An 11-month-old typically needs 3 to 4 bottles of formula per day, spaced about 4 to 6 hours apart, with each bottle containing 6 to 7 ounces. Breastfed babies at this age usually nurse about 4 times in 24 hours, on demand. The total daily milk intake matters more than the exact number of bottles, and by 11 months, solid foods should be supplying a significant share of your baby’s calories.
Daily Milk Amounts by Feeding Type
Formula-fed babies at 10 to 12 months old do well with 3 to 4 bottles of 6 to 7 ounces each, which works out to roughly 18 to 28 ounces total per day. You’ll notice this is less than what your baby was drinking a few months ago, and that’s exactly the point. As solids increase, milk gradually steps back into a supporting role.
Breastfed babies are harder to measure in ounces, but the pattern is similar: about 4 nursing sessions spread across the day. Some babies cluster feeds closer together while others space them out. Both are normal as long as your baby is gaining weight steadily and seems satisfied between feedings.
How Solids and Milk Work Together
At 11 months, solid food should be providing roughly half of your baby’s total daily calories. Earlier in the solids journey (around 6 to 7 months), food only accounted for about a third. By now, your baby is eating real meals, not just tasting and experimenting.
The CDC recommends offering something to eat or drink every 2 to 3 hours, which adds up to about 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks per day. Bottles fit into this rhythm alongside food rather than replacing meals. A common approach is to offer solids first at mealtimes, then follow with a smaller bottle if your baby is still hungry. This helps ensure they’re getting enough iron and other nutrients that milk alone can’t fully provide at this age.
If your baby is refusing bottles but eating well at meals, that’s a sign they’re naturally shifting toward food. If the opposite is happening, and your baby fills up on milk and then ignores solids, try offering the bottle after the meal instead of before it, or reduce the bottle size slightly.
Night Bottles Are No Longer Necessary
By 11 months, nighttime feedings aren’t nutritionally needed. Continuing to offer a bottle at night can actually create a cycle that disrupts sleep: babies who fall asleep with a bottle often wake up expecting one to get back to sleep, and this pattern can persist well past the first birthday. Dropping the nighttime bottle and concentrating feedings during daytime hours helps your baby learn to fall asleep independently.
Water and Other Drinks
Between 6 and 12 months, babies can have 4 to 8 ounces of plain water per day alongside their breast milk or formula. Water doesn’t replace milk at this stage, but small sips with meals help your baby get used to drinking and support digestion as they eat more textured foods. Juice isn’t recommended.
Starting the Switch From Bottle to Cup
Eleven months is a good time to start offering some milk in a cup rather than a bottle. The AAP recommends introducing a cup as early as 6 months, and the goal is to phase out bottles completely somewhere between 12 and 18 months. You don’t need to go cold turkey. Start by replacing one bottle feeding with a cup, typically the midday one since babies tend to be least attached to it. Gradually swap out more bottles over the coming weeks.
Sippy cups are fine as a transitional tool, but an open cup (with your help) is the healthiest option for developing oral muscles. Most kids should be drinking from an open cup by around age 2.
Hold Off on Cow’s Milk
Even though your baby is just weeks away from turning one, cow’s milk shouldn’t replace formula or breast milk yet. Before 12 months, whole cow’s milk carries real risks: it can cause intestinal bleeding, overloads a baby’s kidneys with excess protein and minerals, and doesn’t contain the right balance of nutrients your baby needs. Stick with formula or breast milk until the first birthday, then make the switch to whole cow’s milk.
Signs Your Baby Is Getting Enough
The right number of bottles varies from baby to baby. Some 11-month-olds are enthusiastic eaters who only want 3 bottles, while others still rely more heavily on milk and take 4. Rather than fixating on a specific count, watch for these signs that the overall balance is working: steady weight gain at regular checkups, 4 to 6 wet diapers a day, energy and alertness during wake times, and interest in food at meals. If your baby is hitting those markers, the number of bottles they’re taking is the right number for them.