Bottle feeding schedule by age

If you want a personalized schedule based on your baby's age and weight, use our free bottle feeding calculator. It generates a sample daily schedule in 30 seconds.

The bottle feeding chart at a glance

Age	Per feed	Feeds/day	Total daily	Hours between
Newborn (0–2 wks)	1.5–3 oz	8–12	16–24 oz	2–3
2 wks – 1 mo	2.5–4 oz	6–9	18–32 oz	~3
1 month	3–5 oz	6–8	22–32 oz	3
2 months	4–6 oz	5–7	24–32 oz	3–4
3 months	5–7 oz	5–6	24–32 oz	3–4
4 months	5–7 oz	5–6	24–32 oz	4
5 months	6–8 oz	4–5	26–32 oz	4
6 months (solids)	6–8 oz	4–5	24–32 oz	4
7 months	6–8 oz	3–5	24–30 oz	4
8 months	6–8 oz	3–4	24–28 oz	4–5
9 months	6–8 oz	3–4	22–28 oz	4–5
10 months	6–8 oz	3–4	20–26 oz	5
11 months	6–8 oz	3–4	18–24 oz	5
12 months	6–8 oz	2–3	16–24 oz	5

These are averages. Some babies eat more per feed and feed less often. Some do the opposite. Total per day matters more than per feed.

How the bottle math actually works

One rule pediatricians come back to over and over for formula-fed babies: 2 to 2.5 ounces of formula per pound of body weight per day, capped at 32 ounces.

So if your baby is:

• 8 lbs: 16–20 oz per day
• 10 lbs: 20–25 oz per day
• 12 lbs: 24–30 oz per day
• 14 lbs: 28–32 oz per day (you've hit the cap)

Beyond 32 oz a day, more formula doesn't help. It just goes through them or comes back up. Once your baby plateaus at 30 to 32 oz around 4 to 6 months, the next step is solids, not more formula.

For breastfed babies taking expressed milk, the math is different. Breastfed babies typically take 1 to 1.5 oz of breastmilk per hour between feeds. So if you're feeding every 3 hours, that's about 3 to 4.5 oz per feed.

Newborn feeding (0–2 weeks)

The most exhausting stretch, and the most demanding math. Newborns wake up to eat every 2 to 3 hours, day and night. They need to.

What's normal

• 8–12 feeds per 24 hours.
• 1.5–3 oz per feed.
• Total daily: 16–24 oz.
• Wake at 3 hours during the day if your baby is sleeping through. Do this until your baby has regained their birth weight, usually around day 10–14.

Watch for: hunger cues are subtle in newborns. Look for rooting, sucking on hands, smacking lips, and turning toward your chest. Crying is a late hunger cue. Don't wait for it.

Bottle setup: 4 oz bottles with Stage 0 or Preemie nipples. Don't buy 8 oz bottles for the first month. The bigger volume actually encourages overfeeding.

1–3 months

Feeds get longer, baby gets more efficient, and the witching hour starts to make sense.

What's normal

• 5–8 feeds per day.
• 3–6 oz per feed (depending on age and size).
• Total daily: 22–32 oz.

The 6-week growth spurt is real. Around week 6, expect cluster feeding (back-to-back feeds for an evening or two), a sudden interest in eating more often, and possibly a brief sleep regression. It usually passes in 2 to 4 days.

Bottle setup: move to 8 oz bottles around 2 months. Stay on Stage 1 nipples until you see signs your baby is outgrowing them.

4–6 months

The "feeding stretches longer" stage. Most babies hit a plateau here at 30 to 32 oz per day and stay there until solids start.

What's normal

• 4–6 feeds per day.
• 5–8 oz per feed.
• Total daily: 24–32 oz.
• Drop a feed if your baby is sleeping longer at night. Most babies start consolidating night sleep here.

Signs to size up the nipple: feeds taking 25+ minutes, frustration at the bottle, or vigorous sucking with little milk coming out. Most babies move to Stage 2 around 3 months.

The 4-month feeding shift: your baby may suddenly take more per feed and longer between feeds. They may also get distracted while eating. Find a quiet, dimmer room for daytime feeds.

6 months: solids start

Solids don't replace milk. They add to it. Total milk intake stays around 24 to 30 oz per day for the first month or two of solids.

What's normal

• 4–5 milk feeds per day.
• 6–8 oz per feed.
• 1–2 small solid meals per day, after milk feeds (not before — milk is still primary nutrition).
• Total milk: 24–32 oz/day.

The 6-month feeding rule: offer milk first, then solids. Solids should fill in around the milk schedule, not replace it.

7–12 months

Solids gradually take over as the primary food source. Milk intake declines naturally.

What's normal

• 3–4 milk feeds per day at 7–9 months.
• 2–3 milk feeds at 12 months.
• 6–8 oz per feed.
• 3 solid meals per day by 9–10 months, plus 1–2 snacks.
• Total milk drops from 24–28 oz/day at 7 months to 16–24 oz/day at 12 months.

Bottle weaning starts around 9 to 10 months. Replace one bottle a day with a sippy or open cup. Most pediatricians recommend the bottle is gone by 12 to 15 months for dental health.

A realistic sample day at each stage

Newborn (3 weeks old)

7:00 AM, 9:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:30 PM, 5:00 PM, 7:30 PM, 10:00 PM, 1:00 AM, 4:00 AM. About 2.5 oz each feed, every 2 to 3 hours.

4-month-old

7:00 AM (6 oz), 11:00 AM (6 oz), 3:00 PM (6 oz), 7:00 PM (6 oz), 11:00 PM dream feed (5 oz). About 29 oz total.

8-month-old (solids established)

7:00 AM milk (7 oz), 8:00 AM breakfast solids · 11:00 AM milk (7 oz), 12:00 PM lunch solids · 3:00 PM milk (7 oz), 4:00 PM snack · 6:00 PM dinner solids, 7:00 PM milk before bed (6 oz). About 27 oz milk plus 3 solid meals.

12-month-old

7:00 AM whole milk in cup (6 oz), 8:00 AM breakfast · 12:00 PM lunch + milk (4 oz), 3:00 PM snack · 6:00 PM dinner, 7:00 PM milk before bed (6 oz). About 16 oz milk in cups, 3 solid meals.

When the chart doesn't match your baby

Half of babies fall above these averages and half below. Reasons your baby might be different:

• Smaller per feed, more often. Some babies just like to graze. As long as total daily intake is in range and weight gain is steady at well-checks, this is fine.
• Bigger per feed, less often. Same logic in reverse. A 5-month-old taking 8 oz every 5 hours is doing the same math as one taking 6 oz every 4 hours.
• Less than expected, but happy and gaining. Some babies are just smaller eaters. The reliable signs of enough: 6+ wet diapers per day, regular weight gain, content between feeds.
• Way more than expected. If your baby is regularly above 32 oz per day, talk to your pediatrician. The bottle flow may be too fast and they're drinking past full, or a different formula may suit them better.

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The Feeding Desk

Reviewed by an IBCLC · Updated May 2026

This article reflects general pediatric guidelines (AAP healthy infant feeding) and is for educational purposes only. If your baby is significantly outside these ranges, or you're worried about feeding, talk to your pediatrician.