The first day of daycare is already a lot. Paperwork, car seat transfers, drop-off tears — and somewhere in the middle of it all, someone at the front desk looks at your bottles and tells you they need a date on them before tomorrow.
Baby bottle labeling for daycare trips up more first-time parents than almost anything else in the drop-off checklist. It seems simple — put a name on the bottle — but the requirements are more specific than that, the placement matters, the lid needs its own label, and the type of bottle you're using determines how and where the label goes. Get it wrong and the daycare provider either can't use the bottle or sends it back in the bag with a note.
This guide covers everything a new daycare parent needs to know about baby bottle labels before that first drop-off: what information goes on the label, where it goes on each bottle type, the lid rule, the write-on and add-on tools, the silicone bottle problem, and the prep step that determines whether the label lasts a week or a year.
From the founder of Sticky Monkey Labels
I'm Dodie — founder of Sticky Monkey Labels, boy mom of three sons, two with food allergies and one with special needs, and 15 years in business since 2011. Bottle labels for the first daycare drop-off are one of the most common calls we receive — almost always from parents who are two days out and realizing they don't have the right setup. This is the post I'd send them before that call happened.
What's in this guide
- What information goes on a daycare bottle label
- How our write-on bottle labels work
- The lid rule — always a separate label
- Placement guide by bottle type
- Silicone bottles — why the body can't be labeled and what to do instead
- The bottles that are hardest to label and why
- Applying labels correctly — the prep step that determines everything
- Washing bottles at home — the daily routine with labels
- Frequently asked questions
1. What Information Goes on a Daycare Bottle Label
Most licensed daycare facilities follow state childcare regulations that specify what must appear on a labeled bottle. Requirements vary by state and by age group, but the core information is consistent across almost all licensed facilities. Check your specific daycare's handbook for their exact requirements — and ask the director on your tour if you're unsure.
Standard required information
- Child's full name — first and last. First name only is often not sufficient in rooms where multiple infants share a common first name.
- Date — when the bottle was prepared or the milk was expressed. This is how daycare staff manage rotation and identify anything that needs to be discarded.
- Contents — breast milk, formula type, or for older babies, what the bottle contains. Critical in rooms with infants on different feeding types or with dietary restrictions.
- Volume / ounces — how much is in the bottle. Helps staff feed the correct amount and track intake accurately.
Some facilities require additional fields — time of preparation, a specific meal designation, or a parent name. The more information you can include on the label, the easier the job is for the providers caring for your child. When in doubt, ask the director before the first drop-off rather than after a note comes home.
2. How Our Write-On Bottle Labels Work
Our baby bottle labels are designed to handle both the permanent information and the daily information in one label — so you're not writing your child's name by hand every morning, and you're not replacing the label each day.
What comes pre-printed
Your child's name is printed on every label at order time. You never write the name by hand. The label is applied once to the bottle and stays for the life of the bottle — through daily dishwasher and sterilizer use for years.
What you customize at order time
Choose 1–3 write-on headers when customizing your labels — the daily fields your daycare requires. Common choices: Date, Ounces, Contents. If your child always has breast milk or the same formula, we can pre-fill the contents field so you only write the date and ounces each morning. More than three headers are available if your facility requires additional fields — let us know at order time.
What happens every morning
Fill in the daily write-on fields with the wax pencil add-on — write and go, don't rub. The wax pencil mark is waterproof once set. Before washing each evening, wipe the written information off with a dry cloth — the label stays on the bottle, the daily information comes off. Clean write-on surface ready for the next morning.
3. The Lid Rule — Always a Separate Label
Label the bottle body. Label the lid. Separately. Both pieces. Every time.
Lids detach from bottles constantly — in your home dishwasher, during the mealtime rush at daycare when providers are opening multiple babies' bottles at the same time, and simply from being stored and handled throughout the day. An unlabeled lid that separates from a labeled bottle has no identification. In an infant room with multiple babies on different formulas or breast milk, a mismatched lid creates a real problem — not just an organizational one.
How to label the lid
- Use our matching lid labels — included with our write-on bottle label sets, your child's name already printed, sized correctly for standard bottle caps
- Choose from solid shape lid labels in a range of colors to match your bottles
- Want something more fun? Our animal bottle lid labels are an adorable add-on — purchased separately, used as the lid label alongside any bottle label order
- Clean the lid surface with alcohol before applying — lids go through the dishwasher and carry soap residue that prevents adhesion
- Apply to the flattest smooth area of the lid top or side
- Allow 24 hours before the first dishwasher cycle
4. Placement Guide by Bottle Type
Every bottle label goes at the top of the bottle, nearest the nipple ring — where it's immediately visible to providers during feeding and away from the base where the bottle sits in wet surfaces throughout the day. Never the middle. Never the bottom.
Standard straight-sided bottles (Philips Avent wide-neck, MAM, Dr. Brown's wide-neck)
The most straightforward bottles to label. Apply to the smooth upper body of the bottle, nearest the neck and nipple ring. Clean with alcohol first. Press firmly across the full label surface. These bottles have good flat surface area at the top — the label sits cleanly and stays visible during every feeding.
Narrow-neck bottles (Dr. Brown's standard, Evenflo, Playtex)
Narrower diameter means a smaller surface area for the label. Use a label sized for the bottle diameter — a label too wide for the bottle will curve at the edges and lift immediately. Apply to the upper smooth panel below the measurement markings if possible so the label doesn't obscure the ounce lines that providers use during feedings. Nearest the nipple ring, top of the bottle.
Angled or vented bottles (Dr. Brown's Options+, Tommee Tippee)
These bottles have an angled neck or internal venting system but still have a straight-sided body section below the angle. Apply to the flat, smooth upper section of the body — nearest the nipple ring as always. Don't try to label across the angled shoulder of the bottle. Find the straight section just below it.
Glass bottles
Glass is a clean, smooth surface and labels bond excellently to it after alcohol prep. Apply to the upper smooth body nearest the nipple ring. Many glass bottles have a silicone protective sleeve — the label goes on the glass body above the sleeve, not on the silicone itself.
5. Silicone Bottles — Why the Body Can't Be Labeled and What to Do Instead
Silicone is a non-stick surface by nature — it's the same property that makes silicone bakeware release food effortlessly. Nothing bonds to silicone reliably, including adhesive labels. Parents who try to label the silicone body of Comotomo, Boon Nursh, and similar bottles always get the same result: the label peels within a few dishwasher cycles regardless of how carefully it was applied. This is the material, not the label.
The solution is the plastic nipple ring. Every silicone bottle has a hard plastic collar at the top that holds the nipple in place. That ring is a smooth, stable surface that bonds well to waterproof labels. Apply the label to the outside of the plastic nipple ring — as close to the top as possible so it's visible during feeding.
6. The Bottles That Are Hardest to Label and Why
After years of helping parents label bottles for daycare, a few bottle types consistently generate the most questions. Here's what makes each one challenging and how to solve it.
Silicone-bodied bottles (Comotomo, Boon Nursh)
Nothing sticks to silicone. Label the plastic nipple ring — see Section 5. This is the complete answer. Don't try to label the body; it won't work no matter what prep you do.
Very narrow-neck bottles
A standard-sized label on a narrow bottle will wrap around the curved surface and lift at the edges immediately. Use a smaller label that lies flat when tested against the bottle surface before applying. Do the flat-lay test: hold the label against the bottle without peeling — if the edges bow away from the surface, the label is too wide. Go smaller.
Bottles with measurement markings in the upper body
On bottles where the measurement markings run all the way up to the neck, there's limited smooth space between the top of the markings and the nipple ring. Use a smaller label in this zone or apply to the nipple ring directly. The label must be readable without covering the ounce lines — providers rely on those markings at every feeding.
7. Applying Labels Correctly — The Prep Step That Determines Everything
The most common reason baby bottle labels peel within the first week is not the label — it's skipping the surface preparation. Every bottle surface has contamination on it that prevents full adhesive bonding: manufacturing oils, hand oils from handling, and soap residue from previous washing. The adhesive bonds to the surface molecules directly. If those molecules are coated in oil, the label bonds to the oil — which eventually lets go.
The correct application sequence — every time
- Clean the application area with alcohol. Wipe firmly with alcohol on a cloth or cotton pad. This removes oils and residue — even from a brand-new bottle. Let the surface dry completely.
- Apply immediately after the alcohol dries — don't handle the cleaned area with your fingers first. Hand oils transfer immediately.
- Press firmly from center outward. Work from the center of the label to every edge, running your thumbnail along each edge for full contact. No lifted corners, no air bubbles.
- Allow 24 hours before the first dishwasher or sterilizer run. The adhesive cures during this window. Label bottles at least the night before — not the morning of the first drop-off.
8. Washing Bottles at Home — The Daily Routine With Labels
Most daycares do not wash bottles for you. You take bottles home each evening, wash them at home in your dishwasher or bottle sterilizer, and send them back clean the next morning. This is the washing environment your labels face — nightly home dishwasher or sterilizer use, seven days a week. Our labels are designed for this and last for years when applied correctly.
The evening routine
- Before washing: Wipe the write-on area clean — the date, ounces, and any other daily information written that morning. Use a dry cloth or your fingernail. The label stays. The daily information comes off cleanly. Write-on surface is fresh for the next morning.
- Wash as normal: Dishwasher or sterilizer — labels survive both. Top rack recommended for maximum label longevity over time, though labels hold up on the bottom rack too.
- Next morning: Fill the bottle, write today's date and ounces in the write-on fields with the wax pencil, snap the lid on, match the lid label to the correct bottle body, and go.
Browse our baby bottle labels and daycare label packs at Sticky Monkey Labels. For more detail on the full daycare bottle labeling picture — including what providers actually look for and the complete setup for bottles, clothing, and gear — see our complete bottle labels for daycare guide. Questions before your first drop-off? Call us at 1-888-780-7734.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I just write the name and date on the bottle in permanent marker?
You can, but it won't last. Permanent marker on plastic or glass fades within a few dishwasher or sterilizer runs — sometimes within the first week of nightly washing. By month two of daycare, a marker name written at the start is usually gone. A waterproof label applied correctly to an alcohol-prepped surface lasts for years. The provider also needs to read it reliably every single feeding — not just on day one.
My bottle label keeps peeling after a few days. What am I doing wrong?
Almost always one of three things: the surface wasn't cleaned with alcohol before applying, the bottle was washed before the 24-hour cure time, or the label was applied to a silicone or textured surface. Check which applies. If the bottle is silicone-bodied, use the plastic nipple ring instead — the body genuinely cannot be labeled. If the bottle is hard plastic and the label is still peeling, clean with alcohol, let dry completely, apply with firm pressure across every edge, and give it the full 24 hours before washing.
My daycare requires labels to be changed every day. Do I need a new label each morning?
No — our write-on labels are designed for this exact requirement. The label stays on the bottle permanently. Your child's name is pre-printed and never needs to be replaced. The date, ounces, and contents are written each morning in the write-on area with the wax pencil. Before washing each evening, wipe the written fields clean. Fresh write-on surface for the next morning. You're refreshing the daily information, not replacing the label.
Do I need to label bottles differently for breast milk vs. formula?
The label type and placement are the same. What changes is the contents field — always specify "breast milk" or the specific formula type, not just "formula." In an infant room where some babies are on specialized formulas, hypoallergenic formulas, or have dairy restrictions, the contents field is safety information. Be specific on every bottle, every day.
How many labels do I need?
At minimum: one label for each bottle body and one matching lid label for each lid — so every bottle you send to daycare has two labels. Add a buffer for any additional bottles you keep as backups or spares at daycare. Most families sending 3–4 bottles daily need at least 8–10 labels to start (body + lid for each bottle plus spares), plus the wax pencil for daily write-on. Our daycare label packs include the right quantity for a standard setup — browse the packs here or call us if you want help figuring out the right quantity for your specific situation.
My baby uses a bottle brand I don't see mentioned here. Will labels still work?
Almost certainly yes — if the bottle body is hard plastic, stainless steel, or glass with a smooth surface, our waterproof labels will bond to it correctly after alcohol prep. The bottle type guide above covers the most common brands but the principles apply universally. The main exception is silicone-bodied bottles — if yours is silicone, use the nipple ring. For any specific bottle you're unsure about, call us at 1-888-780-7734. We can usually tell you exactly what will work and what size label to use based on the bottle name.