Most 8-month-olds need about 24 ounces (720 mL) of formula per day, spread across 4 to 6 bottles. Each bottle typically holds 6 to 7 ounces, offered every 3 to 4 hours during the day. That said, this number is lower than what your baby was drinking a couple of months ago, and that’s by design. At 8 months, solid foods are taking on a bigger role, and formula gradually shifts from being the only source of nutrition to sharing the job.
Daily Formula Volume and Feeding Schedule
At 8 months, roughly 400 to 500 of your baby’s 750 to 900 daily calories should come from formula. That works out to about 24 ounces per day. Most babies get there with 4 to 6 bottles of 6 to 7 ounces each, spaced every 3 to 4 hours during waking hours.
These numbers are averages. Some days your baby will drain every bottle, and other days they’ll lose interest halfway through. That’s normal. What matters more than hitting an exact ounce count on any single day is the overall pattern across a week. If your baby is gaining weight steadily and producing plenty of wet diapers, they’re getting enough.
You’ll also notice that total formula intake has dropped compared to the 4- or 5-month mark, when your baby may have been drinking 30 ounces or more. This decline is expected and healthy. As solid foods contribute more calories, your baby naturally needs less formula to fill the gap.
How Formula and Solid Foods Work Together
At 8 months, your baby’s diet is a partnership between formula and solids. Formula still delivers the majority of calories, but solids are no longer just practice. They’re providing real nutrition, especially iron, zinc, and other nutrients that become harder to get from formula alone as your baby grows.
A practical way to structure the day is to aim for about 5 or 6 eating occasions: 3 small meals of solid food plus 2 to 3 bottles of formula in between. Some parents offer formula first thing in the morning, solid food at breakfast, another bottle mid-morning, lunch with solids, an afternoon bottle, dinner with solids, and a final bottle before bed. There’s no single correct order, but offering formula before solids (rather than after) can help ensure your baby still gets enough formula while they’re learning to eat.
If your baby consistently drinks more than 32 ounces of formula a day at this age, it may be crowding out solid foods. That’s worth paying attention to, because solids introduce textures, flavors, and nutrients that formula doesn’t fully cover at this stage.
Reading Your Baby’s Hunger and Fullness Cues
By 8 months, your baby communicates hunger and fullness more clearly than they did as a newborn. Hunger looks like reaching for the spoon or bottle, pointing at food, getting visibly excited when they see food being prepared, or making sounds and gestures that signal they want more. These cues are more reliable than a clock.
Fullness cues are equally telling. When your baby slows down their eating, clamps their mouth shut, pushes food or the bottle away, or shakes their head, they’re done. Pushing past these signals to finish a bottle teaches babies to ignore their own satiety, which isn’t a habit you want to build. One important note: babies use clusters of these signals together. A single head turn doesn’t necessarily mean they’re full. But when you see two or three of these cues at once, trust them.
Crying, by the way, is a late distress signal, not an early hunger cue. If your baby is crying from hunger, they’ve been signaling for a while. Learning to spot the earlier, quieter cues makes feedings smoother for everyone.
Night Feedings at 8 Months
Many 8-month-olds still wake for one or two nighttime feeds, and that’s within the normal range. Some babies drop night feedings as early as 5 or 6 months, while others hold onto one feed until 8 or 9 months before naturally letting it go. There’s wide variation, and neither end is a problem.
If your baby wakes at night and won’t settle back to sleep without eating, they likely still need the calories. If they wake but can be soothed back to sleep with rocking or a pacifier, the feeding may be more habit than hunger. Many families find that when they stop offering the bottle at night, their baby adjusts within a few days and starts sleeping through. But there’s no rush. Following your baby’s lead tends to work better than forcing a timeline.
Water and Other Drinks
At 8 months, your baby can have small amounts of water alongside formula and solids. The recommended range is 4 to 8 ounces of water per day. This isn’t meant to replace formula. It’s to help with hydration as your baby eats more solid food and to get them comfortable drinking from a cup.
Offer water in an open cup or straw cup during meals. Skip juice, flavored water, and cow’s milk at this age. Formula remains the primary drink until 12 months.
Key Nutrients to Keep in Mind
Standard infant formula fortified with iron will meet your baby’s iron needs through the first 12 months. Iron is critical for brain development at this age, and formula provides a reliable, consistent source. As your baby eats more solids, iron-rich foods like pureed meats, beans, and fortified cereals add to what the formula provides, but they don’t need to replace it yet.
If your baby drinks at least 32 ounces of formula daily, they’re also getting enough vitamin D from the formula itself. Babies who drink less than that may need a vitamin D supplement, though at 8 months with a target of 24 ounces, this is worth discussing with your pediatrician.