At 8 months old, your baby should be eating or drinking something every 2 to 3 hours, which works out to about 5 or 6 times a day. That typically breaks down into 3 meals of solid food plus 2 to 3 milk feedings (breast milk or formula). The exact timing will vary based on your baby’s sleep schedule and appetite, but this rhythm keeps them fueled without long gaps between nutrition.
How Milk and Solids Fit Together
Breast milk or formula is still a major source of calories and nutrition at this age, but solids are becoming increasingly important. Most 8-month-olds are eating 3 solid meals a day alongside their milk feedings. Some parents offer milk first and solids 30 to 60 minutes later; others do the reverse. Either approach works, and you’ll likely settle into whatever pattern keeps your baby interested in both.
A typical day might look something like this: a milk feeding when your baby wakes up, breakfast an hour or so later, a mid-morning milk feeding, lunch around midday, an afternoon milk feeding, dinner in the early evening, and a final milk feeding before bed. That’s roughly 3 to 4 milk sessions and 3 meals. Some babies want a small snack in the afternoon too, which is perfectly normal at this stage.
Portion Sizes at 8 Months
There’s no precise amount of solid food your baby needs to eat at each sitting. Portions at this age are small, often just a few tablespoons of each food you offer. Start with a small amount on the plate or tray, and let your baby decide how much to eat. Some meals they’ll devour everything; others they’ll barely touch. Both are normal. The goal right now is exposure to a variety of tastes and textures, not hitting a calorie target from solids alone.
Iron-Rich Foods Matter Most
Once babies start solids around 6 months, getting enough iron becomes a priority. By 8 months, the iron stores your baby was born with are running low, and milk alone doesn’t provide enough. Focus on offering iron-rich foods regularly throughout the week.
The best sources of iron for babies include red meat (beef, lamb, pork), poultry, fish, and eggs. These contain a form of iron the body absorbs easily. Plant-based options like iron-fortified infant cereal, lentils, beans, tofu, and dark leafy greens also provide iron, though it’s harder for the body to absorb. You can boost absorption by pairing those plant sources with vitamin C-rich foods like berries, tomatoes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, or citrus fruits.
How Much Water to Offer
Between 6 and 12 months, babies can have 4 to 8 ounces of water per day. That’s a small amount, just enough to help with digestion as they eat more solids. You don’t need to push water at this age. Offering a few sips from an open cup or straw cup at mealtimes is plenty. Breast milk and formula still provide most of your baby’s hydration.
Reading Your Baby’s Hunger and Fullness Cues
Schedules are helpful as a framework, but your baby’s own signals should guide how much they eat at any given meal. At 8 months, hunger cues are fairly clear: reaching or pointing at food, opening their mouth when you offer a spoon, and getting visibly excited when they see food. Some babies use hand motions or sounds to tell you they want more.
Fullness looks like the opposite. Your baby might push food away, close their mouth when you bring the spoon near, or turn their head to the side. When you see these signals, the meal is over, even if there’s food left. Pressuring a baby to finish what’s on the plate can interfere with their ability to self-regulate appetite, a skill that serves them well for years to come.
Night Feedings at 8 Months
Whether your baby still needs to eat overnight depends partly on how they’re fed. Formula-fed babies over 6 months are generally getting enough during the day and are unlikely to wake from genuine hunger. Night weaning is reasonable to consider at this point if you’d like to.
For breastfed babies, the picture is a bit different. Nighttime nursing still plays a role in maintaining milk supply, and many experts suggest waiting until around 12 months before actively weaning off night feeds. That said, plenty of breastfed 8-month-olds naturally drop to one or zero overnight feeds on their own. If your baby is growing well and eating solids enthusiastically during the day, an occasional overnight wake-up is more likely about comfort or habit than hunger.
A Flexible Approach Works Best
The every-2-to-3-hours guideline is a useful starting point, but no two babies follow the same schedule perfectly. Some days your 8-month-old will eat enthusiastically at every meal. Other days, teething, a cold, or simple mood will throw things off. What matters over the course of a week is that your baby is getting a mix of milk and a variety of solid foods, with iron-rich options showing up regularly. As long as your baby is gaining weight steadily and seems satisfied after most feedings, you’re on track.