Formula Feeding Guide UK: How Much, How Often, and How to Get It Right
Formula feeding comes with a surprising amount of admin: amounts that change every few weeks, a tin with a table on it that may not match your baby, and a set of preparation rules that sound fussy until you understand why they exist. This is the practical version — what to give, how often, and which of the rules genuinely matter.
The short answer: from the end of the first week, most babies need roughly 150–200ml of formula per kilogram of body weight per day until they start solids, split across the day's feeds. In the first few days a newborn takes only small amounts, little and often; by three months many are on 5–6 larger ones. Follow your baby's appetite rather than the chart — and always make up feeds with water that has boiled and cooled to no less than 70°C.
How much formula by age
Use this as a starting point, not a target. Babies of the same age vary a lot, and a baby who takes less at one feed usually makes it up at the next.
| Age | Per feed (approx) | Feeds per 24h | Daily total (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| First few days | Small amounts, building up | 8–12 | Building up gradually |
| 1–2 weeks | 60–90ml | 7–9 | 500–700ml |
| 1 month | 90–120ml | 6–8 | 600–850ml |
| 2 months | 120–150ml | 5–7 | 750–950ml |
| 3–4 months | 150–180ml | 5–6 | 850–1000ml |
| 5–6 months | 180–210ml | 4–5 | 900–1100ml |
| 6–12 months | 180–240ml | 3–4 plus solids | Reducing as solids increase |
The weight-based rule is more useful than the age one: around 150–200ml per kilogram per day from the end of the first week until about six months, the figure NHS trusts such as Derbyshire publish. A 5kg baby therefore lands somewhere around 750–1000ml a day. This figure is widely used by health professionals and appears on most tins, but it's a guide rather than a rule. The NHS's own bottle feeding advice leads with a simpler one: your baby will know how much milk they need. Check the instructions on your specific formula, and raise anything that worries you with your health visitor. If you're combining breast and bottle, our guide to how much milk a baby needs covers the total-volume question across both.
Which formula: the honest version
First infant milk is the only formula your baby needs for the whole of the first year. That's the single most useful thing to know, because the shelf suggests otherwise. Follow-on milk, "hungry baby" milk and toddler milks are marketed hard but aren't necessary — first infant milk is nutritionally complete until 12 months, when babies move to cows' milk.
On brands: in the UK all first infant milks must meet the same compositional regulations. The expensive one is not nutritionally better than the supermarket one. Price differences reflect brand, marketing and minor added ingredients, not adequacy. If your baby is happy on the formula you're using, there is rarely a reason to change.
When switching might make sense
- On the advice of a GP, health visitor or dietitian — for example a suspected cows' milk protein allergy, which needs a prescribed formula rather than a shop-bought "comfort" milk.
- Cost. Switching to a cheaper first infant milk is a reasonable decision and not a compromise.
Switching for reflux, wind or unsettled evenings usually disappoints — those are more often explained by cluster feeding, a growth spurt or simply the age. Give any change a week before judging it.
Making up a bottle safely
Powdered formula is not sterile. The preparation rules exist to kill bacteria that can be present in the powder itself, which is why the water temperature matters more than anything else in this section.
- Boil fresh tap water and leave it to cool for no more than 30 minutes, so it stays at 70°C or above. Cooler water won't kill bacteria in the powder.
- Water in first, then the powder — the amount of water listed on the tin, measured at eye level.
- Use the scoop that came with that tin, levelled off. Scoops differ between brands and sizes.
- Never add extra powder to make a feed "more filling", and never dilute it to make a tin last. Both are genuinely unsafe.
- Cool it quickly under a running cold tap, holding the bottle upright, and check the temperature on the inside of your wrist.
- Make up each feed fresh and discard anything left within two hours.
Sterilise bottles and teats until your baby is 12 months old. For night feeds, the safest shortcut is a flask of freshly boiled water plus measured powder in a separate pot — not a bottle made up in advance and kept warm, which is the one thing to avoid.
How often to feed
Responsively, rather than to a schedule. A newborn may want a bottle every 2–3 hours, including overnight; by three months the gaps usually stretch and the feeds get bigger. Feed when your baby shows hunger cues — rooting, hands to mouth, stirring and fussing — rather than waiting for crying, which is a late signal.
Paced bottle feeding helps: hold your baby fairly upright, keep the bottle close to horizontal, and let them pause. Bottles can be drunk faster than a baby can register fullness, and slowing it down reduces the overfeeding and the wind that follows. Our newborn feeding schedule guide covers the rhythm of the early weeks in more detail.
Is my baby getting enough?
Nappies and weight tell you far more than the amount left in the bottle:
- Wet nappies — around 6 or more heavy wet nappies in 24 hours after the first week. Our nappy count guide has the full picture by age.
- Weight — tracking broadly along a centile line in the red book, plotted by your health visitor.
- Alertness and contentment — settled for at least some of the time between feeds.
Speak to your health visitor or GP if your baby is consistently taking much less than expected, isn't gaining weight, has fewer wet nappies than usual, or seems unusually sleepy or difficult to rouse.
Keeping track without the mental arithmetic
Formula feeding produces a running sum nobody can hold in their head across a broken night — how much, when, and whether today was less than yesterday. Logging bottles as you go turns the health visitor question "how much is she taking?" from a guess into an answer. CubTrack's free tier logs feeds, nappies and sleep and predicts when the next bottle is likely due; CubTrack Plus adds the shared timeline so whoever does the night feed doesn't have to report back in the morning.
Related reading
- How much milk should a baby drink?
- Newborn feeding schedule, week by week
- Combination feeding: breast and bottle
- How many nappies should a baby have?
- Best baby feeding apps UK
Frequently asked questions
How much formula should a newborn have?
Small amounts at first: the NHS says newborns need "quite small amounts of formula to start with", and that it varies from baby to baby, so there's no official figure for the first few days. Feed little and often (often 8–12 times in 24 hours) and let them build up gradually. By the end of the first month most babies take 90–120ml per feed across 6–8 feeds. Follow your baby's appetite rather than finishing every bottle.
How much formula does a 4 month old need?
Typically 150–180ml per feed across 5–6 feeds — roughly 850–1000ml a day. As a weight-based check, around 150–200ml per kilogram per day. Amounts vary widely between babies of the same age.
Can I make up bottles in advance?
It's not recommended. Powdered formula isn't sterile, and making feeds up ahead gives any bacteria time to multiply. Make each feed fresh with water at 70°C or above. For nights out or trips, carry cooled boiled water and add the powder when you need it.
Do I need to move to follow-on milk at 6 months?
No. First infant milk is suitable for the entire first year. Follow-on milk isn't necessary, and toddler milks aren't either — babies move to whole cows' milk as a main drink at 12 months.
Is expensive formula better than supermarket own-brand?
Nutritionally, no. All first infant milks sold in the UK must meet the same compositional standards. If your baby is settled on what you're using, cost is a perfectly good reason to choose one over another.
How do I know if my baby is having too much formula?
Frequent large posseting, discomfort after feeds and very rapid weight gain can suggest bottles are bigger than needed — often because a bottle is drunk faster than fullness registers. Paced bottle feeding usually helps. If you're concerned about weight gain in either direction, your health visitor can plot it properly.
