You may be getting ready to send your baby to daycare and wondering how to label bottles for daycare.
If you are a working mom, work from home mom, or a mom that uses daycare for your child either full-time or part-time, then you probably have had to label your child’s baby bottles.
This can be a pain especially if you label them in a way that has to be redone constantly. Do you really need one more thing to do in the morning? We don’t think you do.
What’s the best way to label bottles for daycare? The best way to label bottles for daycare is to use a very durable label that will withstand daily washing and sanitizing. It should include your child’s name so the bottle doesn’t get mixed up when your daycare provider is feeding the children in your child’s class. You have a few options such as:
- Water Proof Stickers
- Re-writable Stickers
- Personalized Bottle Bands
I tried several different brands of baby bottle labels and I kept getting disappointed. Many of them would bubble up and peel off from just a few days of daily washing.
Eventually, I found one brand that stayed on permanently and did not need to be replaced, even after over six months of use. You can check out my favorite bottle labels for daycare here. (Seriously, don’t waste your money on anything else!)
As an example, this is one brand of bottle labels (on Amazon) that I tried, and they definitely did not stand up to daily bottle washing, soaking, and sanitizing. These labels did work out ok for food and snack containers that just went through the dishwasher.
Knowing how to label bottles for daycare in a way that will last through the dishwasher and the daily use of the bottle will save you time and money in the long run.
Knowing what kind of bottle labels will work best for your particular situation is great, but you may also wonder why you even need to label the bottle. And you might not even know what to look for in a bottle label. Below I go into more detail on all of this.
Why Do You Need to Label Bottles?
If you are new to this whole daycare and bottle labeling thing then you may wonder why you even need to label them. Won’t the daycare keep all of your child’s belongings together? Actually, that isn’t always the case.
It is true that your child’s regular teacher will likely know whose bottle is whose, but what if the teacher is out that day and there is a sub?
The substitute teacher may not know all the details about each of the kids and a milk mix up could happen. If your child is breastfed then you won’t want them to get little Jimmy’s formula bottle or vice versa.
Labeling is for the convenience and ease of the staff but also for the safety of the children, as well as for following the guidelines of the licensing agency for the daycare.
Daycare Guidelines and Restrictions
Most daycares have restrictions and regulations when it comes to labeling baby bottles. This is to keep everyone safe and make sure that children don’t get the wrong bottles.
If a baby that is allergic to dairy gets a bottle filled with a dairy-based formula and has a serious reaction, then the daycare is liable and the baby could be injured.
That is a serious issue that can be avoided with the use of labels. If your daycare does not require you to label the baby bottles then you might want to find another daycare. That is a red flag for safety issues.
Qualities to Look For In A Bottle Label
When looking for the right labels for your baby bottles there are some qualities you should look for. If you don’t want to spend more money than necessary you need to make sure you get quality labels that will last but that will also serve the purpose of standing out.
Durability of the Label
This is the top quality you need to look for. Read as many reviews of the product that you can get your hands on and talk to other moms that have used bottle labels. Other moms are going to be the most honest, usually, about what has worked and what they like.
You don’t want labels that will come off with one washing and need to be replaced. That will be frustrating and expensive when you have to continue to replace the lables.
The most durable labels I found are right here. You can even check out all of the great reviews on their site a well. (I also love that they offer fast and free shipping.)
Does it Stand Out?
Your label needs to stand out and be unique so there is no question who it belongs to. Yes, your child’s name will be on it but sometimes mistakes can still happen. Having a unique label will help make sure that the teacher has an extra way to remember who’s bottle it is.
I loved how all my daughter’s labels had the same design on them. A few of the adorable choices they have are ballet slippers, fire trucks, dinosaurs, and pineapples.
Baby Bottle Label Size
While you don’t want the label to be overwhelmingly large and cover the whole bottle, you don’t want it to be tiny either. The teacher needs to be able to see the label and the name for it to be an effective label.
A mid-sized colorful label with a space for the name and possibly the date is perfect.
Other Things to Consider
When buying labels there are two other things that would be wise to consider before purchasing.
Hand Me Downs
You may not be done having children or maybe your sister is planning to have children in the future. If you are planning to hand the bottles down then you don’t want to use permanent labeling.
Using re-writable labels instead of personalized labels is one idea. You may also want to consider possibly using just your last name on the label and choose gender-neutral colors.
Even if you aren’t sure if you will pass them down or not, you might want to choose a label that is easy to pass along with the bottles.
There are also mommy consignment sales that some moms will sell bottles at. If you are one of those moms or think you might become one then go with re-writable labels.
Starting Over
Some moms want to start over with each baby especially if they are different genders. There is nothing wrong with that. If you want to start fresh with all of your children then you can look into personalized labels or bottle bands.
This is fun because you can get different colors or designs to personalize the labels even more and make them stand out. We love that.
The 3 Best Ways to Label Baby Bottles
There are three ways that we really love labeling baby bottles. All of these are durable, can stand out, and be unique but only two of them could be used for multiple children. These ways to label baby bottles for daycare are all great and will do the job beautifully no matter what you choose.
Waterproof Stickers to Label Bottles
Waterproof stickers are great. I really love them for so many reasons. The best reason is that the sticker is durable and isn’t going to come off or become damaged.
It will stay put if the bottle leaks, falls in the water, is drooled on by the baby, or gets put in the dishwasher. As a matter of fact, some are even dishwasher safe.
If you are looking into stickers for labels and a product does not say dishwasher safe and durable then I don’t recommend buying it. Bottle labels should always be allowed in the dishwasher, don’t you think?
Re-Writable Bottle Labels
If you are required to date and time the bottle, then a dishwasher safe and re-writable label will make your life easier.
For instance, if you breastfeed and are pumping milk, you may need to have a date and time on the bottle for daycare.
These labels are also good if you are going to use the bottles for another baby or if you happen to have twins and need to label two sets of bottles.
You’ll have to ask your daycare, but mine did not require a date because I brought new bottles every morning and took them all home at night.
You could also use a permanent label with the baby’s name, and a smaller re-writeable label just for the date.
Personalized Bottle Bands
Personalized bottle bands are like bracelets for the baby bottle. These are fun and come in great colors. They can come off so as your child grows and gets different cups you can continue to use the band. So, this is an investment that will pay off for as long as the bands last.
The only downside is that you can’t write dates and times on the label without it being permanent. You, then, just need to have a sticker or piece of tape with the date on a baby bottle. If that is the only downside, then we still love the bottle band.
Here are the personalized baby bottle bands that I like the best. I had 3 of these because my daughter took 3 feedings each day while she was at daycare.
The Best Way to Label Bottles For Daycare
So the best way to label your baby bottles for daycare is to use an ultra-durable baby bottle label. Make sure that these labels will withstand daily washing and sterilizing. You can also choose to use a personalized baby bottle band.
I personally did not have a need for re-writeable labels, but they are another option you may want to check out.
NEXT, Check Out
Here are all my best tips and tricks for the best way to pump breast milk for daycare.
Be sure to read more about how to pack baby bottles for daycare in my article here.
Check out all of the exclusive discounts I have for you here.
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