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.
You Might Also Like: How to Label Pacifiers for Daycare
This post contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more information.
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!
You Might Also Like: How to Choose a Daycare
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
- Waterproof baby bottle labels
- Reusable baby bottle labels
- Personalized baby bottle labels
- DIY 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:
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
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
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
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
- Pick a color that stands out
- Make sure the outside surface of the bottle is clean and dry
- Tear a piece of masking tape that is big enough to show the baby’s name and date
- Place the tape on the bottle and press to make it stick
- Use a permanent black marker to write required information
2. With waterproof labels
- Choose a unique design that you like
- Place two labels on the bottle. One on the front and one on the back. Don’t forget the bottle cap!
- Take a piece of masking tape or a plain white label and write the date
- Place the tape or label on bottle in a place where it will be easily seen.
3. With reusable labels
- Pick a label that will stand out and be easily recognized as belonging to your baby.
- Decide where you want the label to go.
- Make sure the outside surface of the bottle is clean and dry.
- Place the label on the bottle and smooth out any wrinkles.
- Take the erasable pen and write the required info on the label
4. With personalized labels
- Pick a label that’s the appropriate size for your bottle
- Make sure the outside surface of the bottle is clean and dry
- Place the label on the bottle in a location that’s easy to see.
- Take a piece of masking tape or a plain white label and write the date and other required information
- 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.
Phomemo D30 Label Maker
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:
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.
Like this? Pin it!
