A healthy 10-month-old typically needs about 24 ounces of breast milk or formula per day, spread across three to four feedings. That works out to roughly 6 to 7 ounces per feeding if you’re formula feeding, or about four breastfeeding sessions over 24 hours. At this age, milk is still the primary source of nutrition, but solids are playing an increasingly important role in your baby’s diet.
Daily Milk Volume by Feeding Type
For formula-fed babies at 10 months, the target is 6 to 7 ounces every four to six hours, adding up to three or four bottles a day. That puts total daily intake somewhere between 18 and 28 ounces, with most babies landing around 24 ounces.
Breastfed babies at this age typically nurse about four times in 24 hours. Since you can’t measure volume at the breast, the best indicators that your baby is getting enough are steady weight gain, wet diapers (at least four to six per day), and general contentedness between feedings. If your baby seems satisfied after nursing and is eating solids well, milk intake is likely on track.
Balancing Milk and Solid Foods
At 10 months, your baby should be eating something about five or six times a day. That breaks down to roughly three meals of solid food and two to three snacks, alongside those three or four milk feedings. The CDC considers breast milk or formula the main source of nutrition through the first 12 months, but solids are no longer just “practice” at this stage. Your baby needs the iron, zinc, and other nutrients that milk alone can’t fully provide.
A common pattern that works well: offer milk first thing in the morning and before bed, then build meals and snacks around those anchor feedings during the day. Some parents find it helpful to offer milk about 30 minutes before or after solid meals rather than right alongside them, so the baby comes to the table with enough appetite to eat real food.
Why Too Much Milk Becomes a Problem
If your baby is filling up on milk and refusing solids, that’s worth paying attention to. The biggest risk of excessive milk intake in older infants is iron deficiency. Milk, whether breast milk, formula, or especially cow’s milk, is low in iron. When babies drink too much, they eat fewer iron-rich solids, and the cycle reinforces itself.
Cow’s milk is a particular concern. It contains only 0.5 mg of iron per liter, and its high calcium and protein content actually block iron absorption from other foods. In young children, excessive cow’s milk consumption has also been linked to small amounts of intestinal blood loss, which further depletes iron stores. Iron deficiency can cause progressive loss of appetite, creating a worsening pattern where the baby eats even less solid food and drinks even more milk. This is one reason cow’s milk should not be introduced as a primary drink before 12 months. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends only breast milk or formula as milk beverages for babies under one year.
Signs that your baby may be getting too much milk relative to solids include consistently refusing food at mealtimes, spitting up frequently after feedings, or appearing uncomfortable and unsettled after bottles. If your baby is drinking well over 30 ounces of formula a day and showing little interest in solid foods, it’s worth reassessing the feeding schedule.
Night Feedings at 10 Months
Most 10-month-olds don’t nutritionally need nighttime feedings. Healthy babies at this age can generally get everything they need during the day. That said, breastfed babies may still wake for zero to two feedings per night, and formula-fed babies zero to one. Both are considered normal as long as your baby is growing well.
If your baby is still feeding once or twice overnight and you’d like to reduce that, try gradually. These nighttime feeds are often more about comfort and habit than hunger at this point, though every baby is different.
Starting the Transition to Cups
Ten months is a good time to begin practicing with a cup. You can start by putting small amounts of breast milk or formula in a cup at mealtimes. Your baby will probably need help holding it, and that’s fine. The goal isn’t to replace bottles immediately. It’s to build the skill so your child is drinking from a cup by their first birthday.
A few practical tips: don’t offer the bottle during the same meal where you’re practicing with the cup, and only let your baby use a sippy cup while sitting down. When your child gets comfortable, aim to transition from a spouted sippy cup to a lidded cup without a spout by around 18 months, since prolonged spout use can affect how teeth come in.
Water and Other Drinks
Between 6 and 12 months, babies can have 4 to 8 ounces of water per day. This is in addition to their milk, not a replacement for it. Water is mainly helpful alongside solid meals and for getting your baby used to the taste. Juice, flavored milks, and plant-based milks are not recommended at this age.
Vitamin D for Breastfed Babies
All babies under 12 months need 400 IU of vitamin D daily. Formula-fed babies typically get enough through their formula, since it’s fortified. Breastfed babies, or babies who drink less than about 32 ounces of formula per day, usually need a vitamin D supplement in the form of drops. This is especially important as milk feedings decrease and solid foods increase, since most solid foods babies eat at this age aren’t significant sources of vitamin D.