How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (2024)

Baby bottle labels

Are you preparing to send your baby to daycare?

Depending on where you are in the process, you probably have a ton of questions. The one I get asked the most is how to label bottles for daycare.

This can be a big source of anxiety and stress for working moms.

Think about it.

You spend all that time building your milk supply and creating a milk stash. The last thing you want is for your baby not to get the milk because it wasn’t labeled properly.

It’s better to figure these things out now while your time is flexible. Once you return to work after maternity leave, that flexibility won’t be there.

You’ll need to have a night time routine, even if you have never had one before. Otherwise, you’ll forget to do things, like pack your baby’s bottles. Remember, time will be limited unless you’re willing to forgo the little bit of sleep you are getting.

Your primary goal will be making everything as efficient as possible, especially labeling bottles for daycare.

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Daycare guidelines for labeling baby bottles

Your daycare should have rules and regulations in place to help with the safe handling of infant bottles in childcare. Some rules are dependent on if a baby is getting breastmilk or formula. Either way, you should be required to at least label all infant bottles with the baby’s name and the date.

If your childcare provider isn’t requesting this of you, RUN. You want to make sure that there are measures in place to prevent your baby from getting the wrong milk.

Even with labeling bottles, there was a mixup with my daughter’s breast milk. No, she didn’t get the wrong milk. She didn’t get milk at all.

Talk about an angry mom!

Her primary teacher had to leave unexpectedly and so my daughter had to go into another room. They somehow missed her labeled bottles and instead decided to just give her water. I was very upset (understatement, I was outraged) because they could have called me if they had any doubts. But I was relieved that my dairy allergic baby didn’t get the wrong milk.

Luckily she was almost a year old when this happened or I would have made a bigger stink!

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What to look for in a bottle label

1. Uniqueness

The whole point of having bottle labels for daycare is to be able to distinguish your baby’s milk from another baby’s.

Choose colors and patterns that stand out. Pick something that’s eye catching but that other moms wouldn’t necessarily buy.

I know you have a theme you’re trying to stick with, but chances are other moms like that character too.

When the childcare worker goes to feed your baby, you want them to recognize that bottle as belonging to your baby with no hesitations.

Remember it’s very likely another mom will be using the same brand of bottle, but the label you use will make yours unique.

2. Durability

Most new moms go crazy buying things for their first baby. We like to use the excuse that we’ll just pass it down to the next child. So before you start labeling bottles, think about your long term plans.

Do you plan on passing the bottles down to another child? Will you be selling your used baby bottles? Does it make sense for you to just start fresh with the next baby?

Your answer to those questions will determine the type of bottle labels you should consider:

Passing down/selling baby bottles

  • Removable bottle labels

Starting fresh with next baby

  • Waterproof baby labels

3. Size

The size of your label matters. You want a label that’s big enough to show your baby’s name and the other required info. But, you don’t want a label that’s so big the person feeding your baby can’t see the ounce markings on the bottle.

You may find that you’ll have to use a combination of labels (which I’ll get into later) to meet all of your daycare requirements. If you do, you’ll still want to make sure you aren’t hiding the numbers on the side of the bottle.

What are the options for baby bottle labels

Best way to label bottles for daycare

There are several ways to label your baby bottles for daycare but the best way for you to do it will depend on your goals.

Are you looking for the most frugal way? Do you want a way that’s going to save you the most time? Do you care more about looks or is functionality your biggest concern?

Either way, I’ve got you covered.

What do you use to label bottles for daycare

Masking Tape:


How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (1)How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (2)

Pros: Masking tape is both economical and easy to use. Chances are you already have some in your house.

Cons: It can be time consuming depending on how many bottles you have to make. It’s also not water proof so the tape could get wet and your information wouldn’t be readable.

Pro tip: Don’t buy the plain beige masking tape, get a color that will stand out!

Waterproof Labels

How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (3)

Pros: Waterproof baby bottle name labels can be customized with names and designs. They are also inexpensive.

Cons: You need to have several labels because they may not stick as long.

Pro tip: You can also use these to label other items like clothes and shoes.

Reusable Labels

How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (4)

Pros: Reusable labels are the least time consuming. You put it on once and then just update the information everyday.

Cons: The labels stick to the bottles very well and are hard to remove. You may not be able to reuse your bottles for another baby.

Pro tip: Make sure to erase the daily information before placing in hot water or the dishwasher. Otherwise the writing will become permanent.

Personalized Bottle Labels

How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (5)

Pros: Personalized labels are very attractive and are a great way to make your bottles look unique. You can be very creative with fonts and colors.

Cons: Usually all you get is the name. You still have to find another way to get the other required info on the bottle.

Pro tip: Check the dimensions first to make sure they will fit your bottle.

How to label baby bottles for daycare

1. With masking tape

    1. Pick a color that stands out
    2. Make sure the outside surface of the bottle is clean and dry
    3. Tear a piece of masking tape that is big enough to show the baby’s name and date
    4. Place the tape on the bottle and press to make it stick
    5. Use a permanent black marker to write required information

2. With waterproof labels

    1. Choose a unique design that you like
    2. Place two labels on the bottle. One on the front and one on the back. Don’t forget the bottle cap!
    3. Take a piece of masking tape or a plain white label and write the date
    4. Place the tape or label on bottle in a place where it will be easily seen.

3. With reusable labels

    1. Pick a label that will stand out and be easily recognized as belonging to your baby.
    2. Decide where you want the label to go.
    3. Make sure the outside surface of the bottle is clean and dry.
    4. Place the label on the bottle and smooth out any wrinkles.
    5. Take the erasable pen and write the required info on the label

4. With personalized labels

    1. Pick a label that’s the appropriate size for your bottle
    2. Make sure the outside surface of the bottle is clean and dry
    3. Place the label on the bottle in a location that’s easy to see.
    4. Take a piece of masking tape or a plain white label and write the date and other required information
    5. Place the tape or label on the bottle in a place where it can easily be seen

Label maker for baby bottles

You can always go the DIY route as well to make baby bottle labels. Here are a few of my favorite label makers for daycare.

  1. Phomemo D30 Label Maker

How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (6)How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (7)

This label maker is phenomenal! There’s no ink or toner to take into consideration as everything is done using direct thermal technology. As a mom, you’re always busy doing something. This label maker allows you to multi-task without being tied down to a printer. The Bluetooth technology gives you the flexibility of relaxing on the couch with your baby while simultaneously making his or her bottle labels for the next day right from your cell phone. Oh, and don’t worry about batteries because this just needs to be charged from time to time.

Labeling baby bottles for daycare

You’ll find a system that will work for you. Sometimes the job can be done with one type of label. But, most of the time it’ll take a combination of labels.

Here is how I labeled my breastmilk bottles for daycare:

How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (8)

My daycare required breast milk bottles to be labeled with mother’s name, baby’s name, date, and date pumped. I used a combination of a reusable bottle label and a water proof label. I used the note section to fill in the date pumped. I found this combination to be the best way to label baby bottles with all of the required information.

Which baby bottle labels are you leaning towards? Tell us in the comments.

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How to Label Bottles for Daycare: 4 Easy Solutions for Working Moms (2024)

FAQs

How do you label your bottles for daycare? ›

Most commonly, bottles must be labeled with name/date and time. The best baby bottle labels have your baby's name and a spot to write and wipe off dates. Make sure to get ones that are dishwasher and sanitizer-safe!

How do you label kids items for daycare? ›

Just write your baby's name on the contained with permanent marker or use tape and a marker. For homemade baby food that you're sending in reusable containers, use a stick-on daycare name label on the container and the lid.

How do you make formula bottles for daycare? ›

Preparing Formula at the Day care
  1. Keep the bottle clean and sanitised.
  2. Add the right amount boiled water to each bottle.
  3. Tightly seal and store it in a refrigerator until it is ready to be used at the day care.
  4. Use a storage container that has sections and fill each section with the correct amount of formula.
Dec 10, 2019

How do you label children's water bottles? ›

How to put a name sticker on a child's water bottle. Putting one of our My Nametags' name stickers on a water bottle is easy. Simply peel and stick the label onto the dry surface of the bottle. It's that straightforward!

What information should be included when labeling bottles? ›

The logo of the beverage manufacturer. The name of the beverage. Information about the beverage itself (e.g. where it was manufactured, its ingredients, the amount of liquid contained in the bottle). A barcode.

What is the best way to label kids items? ›

Permanent Markers: Permanent markers are a simple and cost-effective way to label various items. They work well on surfaces like plastic, metal, and cardboard. Using a permanent marker lets you quickly write your child's name or initials on items such as lunch containers, school supplies, and toy boxes.

What is an example of labeling a child? ›

As parents, we find ourselves labelling our children all the time. Most often we add adjectives, positive or negative, to our children when we address them or talk about them. Some examples of the labels we use are “good”, “shy”, “quiet”, “introvert”, “naughty”, “careless”, “lazy”, “trouble maker”, “bad boy/girl”, etc.

How do you make bottle formula? ›

Measure the amount of water needed and add it to a clean bottle. Use the scoop that came with the formula container to scoop the powdered formula. Add the number of scoops needed into the bottle. Attach the nipple and cap to the bottle and shake well.

How many bottles should I prepare for daycare? ›

Depending on how old your baby is when they start daycare, you'll need to provide enough milk to feed them every 2-3 hours. Babies over 6 months of age who have started solids might need less breast milk, depending on how well they eat solids.

Why do you have to wait 30 minutes before making formula? ›

Water that hasn't been boiled can also contain bacteria. Formula therefore needs to be made up with water hot enough to kill the bacteria, which is at least 70 degrees C. This means boiling the kettle and leaving it to cool for no longer than 30 minutes, so that it remains at a temperature of at least 70 degrees C.

What can write on water bottle? ›

Hi, usually sharpies are waterproof, but they do sell waterproof markers. Another thing is to write on duct tape. If your plastic bottle has a paper label, you can use a sharpie on that. Eventually though that will get worn, so you may need to replace it with a regular small label that you can write on.

How do you label sample bottles? ›

Sample labeling on sample bottles
  1. Date and time (the period elapsed during continuous sampling and the hour and minute of collection for dipper samples)
  2. Name of the sampler.
  3. Name and number and owner of the vessel, car, or container.
  4. Grade of material.
  5. Reference symbol or identification number.

What do you use to make water bottle labels? ›

We designed the labels in Inkscape, a free open source vector graphics program that's similar to Illustrator, and printed them on 80lb white cardstock. Then I used a paper cutter to cut the labels apart and clear packing tape to stick them onto the bottle. And that was it.

How do I put my name on my water bottle? ›

How to Make Personalized Water Bottles for Kids
  1. Measure Your Space. Figure out what size your design needs to be. ...
  2. Make Your Design. ...
  3. Cut Out Your Vinyl. ...
  4. Weed Your Design. ...
  5. Transfer Your Design to Transfer Tape. ...
  6. Place Your Design on the Water Bottle. ...
  7. Allow to rest.
Aug 4, 2022

How do you get a name on a water bottle? ›

Permanent Marker: Use a permanent marker to write your name directly on the surface of the water bottle. Stickers or Decals: Apply adhesive stickers or decals with your name or initials to the water bottle. You can find pre-made stickers or create your own using printable sticker paper or vinyl.

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