An 8-month-old typically needs 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula per day, spread across 4 to 6 feedings. That total drops slightly from what your baby drank a few months ago, because solid foods are now part of the picture. But milk remains the primary source of nutrition until your baby’s first birthday.
Daily Volume and Feeding Frequency
For formula-fed babies, a common guideline is about 2.5 ounces of formula per pound of body weight per day. An average 8-month-old weighs roughly 17 to 20 pounds, which puts the daily target somewhere between 24 and 32 ounces. The upper limit is 32 ounces in 24 hours; going beyond that consistently can crowd out solid foods and provide more calories than your baby needs.
Each bottle at this age typically holds 4 to 8 ounces, and most babies take 4 to 6 bottles per day, spaced about 3 to 4 hours apart during waking hours. Some babies drain 8 ounces at a sitting while others prefer smaller, more frequent bottles. Both patterns are normal as long as the daily total falls in the right range.
Breastfed babies regulate their own intake at the breast, so you can’t measure ounces the same way. The general recommendation is to nurse on demand, which at 8 months usually works out to about 4 to 6 sessions in 24 hours. If you’re pumping and bottle-feeding breast milk, aim for the same 24 to 32 ounce range.
How Milk and Solids Work Together
At 8 months, your baby is likely eating soft solids two or three times a day, possibly with a snack. Even so, breast milk or formula is still the main source of calories, protein, fat, and key nutrients. Solids at this stage are more about building eating skills and introducing flavors than replacing milk.
A practical approach: offer milk first at each feeding, then follow with solids about 30 minutes later. This ensures your baby gets enough milk before filling up on food that may be lower in calories or nutrients. Over the next few months, that balance will gradually shift, but for now, milk comes first. If you notice your baby suddenly refusing the bottle or breast but eating lots of solids, the total milk intake may be dipping too low. Pulling back slightly on solid portions and offering milk more often can help rebalance things.
Night Feedings at 8 Months
Whether your baby still needs milk overnight depends partly on how they’re fed. Formula-fed babies over 6 months are unlikely to wake from genuine hunger, since formula digests slowly and most of their caloric needs can be met during the day. If your formula-fed baby still wakes for a bottle, it may be habit rather than hunger, and you can consider gradually reducing those feeds.
Breastfed babies are a different story. Night nursing before 12 months still serves a nutritional purpose and also helps maintain your milk supply. Dropping those sessions too early can reduce how much milk you produce overall. If nighttime feeds aren’t disrupting your household, there’s no nutritional reason to rush weaning them.
Signs Your Baby Is Getting Enough
Counting ounces matters less than watching your baby. A well-hydrated 8-month-old produces at least 6 wet diapers per day, with no more than 8 hours between wet diapers. Beyond diaper counts, look for steady weight gain at regular checkups, good energy during awake periods, and contentment after feedings. Babies who are consistently fussy after finishing a bottle or pulling off the breast early may be getting too little or too much, and adjusting the volume per feeding is worth trying before changing the overall schedule.
Water and Other Drinks
Between 6 and 12 months, babies can have small amounts of water: 4 to 8 ounces per day. Offer it in an open cup or straw cup with meals to help your baby practice drinking. Water at this age is about skill-building and mild hydration support, not a major fluid source. Juice, cow’s milk, and plant-based milks are not recommended before 12 months. Cow’s milk doesn’t provide the right balance of iron and other nutrients, and juice adds sugar without meaningful nutrition.
Vitamin D for Breastfed Babies
Breast milk provides nearly everything an 8-month-old needs, with one exception: vitamin D. Breastfed babies (and babies who get a mix of breast milk and formula) need a daily supplement of 400 IU of vitamin D, starting from shortly after birth and continuing through the first year. Formula already has vitamin D added, so babies drinking 32 ounces of formula daily are covered. If your baby drinks less formula than that and also breastfeeds, a supplement is still a good idea.