A 10-month-old needs roughly 24 ounces (720 mL) of breast milk or formula per day, which provides about 400 to 500 of their total 750 to 900 daily calories. The rest comes from solid foods, which by this age should be a growing part of your baby’s diet.
The 24-Ounce Target
Between 6 and 12 months, breast milk or formula remains your baby’s primary source of nutrition, but 10 months is the stage where solids start pulling more weight. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a combination of solid foods and breast milk or formula for all children under 12 months. At this age, about half to just over half of your baby’s calories should still come from milk, with the balance coming from a variety of solid foods.
For formula-fed babies, 24 ounces is a straightforward number to track. Breastfed babies are harder to measure since you can’t see how much they’re taking in. Breast milk averages about 20 calories per ounce, though it naturally varies anywhere from 12 to 32 calories per ounce depending on the time of day, how full the breast is, and other factors. This means some breastfed babies may drink slightly more or less volume while still getting the same calories.
What a Typical Day Looks Like
At 10 months, your baby should be eating or drinking every 2 to 3 hours, which works out to about 5 or 6 feeding opportunities per day: roughly 3 meals of solid food and 2 to 3 milk feeds (breast or bottle). Some parents offer milk before solids, some after. Either approach works, but if your baby fills up on milk first, they may show less interest in food. Many parents find that offering solids first and then topping off with milk helps their baby gradually eat more at mealtimes.
A practical way to split the 24 ounces across the day is 3 to 4 bottles of 6 to 8 ounces each, or 3 to 4 breastfeeding sessions. The exact number of sessions matters less than the total volume over 24 hours.
Night Feedings at 10 Months
Most 10-month-olds can get all the nutrition they need during the day. If your baby is still waking to feed at night, that’s not unusual, but it’s generally fine to start reducing nighttime feeds. Breastfed babies at this age typically need 0 to 2 feeds per night, and formula-fed babies need 0 to 1. If your baby is healthy, gaining weight well, and eating enough during the day, a single nighttime feed (or none) is a reasonable goal.
Why Cow’s Milk Should Wait
Even though your 10-month-old is close to the one-year mark, cow’s milk shouldn’t replace breast milk or formula yet. The AAP recommends waiting until after 12 months to introduce whole cow’s milk as a drink. Cow’s milk is low in iron, and in large amounts it can actually block absorption of the iron your baby gets from food. Small amounts of cow’s milk used in cooking or mixed into foods are generally fine, but it shouldn’t be a primary drink before the first birthday.
Risks of Too Much Milk
More milk isn’t better. Babies who drink significantly more than 24 ounces a day may fill up on milk and skip solid foods, which creates two problems. First, they miss out on the textures and flavors that build eating skills at a critical developmental window. Second, and more importantly, excessive milk intake is a leading cause of iron deficiency in young children. Iron deficiency can affect energy, development, and growth. The threshold where risk climbs is around 24 ounces or more per day of cow’s milk in toddlers, but the same principle applies to babies who are so full of formula or breast milk that they refuse iron-rich solids.
How To Tell Your Baby Is Getting Enough
The most reliable sign is steady weight gain at regular checkups. Between appointments, look for at least 6 heavy wet diapers every 24 hours (if you’re unsure what “heavy” feels like with disposables, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water to a dry diaper for comparison). Your baby should seem alert when awake, satisfied after most feeds, and interested in food. For breastfed babies specifically, you should hear rhythmic swallowing during feeds, and your baby’s mouth should look moist afterward.
If your baby is suddenly refusing milk or solids, losing weight, or consistently producing fewer wet diapers than usual, those are signs worth raising with your pediatrician.
Water and Other Drinks
At 10 months, your baby can have 4 to 8 ounces of plain water per day, offered in a cup alongside meals. Water at this age is about practice and hydration on warm days, not a major source of nutrition. Juice, flavored milks, and plant-based milks are not recommended as substitutes for breast milk or formula before 12 months.