Most 11-month-olds need about 3 to 4 bottles per day, with 6 to 7 ounces in each bottle. That works out to roughly 24 ounces (720 mL) of breast milk or formula over the course of a day. The exact number depends on how much solid food your baby is eating, since by this age, solids should be a significant part of their diet.
How Many Bottles and How Much Milk
At 11 months, feedings are typically spaced 4 to 6 hours apart, which naturally lands at 3 to 4 bottles in a 24-hour period. Each bottle holds around 6 to 7 ounces. The total daily target is about 24 ounces, which provides roughly 400 to 500 of the 750 to 900 calories your baby needs each day. The rest comes from solid foods.
Some babies start dropping to 3 bottles on their own as they eat more at meals. If your baby is enthusiastically eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner with snacks, 3 bottles is perfectly normal. If they’re still warming up to solids, 4 bottles keeps their nutrition on track while they build those skills.
Balancing Milk and Solid Food
At this age, milk and solids work as partners rather than one replacing the other. About half your baby’s daily calories should still come from breast milk or formula, with the other half from a variety of solid foods. A common mistake is offering a full bottle right before a meal, which can fill your baby up and make them less interested in food. Try offering solids first when your baby is hungry, then following up with a bottle.
If your baby is drinking significantly more than 24 ounces of milk per day, they may not be getting enough iron and other nutrients from solid foods. Excessive milk intake is one of the leading causes of iron-deficiency anemia in young children, because milk is low in iron and can crowd out iron-rich foods like meat, beans, and fortified cereals. There’s no need to count every ounce obsessively, but if your baby consistently wants 30 or more ounces of milk a day and shows little interest in food, it’s worth bringing up with your pediatrician.
A Typical Day at 11 Months
A realistic feeding schedule might look something like this:
- Morning: 6–7 oz bottle after waking, followed by breakfast (soft fruit, cereal, scrambled egg)
- Midday: Lunch of soft finger foods, then a 6–7 oz bottle before a nap
- Afternoon: A small snack and possibly a 6–7 oz bottle
- Evening: Dinner with the family, then a 6–7 oz bottle before bed
Not every baby follows this pattern. Some prefer a bigger bottle in the morning and a smaller one at lunch. Others drop the afternoon bottle entirely. The total daily volume matters more than how it’s divided up.
Water and Other Drinks
Between 6 and 12 months, babies can have 4 to 8 ounces of water per day in addition to their milk. Small sips with meals are enough. Water at this age is for practice and hydration support, not a major source of fluid. Juice isn’t necessary and adds sugar without much nutritional benefit.
What About Cow’s Milk at 11 Months?
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends sticking with breast milk or formula as your baby’s primary milk until they turn 1. Cow’s milk doesn’t have the right balance of nutrients for babies under 12 months and can irritate their digestive system, increasing the risk of iron deficiency.
That said, if you’re getting close to the 12-month mark, it’s fine to offer about an ounce of whole cow’s milk in a sippy cup once a day as a trial run. This lets you see how your baby tolerates the taste and gives them practice with a cup before you make the full switch. It’s a preview, not a replacement for formula or breast milk.
Starting the Shift From Bottles to Cups
Eleven months is a good time to start thinking about the transition away from bottles, even if you’re not in a rush. The AAP recommends introducing a cup around 6 months and gradually phasing out bottles between 12 and 18 months. If your baby hasn’t tried a cup yet, now is a great time to start.
Begin by putting breast milk or formula in a sippy cup or an open cup with handles at one meal. Choose a cup with a simple spout and no valve, which encourages your baby to sip rather than suck. You don’t need to eliminate bottles overnight. A gradual approach works best: swap one bottle feeding for a cup feeding, get comfortable with that for a few days, then swap another. Many parents find the bedtime bottle is the last one to go, and that’s fine.
Sippy cups are meant as a learning tool, not a long-term replacement for bottles. The goal is for your child to drink from an open cup by around age 2.