth afterward.
Water and Other Drinks
Between 6 and 12 months, babies can have 4 to 8 ounces of plain water per day. This is in addition to their milk, not a replacement. Small sips of water with meals help your baby get used to drinking from a cup and stay hydrated as they eat more solid food. Juice, flavored milks, and sweetened drinks aren’t necessary and add sugar without nutritional benefit.
Hold Off on Cow’s Milk
At 11 months, your baby is close to the 12-month mark when whole cow’s milk becomes an option, but it’s worth waiting. Before 12 months, cow’s milk has too much protein and too many minerals for a baby’s kidneys to handle efficiently, and it can increase the risk of intestinal bleeding. It also lacks the right balance of nutrients that formula or breast milk provides. Once your baby turns 1, you can begin swapping formula bottles for whole cow’s milk, typically offering about 16 to 24 ounces per day.