How Much Milk Should a Baby Drink? Amounts by Age (Australia)
Around 150 mL per kg a day to 6 months, about 100 mL per kg to 12 months. Feeds and mL by age from Australian guidance, and the signs of enough.
How much milk should a baby drink? Around 150 mL per kilogram a day for a formula-fed baby until six months, then about 100 mL per kg to 12 months. A 4 kg baby takes around 600 mL, across 8 to 12 feeds of 50 to 75 mL. Breastfed babies feed on demand, usually 8 to 12 times a day.
Those figures come from the NHMRC Infant Feeding Guidelines(opens in a new window) and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby(opens in a new window). They are a broad guide for planning. How much your own baby takes depends on their age, their weight, whether they're breastfed, bottle-fed or both, and the day.
How much milk does a newborn drink?
A newborn drinks small amounts, often. A formula-fed newborn starts at around 30 to 60 mL per kilogram a day, roughly 10 to 25 mL a feed for a 3.5 kg baby, and takes more each day. From day five the guide is around 150 mL per kg a day over 8 to 12 feeds. Breastfed newborns feed on demand.
| Newborn age | Feeds in 24 hours | Typical mL per feed | Typical mL per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 4 | 8 to 12 | Around 10 to 25 mL at first, rising each day | Starts at 30 to 60 mL per kg and rises (around 100 to 200 mL at first for a 3.5 kg baby) |
| Day 5 onward | 8 to 12 (about 12 in the first month) | Around 45 to 65 mL at 3.5 kg, 50 to 75 mL at 4 kg | 150 mL per kg (around 600 mL at 4 kg) |
These are formula figures from the NHMRC. The per-feed column is the daily amount spread across the day's feeds, so it shifts with your baby's weight and how often they feed.
Breastmilk can't be measured at the breast. For a breastfed newborn, the everyday checks are wet nappies and steady weight gain. The wet nappies guide sets out how many wet nappies a newborn should have, from day one.
Your midwife or child health nurse guides feeding in the first days. The signs worth raising with them are under when to talk to your nurse or GP.
How much milk per day, by age
Use these numbers as a broad guide for rough planning. Your baby doesn't have to hit them.
| Age | Typical feeds in 24 hours | Typical mL per feed | Typical mL per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 4 | 8 to 12 | Around 10 to 25 mL at first, rising each day | Starts at 30 to 60 mL per kg and rises (around 100 to 200 mL at first for a 3.5 kg baby) |
| Day 5 to 3 months | 8 to 12 (about 12 in the first month, about 8 by 2 months) | Around 45 to 110 mL | 150 mL per kg (around 600 mL at 4 kg, 900 mL at 6 kg) |
| 3 to 6 months | Fewer, larger feeds | Around 120 to 160 mL (720 to 960 mL over 6 feeds) | 120 mL per kg (around 960 mL at 8 kg) |
| 6 to 12 months | Fewer milk feeds, solids alongside | Around 130 to 200 mL (800 to 1,000 mL over 5 to 6 milk feeds) | 100 mL per kg (around 1,000 mL at 10 kg), some babies closer to 90 mL per kg |
The NHMRC and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby set the guide per kilogram of body weight per day. The per-feed column is that daily amount at a typical weight, divided by the feed count in the same row. So it moves with your baby's weight and how often they feed.
NHMRC · Infant Feeding GuidelinesAs a broad reference, formula-fed infants take around 150 mL per kilogram of body weight per day up to 6 months, and about 100 mL/kg from 6–12 months — with many babies taking less, especially once solids begin.
A formula-fed baby in Australia typically takes around 150 mL per kilogram of body weight a day until six months. The NHMRC summary rounds the whole first six months to that figure. Its detailed table steps down to 120 mL per kg from 3 months, which is the table's 3 to 6 months row.
Safe preparation, what the tin leaves out and a typical day at 4 months are in the formula feeding guide for Australia.
A few things matter more than the formula itself:
- Breastmilk can't be measured at the breast. The ABA notes that a feed's length doesn't tell you how much milk your baby took. Breastfed babies aged 1 to 6 months average around 750 mL a day, but some need more and some less.
- Formula strength never changes as your baby grows. Only the amount changes. Always make it to the tin's instructions, and never concentrate or dilute it.
- Amounts vary by weight and day. A range is normal. Leftover milk in a bottle isn't a failure.
How often do babies feed?
In the early weeks, feeding is relentless. The Australian Breastfeeding Association(opens in a new window) says babies commonly feed 8 to 14 times or more in 24 hours in the early months. Tiny tummies and fast digestion make frequent feeding completely expected.
NSW Health(opens in a new window) puts rough numbers on it. Newborns often feed about 12 times a day in the first month, usually every 1.5 to 3 hours. By around 2 months, many babies feed about 8 times a day.
Tresillian(opens in a new window) adds the other half of the pattern: older babies usually drink more at one time, so feeds get fewer and larger.
These are typical patterns. Some babies take fewer, bigger feeds, and others take more frequent, smaller ones. A baby who sleeps a longer stretch overnight will often feed more during the day to catch up.
What changes when solids start
Around 6 months, food enters the picture, and milk stays the main drink. Solids build gradually from tastes to small meals. Milk feeds usually come first in the early weeks of solids.
There's no need to cut milk back just because your baby is eating. Milk intake eases down over the second half of the year as meals grow. Breastmilk or formula stays your baby's main food for the whole first year, and the Queensland Government(opens in a new window) is clear that babies need it until 12 months.
New to this stage? Our starting solids guide walks through the Australian timeline. From 12 months the drinks change again, which how much milk for a 1 year old covers.
Signs your baby is getting enough
Output is the everyday check you can see. NSW Health(opens in a new window) lists the signs that feeding is going well:
- Plenty of wet nappies: a reliable, low-tech check
- Alertness and good skin and muscle tone
- Steady weight gain over time
- Settling and not wanting to feed constantly (outside normal cluster-feed windows)
Wet nappies are the easiest thing to track day to day, and your child health nurse will ask about them. Our guide to how many wet nappies a day gives the counts by age.
Follow your baby's hunger cues
Once feeding is established, healthdirect(opens in a new window) suggests following your baby's hunger cues rather than a schedule. Early cues, such as stirring, rooting and hands to mouth, come well before crying. Crying is a late hunger cue.
Following cues takes the pressure off the clock. The amounts in this guide are a rough daily picture, and your baby's cues guide each feed.
When to talk to your nurse or GP
The first few days are different. They're tied to birth weight, your milk coming in and sometimes jaundice, so your care team guides those days. The NHMRC(opens in a new window) advises that a sleepy newborn who hasn't fed for about 5 hours in the early days should be gently roused and offered the breast.
Talk to your midwife, child health nurse, GP or a lactation consultant if your baby is hard to wake for feeds, isn't having enough wet nappies, isn't gaining weight, or seems unsettled between feeds. Dark, scanty urine can be a sign of dehydration and should be checked. This article is general information, not medical advice.
How tracking feeds helps
In the newborn fog, every feed blurs into the next. Was that 60 mL or 90? When was the last one? Which side did we start on?
A feed log answers those questions. You see your baby's own daily total and rhythm. You can answer your nurse's questions with real numbers. Your partner can check the last feed without sending a text.
BabyLog keeps that log and adds up each day's total for you. A routine bottle opens with the time and your baby's usual amount filled in, and a breast feed runs on a timer you can correct afterwards. Start free in the browser on iPhone or Android, with no card needed.
If the evenings are the hard part, cluster feeding and the witching hour explains why a newborn wants to feed non-stop after dark. If the question is overnight, when babies drop night feeds covers night feeds by age.
Common questions
Ready to start tracking?
BabyLog works on any device — iPhone, Android, tablet, or desktop. Setup takes two minutes.
Keep reading
Cluster Feeding & the Witching Hour: What's Normal
Why your newborn wants to feed non-stop in the evening, whether cluster feeding means low supply (it usually doesn't), and how to get through the witching hour. Based on Australian health guidance.
Starting Solids in Australia: What the NHMRC Guidelines Actually Say
When to start solids, what to introduce first, and how to handle allergies — based on the Australian NHMRC guidelines, not internet opinions.