What Can Babies and Toddlers Drink, by Age
By the Growbaby team · Published Aug 8, 2026
Written against AAP, CDC and WHO guidance. How we write these guides
At a glance
- Water starts at 6 months, at 4 to 8 oz (0.5 to 1 cup) a day until the first birthday.
- Cow's milk starts at 12 months. None before that. Whole milk, 16 oz (2 cups) a day through age 2.
- No juice at all before 1 year. From 2 to 3 years, no more than 4 oz a day.
- Of the plant milks, only soy is considered nutritionally equivalent to cow's milk.
- Toddler milk is on the avoid list, alongside flavoured milk, sweetened drinks and anything caffeinated.
Drinks are the corner of infant feeding with the clearest numbers attached, which is lucky, because it is also the one with the most marketing pointed at it. The recommendations below are not one organization's view: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry agreed a single set for ages nought to five.
The short version is that for the first five years the answer is water and plain milk, in amounts that change with age, and that a surprising number of products sold for exactly this age group are on the list to avoid.
Water: nothing before 6 months, then small amounts
Before six months, breast milk or formula covers hydration and water is not needed. From six to twelve months the recommendation is 4 to 8 oz a day, which is half a cup to one cup, ideally offered in an open or sippy cup rather than a bottle.
The amounts rise steeply after the first birthday: 8 to 32 oz a day (1 to 4 cups) from twelve to twenty-four months, and 8 to 40 oz (1 to 5 cups) from two to five years. Those are wide bands because activity and weather move them, and hot days sit at the top of the range.
Cow's milk: not before the first birthday
Between six and twelve months the recommendation for cow's milk is none. It arrives at twelve months, as whole milk, at 16 oz a day, which is two cups, and that amount holds through the second year.
From two years the guidance switches to nonfat or low-fat milk at 16 to 24 oz a day, two to three cups. The change at two is about fat rather than quantity, and the quantity barely moves.
- 6 to 12 months: no cow's milk
- 12 to 24 months: whole milk, 16 oz (2 cups) a day
- 2 years and up: nonfat or low-fat milk, 16 to 24 oz (2 to 3 cups) a day
Juice: none in the first year, and small amounts after
Infants under one year should not drink juice at all. This is the recommendation that changed most recently in living memory, and it is stricter than what many parents were given for their own first child.
After that it is a ceiling rather than a serving suggestion. No more than 4 oz a day for two to three year olds, and no more than 4 to 6 oz for four to five year olds, of 100% juice. Whole fruit does the same nutritional job with the fibre still attached and without the same effect on teeth.
Plant milks: soy is the exception, not the rule
This one surprises people, because the supermarket shelf implies otherwise. Other than soy milk, plant-based milks are not recommended for children to drink in place of dairy milk. Soy milk is described as nutritionally equivalent to cow's milk and is an acceptable alternative.
That is a statement about replacing dairy in a young child's diet, where the protein and fat matter, rather than a verdict on almond or oat milk existing in the house. If your child cannot have dairy for any reason, this is a conversation with your paediatrician rather than a swap to make off a label.
What is on the avoid list
The consensus names categories to avoid rather than brands, and one of them is worth pointing at: toddler milk. These are the formula-adjacent products marketed for children past their first birthday, and they sit on the same list as flavoured milk, sugary drinks such as sodas and sports drinks, drinks sweetened with stevia or artificial sweeteners, and anything caffeinated.
The reasoning is that once a child is on whole milk and eating a varied diet, a sweetened milk-like drink adds sugar and displaces the two things that were working.
- Toddler milk
- Flavoured milk
- Sugary drinks: sodas, sports drinks and similar
- Drinks sweetened with stevia or artificial sweeteners
- Caffeinated drinks
When to raise it
Any reason your child cannot have dairy belongs with your paediatrician rather than with a shelf label, because replacing it properly is about protein, fat and calcium rather than about finding something white. The same is true if milk is displacing food, which shows up as a toddler drinking a great deal and eating very little.
The amounts above are guidance for typical healthy children. Prematurity, growth concerns and medical conditions all change them, and your own doctor's numbers beat any published band.
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Frequently asked questions
From six months, and in small amounts rather than freely. The reason for the ceiling in the first year is that water displaces milk, which is where a baby of that age is still getting nearly all their nutrition, so it is offered alongside meals rather than used to fill a thirsty baby up. An open or sippy cup is preferred over a bottle from the start.
At twelve months. The recommendation between six and twelve months is none. From the first birthday it is whole milk at 16 oz, or two cups, a day, switching to nonfat or low-fat at age two.
Not under one year. After that it is capped rather than encouraged: no more than 4 oz a day for two to three year olds and 4 to 6 oz for four to five year olds, of 100% juice.
Not as a replacement for dairy. Soy is the single exception the consensus makes, and the reason is protein and fat: a young child drinking two cups a day is getting a meaningful part of both from that milk, and most plant milks do not supply them at the same level however well fortified they are. As something a child drinks occasionally on top of a diet that already works, this is a different question and a smaller one.
No, and it is the one item on the avoid list that is marketed specifically at the age it is meant for, which is why it catches people. It is not formula and it is not a required next step after it: a twelve-month-old moving onto whole milk and family food does not need a transitional product in between.
Four organizations together: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, in a joint consensus covering ages nought to five.
Sources
This guide is for general informational purposes only. Growbaby is not a medical device and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Every baby develops at their own pace; for any question or concern about your baby's health or development, always consult your pediatrician or another qualified healthcare provider.