Baby Milk Intake Calculator — How Much Formula or Breast Milk per Feed
How much milk should your baby drink? Formula by weight (AAP rule, 960 mL cap) or expressed breast milk per feed, with the feeds per day for their age. Breastfeeding: on demand, with the signs that matter.
How the amount is calculated
Formula: the American Academy of Pediatrics states that a baby should take in about 2½ ounces (75 mL) of formula a day for every pound (453 g) of body weight, and usually no more than an average of about 32 ounces (960 mL) in 24 hours. The day’s total is divided by the feeds: every 3 to 4 hours in the first months, 4 or 5 feeds by six months.
Expressed breast milk: Kent and colleagues (Pediatrics 2006) test-weighed 71 exclusively breastfed 1-to-6-month-olds through a full day: 11 feeds on average (range 6–18) and about 76 mL per feed (range 0–240), with no relationship between the number of feeds and total daily intake. The calculator starts from that average (≈ 840 mL a day) and splits it across the bottles you plan; in the first month it uses the AAP’s 1 oz-and-rising figure, and towards a year the AAP ceiling of about 4.5 oz per feed.
Breastfeeding: no volume is shown on purpose. The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and responsive feeding, as often as the child wants; the AAP describes newborns nursing every 2 hours, 10–12 sessions in 24 hours. What tells you the baby is getting enough is nappies and weight, not millilitres.
Reference amounts per feed by age (formula, AAP)
What the AAP publishes for formula-fed babies. Expressed breast milk follows Kent 2006 between 1 and 6 months.
| Age | Per feed | Feeds per day |
|---|---|---|
| First week | 30–60 ml | 8–12 |
| End of first month | 90–120 ml | 6–8 |
| 1–6 months, expressed breast milk (Kent 2006) | ≈ 76 ml (0–240) | 11 (6–18) |
| Six months | 180–240 ml | 4–5 |
FAQ
How much formula should my baby drink per day?
About 2½ ounces (75 mL) per pound (453 g) of body weight a day, with a usual maximum of about 32 ounces (960 mL) in 24 hours (AAP). A 4 kg baby: around 660 mL; 5 kg: around 825 mL. Divide by the feeds (every 3–4 hours in the early months) to get the amount per bottle.
How much breast milk goes in a bottle?
For a 1-to-6-month-old, exclusively breastfed babies take about 76 mL per feed and 11 feeds a day on average (Kent 2006, range 0–240 mL and 6–18 feeds). Take roughly 840 mL a day and divide by the bottles you plan: 6 bottles ≈ 140 mL each, 8 ≈ 105 mL. It is an average, not a quantity to finish.
Why does the calculator give no number for breastfeeding?
Because intake at the breast cannot be measured without test-weighing and does not need to be. The WHO recommends feeding as often as the child wants, day and night, and the AAP describes 10–12 sessions a day in newborns. Wet nappies (6 or more a day) and steady weight gain are the real measures.
Is 150 mL per kilo the right rule?
It is a widespread rule of thumb, but not the AAP figure: 75 mL per 453 g equals about 165 mL per kilo. The difference is around 10 %. This calculator uses and cites the AAP figure, capped at 960 mL a day.
Does the amount change after six months?
Yes: the WHO recommends complementary foods from six months while milk continues, and the AAP places a six-month-old at 180–240 mL per feed in 4 or 5 feeds. From there milk gradually gives way to food, so any calculated figure is a ceiling rather than a target.
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org). Amount and Schedule of Formula Feedings.
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org). How Often and How Much Should Your Baby Eat?
- Kent JC, Mitoulas LR, Cregan MD, Ramsay DT, Doherty DA, Hartmann PE. Volume and frequency of breastfeedings and fat content of breast milk throughout the day. Pediatrics. 2006;117(3):e387-395. PMID 16510619.
- World Health Organization. Infant and young child feeding. Fact sheet.
Suggested article
How much milk should a baby drink? The AAP rule, expressed milk, and why breastfeeding is not a calculation
The formula-by-weight rule the American Academy of Pediatrics actually publishes, what a study with real test-weighing says about expressed breast milk, and the signs that matter more than any number when a baby is breastfed.
Read the full article →CalcVita. (2026). Baby Milk Intake Calculator — How Much Formula or Breast Milk per Feed. CalcVita. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from https://calcvita.com/en/calculators/baby-milk-intake
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