From the founder of Sticky Monkey Labels
As a mom of three boys and the founder of Sticky Monkey Labels, bottle labeling is one of the products I'm most particular about — because the consequences of a mix-up in a daycare setting go beyond inconvenience. Here's everything you need to know, including which label fits your specific bottle brand.
Labeling bottles for daycare sounds simple — until you try to stick a flat label onto a curved plastic nipple ring and watch it peel off in the first wash. Or you realize your bottles are a different shape from the ones the generic label was designed for. Or you've been writing your baby's name on masking tape every morning and it's dissolving in the bottle warmer by 10am.
There's a better system — and it's one you set up once, then maintain in seconds each day. Here's exactly how bottle labeling for daycare works, what information is required, and critically, which label fits which bottle brand.
Why Daycare Bottle Labeling Requirements Exist
Daycare bottle labeling isn't bureaucratic box-ticking. In a room with multiple babies, multiple feeding schedules, and multiple bottle types, clear labeling is what prevents the wrong bottle going to the wrong baby — which for a child with formula intolerance, a dairy allergy, or specific dietary needs, is a genuine safety issue, not just an inconvenience.
Most daycare centers require, at minimum:
- Your child's full name
- The date of preparation
- The contents (breast milk or formula type)
- The volume (ounces or ml) — required by many centers
For breast milk specifically, some daycare centers also require the date expressed and the date thawed if applicable. Check your specific center's policy before your first day — our labels have space for additional fields to accommodate these requirements.
Why Labels Go on the Nipple Ring, Not the Bottle Body
This is the question parents most commonly ask, and the answer is practical on two levels.
First, most baby bottles have curved, concave, or textured body surfaces that make labels difficult to apply flat and easy to peel. Even labels that start well on a curved body tend to lift at the edges within a few wash cycles.
Second, many bottles use silicone for part or all of the body — and adhesive labels don't bond reliably to silicone regardless of label quality. The plastic nipple ring is the firm, flat (or near-flat) surface that holds a label securely through dishwasher cycles, bottle warmers, and sterilizers.
This is why all of our daycare bottle labels are designed for the nipple ring, not the body — it's where the label actually stays.
Which Label Fits Which Bottle Brand
Different bottle brands have different nipple ring dimensions — a label sized for an Avent® ring won't sit correctly on a Comotomo® rim. Here's exactly which label to use for your specific bottle brand.
Write-On Bottle Labels for Curved Rims
For: Avent® and Tommee Tippee® bottles
Designed specifically for the wider curved nipple rings on Avent® and Tommee Tippee® bottles. Adheres smoothly to the plastic ring and stays secure through dishwasher cycles, bottle warmer use, and sterilizing. Customizable with your child's name, date, ounces, and contents — plus the flexibility to add a fourth header field if your daycare requires additional information.
Write-On Bottle Labels for Slim Rims
For: Comotomo®, BOON Nursh™, Nanobébé, Nuk® Simply Natural™, Ola Baby, and Playtex Baby™ bottles
Sized for the narrower nipple rings on slim-style bottles. Fits firmly without overhang or peeling. Same write-on surface, same durability through daily daycare bottle use. Customizable headers including the option to add a fourth field.
Write-On Bottle Labels for Standard Bottles
For: Dr. Brown's®, Nuk® Simply Natural™, Playtex Baby™, and most straight-style bottles
Designed for standard straight-body bottles, applied at the top of the bottle just under the nipple ring. Withstands daily washing, heating, and sterilizing. Same write-on and customization options as our other bottle label styles.
For: daycares that only require name and date
If your daycare's requirements are simpler — just your child's name and the current date — these labels cover exactly that. Apply once, update the date daily. Same write-on durability, same waterproof and dishwasher-safe performance.
How the Write-On System Works Day to Day
The daily bottle labeling routine with our labels takes seconds rather than minutes. Here's how it works:
- Apply the label once. When your labels arrive, apply them to each bottle's nipple ring. The label stays permanently adhered to the ring — you never remove and replace it. This is a one-time setup.
- Write daily information each morning. Using our tested semi-permanent marker, write the date, contents, and any other required information directly on the label. Takes five seconds per bottle.
- Wipe clean when the bottle is washed. The semi-permanent marker wipes off with water. The wax pencil option wipes off with a dry cloth. The label surface is clean and ready to write on again for the next day's fill.
Pre-label multiple bottles at once on a Sunday evening — apply all the labels in one session, have everything ready for the week. Each morning, write the current day's information on each bottle. The whole morning bottle-prep step is reduced to seconds.
What Our Bottle Labels Survive
All of our write-on bottle labels are specifically tested for the full daycare bottle cycle:
- Dishwasher-safe — top rack, daily cycles
- Baby bottle warmer-safe
- Sterilizer-safe — both electric and microwave sterilizers
- Refrigerator and freezer-safe — for stored breast milk or pre-prepared formula
- Microwave-safe
- Waterproof — the label stays on through all of the above
Browse our full range of write-on baby bottle labels at Sticky Monkey Labels. If you're just starting daycare and need to label more than just bottles, our Daycare Label Pack covers the full kit — 106 labels including bottles, clothing, bags, and everything else your daycare requires.
Frequently Asked Questions
What information do daycares require on bottle labels?
Most daycare centers require at minimum: your child's full name, the date of preparation, the contents (breast milk or formula type), and the volume. Some centers also require the date expressed and date thawed for breast milk. Check your specific center's policy before the first day — our labels have customizable headers to accommodate any combination of required fields.
Why won't a regular label stay on my baby's bottle?
Most baby bottle bodies are curved, concave, textured, or made partially from silicone — all surfaces that prevent standard flat labels from adhering reliably. Our bottle labels are designed for the plastic nipple ring, which is the most stable, label-friendly surface on any bottle. That's why they stay through dishwasher cycles and bottle warmer use when standard labels won't.
How do I erase writing from a write-on bottle label?
Writing made with our semi-permanent marker wipes off with water — run a damp cloth over the label surface or let the bottle go through a normal wash cycle. Writing made with our wax pencil wipes off with a clean dry cloth. In both cases, make sure the label surface is completely dry before writing again, as writing on a damp surface affects legibility.
Which label fits Comotomo bottles?
Comotomo bottles use a slim nipple ring — our Write-On Bottle Labels for Slim Rims are the right fit. These are also the correct label for BOON Nursh™, Nanobébé, Nuk® Simply Natural™, Ola Baby, and Playtex Baby™ bottles.
Which label fits Avent bottles?
Avent® bottles use a curved rim — our Write-On Bottle Labels for Curved Rims are designed for this. Tommee Tippee® bottles also use this label style.