At 12 months old, your child needs roughly 16 to 24 ounces of formula (or milk) per day, depending on how much solid food they’re eating. This is a turning point: solid foods should now be the primary source of nutrition, with formula or milk playing a supporting role rather than the starring one.
Daily Formula Amounts at 12 Months
Between 10 and 12 months, most babies drink about 24 to 30 ounces of formula spread across three to four feedings per day. By the time your child hits their first birthday, that number starts dropping. The goal is to settle around 16 ounces (2 cups) per day as solid meals take over. Offering about 4 ounces at each meal or snack is a practical way to hit that target without overdoing it.
Staying at or under 16 ounces is ideal because too much formula or milk can crowd out the variety of foods your child needs. If your toddler fills up on liquids, they’re less likely to eat enough iron-rich foods like meat, beans, and fortified cereals. Children between ages 1 and 5 who drink more than 24 ounces of milk per day are at higher risk for iron-deficiency anemia, so that 24-ounce mark is the firm upper limit.
Switching From Formula to Whole Milk
Most pediatricians recommend transitioning from formula to whole cow’s milk right around 12 months. There’s no medical need for toddler formula in a healthy child eating a varied diet. The European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition has stated there is no need for routine use of toddler formulas for children ages 1 to 3. Plain whole cow’s milk, combined with a balanced diet, provides what your child needs.
The switch doesn’t have to happen overnight. If your child takes to cow’s milk easily, start by offering a 2- to 4-ounce serving of milk for every two or three servings of formula. Over the course of a week or so, increase the milk servings and decrease formula until you’ve made the full switch.
If your child seems put off by the taste of cow’s milk, try mixing it into prepared formula. In a 4-ounce bottle, start with 3 ounces of formula and 1 ounce of milk. Gradually shift the ratio over several days until the bottle is all milk. Most babies adjust within one to two weeks using this approach.
Why Solids Matter More Now
At 12 months, your child is ready for table food. They can feed themselves, practice with a spoon, and drink from a cup. This is the age when the balance flips: solid foods become the main event, and milk becomes the side dish. A toddler eating three meals and one or two snacks per day, with 16 ounces of whole milk, is getting a well-rounded intake.
Iron is the nutrient to watch most closely during this transition. Formula is iron-fortified, but whole cow’s milk is not. As you reduce formula, make sure your child is regularly eating iron-rich foods: small pieces of soft meat, scrambled eggs, lentils, or iron-fortified baby cereal. Vitamin D also matters. Children 12 to 24 months need 600 IU of vitamin D daily, which whole milk contributes to but rarely covers entirely. Your pediatrician may recommend a supplement.
Ditching the Bottle
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends weaning off the bottle by 12 months. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry extends that window to 15 months. Prolonged bottle use is linked to higher rates of tooth decay and, in some studies, to excess weight gain in toddlers. Switching to an open cup or a straw cup at mealtimes helps your child develop oral motor skills and makes it easier to regulate how much they drink.
A practical first step: offer milk in a cup at meals and keep the bottle only for the bedtime feeding, then phase that one out over a few weeks.
Water and Other Drinks
Between 6 and 12 months, babies need only about 4 to 8 ounces of water per day. As your child moves past their first birthday and eats more solid food, their water needs increase slightly. Offering small sips of water with meals and snacks is enough. Juice is not recommended for children under 12 months and should be limited even after that. Milk and water are the only two drinks your toddler needs.