How Much Milk With Solids at 7-9 Months | Stage 2 Weaning Milk Amount

Once you move solids up to two meals a day, one question almost always follows: "So how much should I cut back on formula or breast milk now?" Your baby is finally eating real food, so it feels like milk should drop off fast, and yet cutting it makes you worry she'll miss out on nutrition.

Here's the short answer up front: during stage 2 weaning (7 to 9 months), this isn't the time to "cut" milk, it's the time to "keep it steady and watch it taper on its own." Below we'll cover why that is, how much to give across the day, and common worries like "my baby won't take a bottle now that she's eating solids."

💡 The short version: at this stage breast milk and formula are still your baby's main source of nutrition. Even with two solid meals, keep milk at about 600~800ml (3 to 4 feeds) a day and let it taper off naturally rather than cutting it back on purpose.

Two solid meals - so how much milk do I drop?

The middle stage usually begins a month or two after starting solids, once your baby reliably swallows one meal a day and you add a second, typically around 7 months. Your baby practices moving food around the mouth and mashing soft foods (about the firmness of tofu) with the tongue.

But two meals of solids is no reason to slash milk. At this stage most of your baby's nutrition still comes from breast milk or formula. Middle-stage solids are still "practice plus a top-up," not the main meal. So the goal isn't to "cut," it's to "hold steady and watch the natural decline." Here's the rough trend.

Stage	Solid meals	Total daily milk	Feeds
Late early stage (6 mo)	1x	700~900ml	4~5
Early middle (7 mo)	2x	600~800ml	3~4
Late middle (8~9 mo)	2x	500~700ml	3~4

These numbers are average targets, not a scorecard. What matters is the direction. As solids increase, milk drifting down a little is normal, because this happens as your baby fills up and naturally asks for milk less, not because you engineer it. If a parent instead cuts milk sharply because "she's eating now," total intake can fall short.

⚠️ Keep at least 500~600ml of milk a day until the first birthday. No matter how well your baby eats solids, breast milk and formula are still the key source of iron, fat, and calories at this age, so cutting them abruptly can throw nutrition off.

Milk right after solids, or on its own?

A common point of confusion in the middle stage is the gap between solids and milk. There are two main approaches.

Milk right after solids works well for babies who just moved up from the early stage. Solids alone don't fill them yet, so you finish the meal with breast milk or formula right afterward. When your baby only takes a few bites of solids, this keeps total intake stable.

Solids and milk spaced apart is where you naturally head once your baby eats a fuller meal of solids. For example, you offer solids mid-morning and then give a separate milk feed a couple of hours later when hunger returns. This pre-builds the "food separate, milk separate" rhythm you'll want when you move to three meals a day.

There's no single right answer. Just avoid one thing: don't give a full milk feed right before solids, or your baby will barely eat the meal. Watch your baby's response over a few days and find the spacing that fits your home.

A sample day that's easy to follow

The times are just a guide. If your baby wakes early, slide everything earlier; if a nap runs long, push it later. Protect the order and the day won't fall apart. Here's how two solid meals plus 3 to 4 milk feeds can sit in a day.

Rough time	What to offer	Why it helps
~7 AM (waking)	Breast milk or formula	The tank is empty after the night, so fill it first.
~10 AM	Solids meal 1 (+ milk if wanted)	Less sleepy and in a good mood, so baby eats better.
~2 PM	Breast milk or formula	Fills the gap between lunch and dinner.
~6 PM	Solids meal 2 (+ milk to finish)	Comfortable as long as it isn't right before bed.
~9 PM (before bed)	Breast milk or formula	The feed that closes out the day.

Notice that even with two solid meals, milk still appears three times (waking, afternoon, bedtime). If your baby still has a night feed, that becomes four a day. This way you cover solids while naturally protecting the daily milk total.

"She eats solids and now refuses her bottle" - sound familiar?

Two worries come up constantly in the middle stage. Both are usually normal, so take a breath.

My baby ate solids and now won't take formula. This means your baby filled up on solids. Unless total intake is badly short, it's not a problem. But if she takes almost no milk right after solids, trim the solid portion slightly or widen the gap so there's room to want milk again.

Her milk intake dropped from before. As noted, milk easing down as solids grow is the natural trend. Rather than reacting to a single day, look at a 3 to 7 day average. If she's playful, makes 5 to 6 or more wet diapers a day as usual, and stays on her growth curve, she's fine.

On the other hand, if both solids and milk drop noticeably while she turns listless, wet diapers fall off sharply, or weight isn't gaining, that may be more than appetite. In that case it's safer to get checked by your pediatrician.

Don't skip water and iron

From the middle stage you can start practicing small sips of water. But water isn't a main drink here; it's a few sips at meals (roughly 30 to 60ml a day) to learn the cup. Too much water can crowd out milk or solids, so offer just a little from a cup.

And the nutrient to watch most at this age is iron. The iron stores your baby was born with run nearly empty by about 6 months. Breastfed babies especially are prone to running low, because breast milk is low in iron. That's why middle-stage solids should regularly include lean meats like beef and chicken, iron-fortified cereal, egg yolk, and legumes.

💡 Iron absorbs better when paired with vitamin C-rich vegetables and fruit. For example, serve a beef puree alongside broccoli or zucchini.

Balancing milk and solids with BebeSnap

When you juggle solids and milk, "how many ml did she actually get today?" is easy to lose track of. Log both solids and feeds in BebeSnap and you can see at a glance whether the daily milk total lands in the 600~800ml target. A few days of records reveal how milk eases down as solids climb, and when the family shares one log, the running total carries over no matter who fed her. Noting reactions after new foods also helps at your next checkup.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: How much milk should my baby have while doing middle-stage solids?
A: At 7 to 9 months, even with two solid meals, keep about 600~800ml of milk in 3 to 4 feeds a day. As your baby nears 8 to 9 months this may taper naturally to 500~700ml. Since breast milk or formula is still the main source of nutrition before age one, keep at least 500~600ml.

Q: Should I give milk right after solids?
A: There's no single rule. While solids alone don't fill your baby, finish the meal with milk right afterward; once portions grow, offer milk as a separate feed. Just avoid a full milk feed immediately before solids, because your baby will then barely eat the meal. Watch responses over a few days to find your spacing.

Q: My baby eats solids and now refuses the bottle. Is that okay?
A: Usually yes, because it means she filled up on solids. As long as the daily milk total doesn't drop well below 500~600ml, there's no need to worry. Trimming the solid portion slightly or widening the gap between solids and milk gives her room to want milk again.

Q: Why is iron so important in middle-stage solids?
A: The iron stores your baby was born with run nearly empty by about 6 months. Breastfed babies are especially prone to low iron, so regularly include lean meats like beef and chicken, iron-fortified cereal, egg yolk, and legumes. Serving them with vitamin C-rich vegetables improves absorption.

References

• AAP HealthyChildren - Starting Solid Foods
• CDC - Foods and Drinks for 6 to 24 Month Olds
• WHO - Complementary feeding