Enter your baby’s weight and age to estimate ounces of formula per day, per feeding, cans per month and what it costs — using the AAP’s published 2.5 oz-per-pound rule. An estimate, not medical advice.
The core number comes straight from the American Academy of Pediatrics:
“On average, your baby should take in about 2½ ounces (75 mL) of infant formula a day for every pound (453 g) of body weight… Your baby should usually drink no more than an average of about 32 ounces (960 mL) of formula in 24 hours.”
On cost: every infant formula sold in the US must meet the same FDA nutrient requirements, so a store brand is nutritionally complete — in our price check, a 36 oz store-brand can ran $0.80/oz versus $1.62–1.93/oz for the leading name brands. Specialty formulas (hypoallergenic, soy, preemie) cost far more. Never switch a medically-indicated formula without asking your pediatrician.
| Baby weight | Oz per day | At 6 feeds | At 7 feeds | At 8 feeds | Prepared oz/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 lb | 15 oz | 2.5 oz | 2.1 oz | 1.9 oz | 450 |
| 7 lb | 17.5 oz | 2.9 oz | 2.5 oz | 2.2 oz | 525 |
| 8 lb | 20 oz | 3.3 oz | 2.9 oz | 2.5 oz | 600 |
| 9 lb | 22.5 oz | 3.8 oz | 3.2 oz | 2.8 oz | 675 |
| 10 lb | 25 oz | 4.2 oz | 3.6 oz | 3.1 oz | 750 |
| 11 lb | 27.5 oz | 4.6 oz | 3.9 oz | 3.4 oz | 825 |
| 12 lb | 30 oz | 5 oz | 4.3 oz | 3.8 oz | 900 |
| 13 lb | 32 oz (at the AAP ceiling) | 5.3 oz | 4.6 oz | 4 oz | 960 |
| 14 lb | 32 oz (at the AAP ceiling) | 5.3 oz | 4.6 oz | 4 oz | 960 |
| 15 lb | 32 oz (at the AAP ceiling) | 5.3 oz | 4.6 oz | 4 oz | 960 |
| 16 lb | 32 oz (at the AAP ceiling) | 5.3 oz | 4.6 oz | 4 oz | 960 |
| 18 lb | 32 oz (at the AAP ceiling) | 5.3 oz | 4.6 oz | 4 oz | 960 |
| 20 lb | 32 oz (at the AAP ceiling) | 5.3 oz | 4.6 oz | 4 oz | 960 |
| 22 lb | 32 oz (at the AAP ceiling) | 5.3 oz | 4.6 oz | 4 oz | 960 |
| 25 lb | 32 oz (at the AAP ceiling) | 5.3 oz | 4.6 oz | 4 oz | 960 |
The AAP’s guideline is about 2½ ounces (75 mL) of formula per day for every pound of body weight, up to a ceiling of about 32 ounces in 24 hours. So a 9 lb baby lands around 22–23 oz a day, and a baby over about 12.8 lb is generally at the 32 oz ceiling rather than continuing to scale up.
Divide the daily total by how many feedings you do. At 22.5 oz a day across 7 feeds that’s about 3.2 oz a bottle. The AAP’s own anchors are 1–2 oz per feed in the first week, 3–4 oz by the end of the first month, and 6–8 oz at 4–5 feedings by 6 months. If your math says more than about 8 oz in a single bottle, it’s usually better to add a feeding than to make a bigger one.
In the first week, the AAP says babies should be eating no more than about 1–2 oz per feed, building to 3–4 oz per feed by the end of the first month — roughly 8 feedings in 24 hours as a minimum for bottle-fed babies. Newborn intake climbs fast and unevenly, so weight-based math is a starting point, not a schedule.
At 25 oz a day that’s 750 prepared ounces a month. A can that makes about 200 prepared ounces covers roughly 3.75 cans a month. Powder yield runs about 6.4 prepared fluid ounces per ounce of powder, so a 31 oz can makes about 200 oz and a 20.7 oz can about 132 oz.
At about 3.75 cans a month: roughly $110–190 for a name brand (cans ran $34.99–59.99 in our price check) and roughly $95–110 for a store brand. Specialty formulas — hypoallergenic, soy, preemie — cost considerably more. Every US infant formula must meet the same FDA nutrient requirements.
Around 6 months, when solid foods start. The AAP’s 6-month anchor is 6–8 oz at each of 4–5 feedings, and that share of the diet shrinks over the second half of the first year as solids grow. Weight-based math over-estimates from this point on — use the 24–32 oz/day range as the sanity check and ask your pediatrician.