Most exclusively breastfed babies take in about 25 ounces of breastmilk per day between one and six months of age. That number stays surprisingly stable during this window, even as your baby doubles in weight. What changes is how much they take per feeding and how often they eat. Here’s what to expect at each stage.
The First Week: Tiny Stomach, Tiny Amounts
At birth, your baby’s stomach is roughly the size of a marble and holds about 1 to 2 teaspoons. This is why newborns feed so frequently, sometimes every 1 to 3 hours, and why the small volumes of colostrum your body produces in the first few days are perfectly matched to what they need. By the end of the first week, stomach capacity has expanded significantly, and your baby will take in noticeably more at each feeding.
During this period, expect 8 to 12 feedings in a 24-hour period. Many parents worry that they aren’t producing enough in those early days, but the tiny amounts of colostrum are calorie-dense and exactly the right volume for a newborn stomach.
One to Six Months: The Plateau
This is where breastmilk intake does something counterintuitive. Research on healthy, exclusively breastfed infants shows that daily intake rises from about 21 ounces (624 mL) at one month to roughly 25 ounces (735 mL) at three months, then holds steady at about 24.5 ounces (729 mL) at six months. Unlike formula-fed babies, who tend to consume increasingly larger volumes as they grow, breastfed babies hit a plateau around one month and maintain a relatively constant daily intake through six months.
The reason is that breastmilk composition changes over time. The milk itself becomes more calorie-dense and nutrient-rich as your baby grows, so your baby doesn’t need to drink more volume to get more nutrition. This also means that per pound of body weight, intake actually decreases: about 4.6 ounces per kilogram at one month drops to roughly 3.6 ounces per kilogram at six months.
In practical terms, if your baby is eating 8 to 12 times a day, each feeding works out to about 2 to 4 ounces. By three or four months, many babies become more efficient at the breast and may space feedings to every 2 to 4 hours, taking a bit more at each session.
Per-Feeding Amounts by Age
Here’s a general breakdown of what most breastfed babies take at each feeding:
- First few days: 1 to 2 teaspoons per feeding (colostrum)
- End of first week: 1 to 2 ounces per feeding
- 2 to 4 weeks: 2 to 3 ounces per feeding
- 1 to 6 months: 3 to 5 ounces per feeding, with total daily intake averaging 24 to 25 ounces
These numbers apply most directly to babies drinking expressed milk from a bottle, since that’s how researchers measure volume. If you’re nursing directly, your baby self-regulates intake at the breast, and there’s no need to measure. The per-feeding amounts are most useful if you’re pumping and want to know how much to leave with a caregiver.
Six to Twelve Months: Solids Enter the Picture
Around six months, solid foods begin to complement breastmilk, though breastmilk remains the primary source of nutrition for the rest of the first year. The shift is gradual. Babies six to eight months old typically eat two to three small meals of solid food per day, while continuing to breastfeed on demand. From nine months onward, most babies take three to four meals plus a snack or two.
As solids increase, breastmilk intake naturally decreases. Research shows that by 12 months, average daily breastmilk intake drops to about 20 ounces (593 mL). Your baby won’t cut back dramatically overnight. It’s more of a gradual taper as they eat more table food and rely less on milk for calories.
A good approach when introducing solids is to offer breastmilk first, then a small amount of food, and finish with more breastmilk. This ensures your baby still gets adequate milk while learning to eat.
How to Tell Your Baby Is Getting Enough
Since most breastfeeding happens directly at the breast, you can’t see exactly how many ounces your baby is taking. Instead, you track output and growth. After the first four days, look for at least 5 to 6 wet diapers every 24 hours. To gauge what a sufficiently wet diaper feels like, pour 3 tablespoons of water into a clean diaper. Your baby should also have at least 3 to 4 yellow stools daily, each about the size of a quarter or larger.
Weight gain is the most reliable indicator. After your milk comes in, a healthy breastfed baby gains about 6 ounces per week on average. Your pediatrician will track this at well-child visits, but if you’re concerned between appointments, many lactation consultants and pediatric offices offer weight checks where they weigh your baby before and after a feeding to estimate intake.
Bottle-Fed Breastmilk: Watch for Overfeeding
When babies drink expressed breastmilk from a bottle, they sometimes take in more than they would at the breast. The steady flow of a bottle makes it easy to drink past the point of fullness. If your baby routinely drains 5- or 6-ounce bottles and seems unsatisfied, the issue is more likely flow speed than hunger.
Paced bottle feeding helps prevent this. Hold the bottle at a shallow angle so your baby has to work for the milk, pause every few minutes, and let them signal when they’re done rather than encouraging them to finish. For exclusively breastfed babies, individual bottles of 3 to 4 ounces are a good starting point, with the option to offer a small amount more if your baby still shows hunger cues. Preparing smaller bottles and topping off as needed wastes less milk than filling large bottles your baby may not finish.