An 8-month-old typically drinks 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula per day, spread across four to five feedings of about 4 to 8 ounces each. At this age, milk is still the primary source of nutrition, but solid foods are playing an increasingly important role in your baby’s diet.
Formula and Breast Milk Amounts
A typical day for an 8-month-old includes breast milk or formula at breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, dinner, and before bed. Most of those feedings are 4 to 6 ounces, with the bedtime feeding slightly larger at 6 to 8 ounces. That adds up to roughly 24 to 32 ounces total across the day.
If you’re breastfeeding, you won’t know the exact ounce count, and that’s fine. Nursing sessions naturally shorten a bit as your baby eats more solids. Offering the breast before meals ensures your baby still gets enough milk, and you can let your baby’s hunger and fullness cues guide the rest.
How Much Solid Food at 8 Months
By 8 months, your baby is ready for three meals and one or two snacks per day alongside milk feedings. Portion sizes for solids are small: 2 to 4 ounces per food item at each sitting. That means a typical meal might include 2 to 4 ounces of a protein (yogurt, beans, scrambled egg, or diced meat), 2 to 4 ounces of a fruit or vegetable, and a milk feeding.
Here’s what a full day can look like:
- Breakfast: 2 to 4 ounces cereal or one scrambled egg, 2 to 4 ounces fruit, plus 4 to 6 ounces formula or breast milk
- Mid-morning snack: 4 to 6 ounces formula or breast milk, 2 to 4 ounces cheese or cooked vegetables
- Lunch: 2 to 4 ounces yogurt, cottage cheese, beans, or meat, 2 to 4 ounces cooked vegetables, plus 4 to 6 ounces formula or breast milk
- Afternoon snack: A whole grain cracker or teething biscuit, 2 to 4 ounces soft fruit or yogurt
- Dinner: 2 to 4 ounces poultry, meat, or tofu, 2 to 4 ounces green vegetables, 2 to 4 ounces pasta or potato, 2 to 4 ounces fruit, plus 4 to 6 ounces formula or breast milk
- Before bed: 6 to 8 ounces formula or breast milk
Don’t worry if your baby eats less than these amounts at some meals. Appetites vary widely at this age, and some days your baby will eat twice as much as others. The ranges above are guidelines, not targets you need to hit at every meal.
Water at 8 Months
Your baby can have small amounts of water now that solids are part of the routine. The CDC recommends 4 to 8 ounces of water per day for babies between 6 and 12 months. You don’t need to push water. A few sips from an open cup or straw cup at mealtimes is enough, and it helps your baby practice drinking skills. Breast milk and formula still provide most of the hydration your baby needs.
How to Tell If Your Baby Is Getting Enough
At 8 months, your baby can communicate hunger and fullness more clearly than a newborn can. Hungry babies bring their fists to their mouth, smack their lips, become more alert and active, and turn their head as if searching for the breast or bottle. When they’ve had enough, they’ll turn away, release the bottle nipple or breast, or relax their body and open their fists.
Steady weight gain on your baby’s growth curve is the most reliable sign that the overall balance of milk and solids is working. If your baby seems satisfied after feedings, has six or more wet diapers a day, and is gaining weight consistently, the total ounces are in a good range.
Balancing Milk and Solids
A common mistake at this age is offering so much solid food that your baby drinks significantly less milk. Breast milk and formula are still more calorie-dense and nutritionally complete than most of the solids your baby eats, so they should remain the foundation of the diet through the first year. A practical approach is to offer milk first at each feeding, then follow with solids about 20 to 30 minutes later. This ensures your baby doesn’t fill up on lower-calorie foods like fruits and vegetables at the expense of milk.
On the flip side, some babies are so attached to the bottle or breast that they resist solids. If that’s happening, try offering solids when your baby is alert and moderately hungry, not starving or sleepy. Exposing your baby to a variety of textures, from purees to soft diced pieces, also helps build interest in food during this window.