Most breastfed babies need 24 to 30 ounces of breast milk per day from about one month through six months of age, split across 8 to 12 feedings. That range stays surprisingly stable for months, even as your baby grows. What changes is how much they take per feeding and how often they eat. Below is a full breakdown by age, plus the context you need to use these numbers confidently.
Breast Milk Feeding Chart by Age
- First 24 hours: 2 to 10 milliliters per feeding (less than half an ounce). Daily total varies.
- 24 to 48 hours: 5 to 15 milliliters per feeding (up to half an ounce). Daily total varies.
- Day 3: About 1 ounce per feeding. Daily total varies.
- Day 7: 1 to 2 ounces per feeding. 10 to 20 ounces per day.
- Weeks 2 and 3: 2 to 3 ounces per feeding. 15 to 25 ounces per day.
- 1 to 6 months: 3 to 4 ounces per feeding. 24 to 30 ounces per day.
- 6 months and older: 3 to 4 ounces per feeding. 18 ounces or more per day (decreasing as solids increase).
These numbers apply to expressed (pumped) breast milk given in a bottle. If you’re nursing directly at the breast, you won’t measure ounces, but the same biology applies. Your baby will naturally regulate intake during each session.
Why the First Few Days Look So Different
Those tiny amounts in the first days aren’t a mistake or a sign of low supply. A newborn’s stomach at birth is roughly the size of a marble, holding just 1 to 2 teaspoons. By day 10 it grows to about the size of a ping-pong ball, which holds around 2 ounces. The small volumes of colostrum your body produces in those first days are perfectly matched to what your baby’s stomach can physically hold.
This is why the daily totals for the first few days are listed as “varies.” Babies feed frequently in tiny amounts, often 8 to 12 times in 24 hours, and those early feeds serve a dual purpose: nourishing your baby and signaling your body to ramp up milk production.
Why Intake Plateaus After One Month
One of the most counterintuitive things about breast milk is that daily intake doesn’t keep climbing as your baby gets bigger. A two-month-old and a five-month-old typically drink the same total, around 24 to 30 ounces per day. This is different from formula, where volumes tend to increase with weight.
The reason is that breast milk composition changes over time. As your baby grows, the milk adjusts in calorie density and nutrient balance to meet their needs without requiring a larger volume. So if your four-month-old is still taking 3 to 4 ounces per bottle, that’s completely normal. They don’t need 6- or 8-ounce bottles just because they’re bigger.
How Often to Feed
For the first several months, aim for 8 to 12 feedings in every 24-hour period. That works out to roughly every 2 to 3 hours, though many babies cluster their feedings at certain times of day (especially evenings) and go a bit longer between feeds at other times. Even if your baby is sleepy, pediatric guidelines recommend waking them to feed if needed to hit that 8-feeding minimum in the early weeks.
As babies get older, the number of feedings per day gradually drops. By 4 to 6 months, many babies settle into 6 to 8 feedings. The per-feeding volume may inch up slightly to compensate, but again, the daily total stays in that 24-to-30-ounce window.
Growth Spurts Change the Pattern Temporarily
There will be stretches when your baby suddenly seems insatiable. Growth spurts commonly happen around 2 to 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months, though every baby is different. During these bursts, your baby may want to nurse as often as every 30 minutes and seem fussier than usual.
This typically lasts only a few days. The extra feeding isn’t a sign that your supply is dropping. It’s your baby’s way of triggering your body to produce more milk to match their growing needs. Once your supply catches up, the feeding pattern usually returns to something closer to normal.
Tips for Bottle-Feeding Expressed Milk
If you’re pumping and giving bottles, it’s easy to accidentally overfeed because bottles deliver milk faster than the breast. A few practical adjustments help keep portions appropriate.
Use small 4-ounce bottles with a slow-flow nipple. This encourages your baby to eat at a more natural pace. A technique called paced bottle feeding, where you hold the bottle more horizontally and let the baby take breaks, reduces the risk of overfeeding and the discomfort that comes with it. Prepare bottles in 3- to 4-ounce portions rather than larger ones. If your baby finishes and still seems hungry, you can always offer another ounce, but starting with a smaller amount prevents waste and overstretching.
Resist the urge to increase bottle size just because your baby finished quickly. A baby who drains a bottle in minutes may just be dealing with a fast flow rate, not genuine hunger. Switching to paced feeding often solves the problem.
How to Tell Your Baby Is Getting Enough
When you’re nursing directly, you can’t see how many ounces your baby took. Diaper output is the most reliable proxy. By days 4 through 7, a well-fed baby typically produces at least six wet diapers and three soiled diapers per day. After the first month, the stool frequency often drops (some breastfed babies go several days between bowel movements), but wet diapers should remain consistent.
Steady weight gain is the other key indicator. Most pediatricians track this at well-child visits. As long as your baby is following their growth curve and producing enough wet diapers, the exact ounce count matters less than the overall trend.
What Happens After 6 Months
Around 6 months, the AAP, WHO, and Dietary Guidelines for Americans all recommend introducing solid foods while continuing to breastfeed. At this stage, solids are more about exploration and learning to eat than about replacing milk calories. Breast milk remains the primary source of nutrition through the first birthday.
The practical effect on milk intake is gradual. Total daily volume dips from the 24-to-30-ounce range to 18 ounces or more, depending on how much solid food your baby is eating. Nursing or offering a bottle before solid meals (rather than after) helps ensure your baby still gets adequate milk. Over the second half of the first year, the balance slowly shifts as your baby eats more table food, but there’s no need to rush the transition.