Knowing how much milk your baby should be drinking causes confusion for parents so often. I've written this blog to help you understand just how much milk your little one should be drinking.

Up until 12 months of age, babies need either breastmilk or formula. WHO recommends to exclusively breastfeed/formula feed until 6 months, then continue (formula until 12 months, breastfeeding at least 12 months or beyond) alongside complimentary foods.

I don’t really like to give specifics in exactly how much milk your baby should be drinking, because responsive feeding plays a big role here and every baby is different in how much they consume.

I also understand that people sometimes need a starting point and a guide.

The first few months (3-6 months) your baby will likely consume about 120ml/kg. The range of milk intake from 1 to 6 months is between 500mls-1000mls a day.

At around 6 months when your baby starts solids, the amount of milk they consume will stay the same initially. Then as you introduce more food and your baby has got the hang of eating/consuming a larger volume of food, you’ll start to notice that your baby’s milk intake will decrease. This happens at around 8/9 months. The average amount of milk consumed will be around 600mls a day.

I know it’s pretty hard to tell how much milk your baby is getting if they are breastfed, but as long as you feed responsively then you’re baby will still be getting as much milk as your baby needs.

Once your baby is one year old they’ll consume on average 400mls a day and will have transitioned to three meals and +/- 1-2 snacks.

After 12 months, pasteurised full fat cow’s milk can be introduced as a drink and your

You can add small amounts of full fat dairy into cooking e.g. porridge from 6 months, but not as a main drink.

Soy, rice and oat milks can be used as a whole drink for babies after 12 months but make sure you use fortified and unsweetened versions of plant milks if using.

Look plant milks have 100mg calcium per

100mls. Even better if the plant milk has added iodine and B12.

Remember these are GENERAL guidelines and every baby is different.