Labeling your baby’s bottles isn’t just about keeping track of lost pieces—it’s an essential part of ensuring your baby’s health and safety. When it comes to bottles, breast milk, formula, and storage, proper labeling helps avoid mix-ups and keeps everything hygienic. Whether you’re preparing bottles for daycare, pumping milk in the NICU or storing in the fridge, or the freezer at home, clear and accurate labels can make all the difference in maintaining the freshness and safety of your baby’s milk.
From tracking pumping times at home to ensuring the right milk gets to the right baby, labeling helps you stay organized and compliant with daycare and medical protocols, ultimately giving you peace of mind. How to properly label baby bottles:
Why Properly Labeling Your Baby Bottles Matters
When your baby’s bottles go to daycare, to the fridge, or into the freezer, labeling is essential to ensure hygiene, safety, and organization. It helps avoid mix-ups and makes sure no one (including daycare staff) is uncertain about whose bottle is whose or what’s inside. The last thing you want is your baby’s milk to go unnoticed or spoiled because it was sitting in the fridge too long!
Why it’s important to label correctly:
- Prevent mix-ups: Bottles tend to look alike—especially when multiple babies are involved in daycare. Labels help avoid confusion, and lost items and dangerous mix-ups.
- Track milk dates and amounts: You’ll need to know when milk was pumped, how much is in the bottle, and whether it’s breast milk or formula.
- Comply with daycare and NICU protocols: Many daycare centers and hospitals have specific guidelines about labeling, and it’s vital to follow them for safety reasons.
Daycare Protocols: How to Label Your Baby’s Bottles for Daycare
When it comes to daycare, proper labeling ensures that no milk gets misplaced, and every bottle goes to the right baby. Daycares typically have their own specific rules for labeling bottles, and it’s important to ask questions and properly understand your daycare’s protocols and guidelines. Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
1. Label Your Baby’s Name Clearly
Make sure your baby’s full name is clearly written on the bottle. Our large oval labels are perfect for this!
2. Write the Date and Time
It’s important to mark the date and time when the milk or formula was prepared. This helps daycare staff ensure your baby is given fresh milk, and it avoids giving your baby spoiled or expired formula.
3. Milk Amount
Write down the amount of milk or formula in the bottle, especially if you’re sending multiple bottles. This helps daycare staff monitor how much your baby eats and makes it easier for them to pass along this important information along to parents.
4. Breast Milk vs Formula
If you’re sending both breast milk and formula, label the bottles “Breast Milk” or “Formula” so staff knows the difference.
Our Baby Bottle Labels make this easy with their generous space for names, dates, amounts, and other notes.
5. Nipple and Bottle Parts
Don’t forget to label the parts of the bottle itself:
- Caps and Nipples: Label your bottle’s cap with a small, clear label (we recommend the cap labels for this). This ensures no mix-ups with other bottles and that the correct nipple size is used.
- Bottle Parts: You might also want to label the bottle body and nipples to keep everything organized at home or daycare.
- Labeling all parts of the bottle means you won’t lose caps and nipples and don’t need to worry about accidental cross-contamination.
How to Label Your Milk Freezer Bags
When it comes to storing milk in the freezer, proper labeling is essential whether at home, or daycare. You’ll need to make sure each bag is clearly labeled with the following:
Information to include on Freezer Milk Bags:
- Baby’s Name: For quick and easy identification.
- Date and Time: Be sure to include the exact date and time the milk was expressed.
- Amount of Milk: Always indicate the amount, especially if you’re pumping smaller amounts into multiple bags.
- Milk Type: Label whether it’s fresh milk or thawed milk to ensure it’s used in the proper order.
If you’re unsure about any storage protocols, the CDC guidelines have you covered.
If you have questions about how to prepare bottles for daycare – this guide from Enfamil is best!
Breast Milk Pumped While Sick and Other Important Notes to Include on Milk Storage Bags:
It’s a good idea to include additional notes on milk freezer bags to help ensure that the milk is used appropriately and safely. Including information such as whether the mother was sick or drank alcohol while pumping can be especially important in certain situations. Here’s how you can approach labeling these additional notes:
Health and Wellness Notes:
- If mom was sick while pumping, it might be important to indicate this on the label to ensure that the milk is used properly. For example, if mom had a cold, flu, or was on medication, some parents prefer to note this to avoid any confusion later on.
- Example Label: “Pumped while sick, use within 24 hours” or “Pumped during mild cold – check before use.”
- If the milk was pumped after certain medications were taken, you can add a note regarding whether it’s safe for the baby to consume.
- Example Label: “Pumped after prescribed medication – check with doctor.”
Always consult with a healthcare professional or lactation consultant to determine what info is necessary to include for your specific situation, as it can vary based on individual health needs and medical advice.
The Best Labels for Baby Bottles:
These Baby Bottle Labels come with 12 labels for caps, 12 wraparound labels, and 12 large labels, all reusable, customizable and preprinted clearly with your baby’s name, and extra write-and-wipe space for the additional details. These labels are perfect for storing or sending breast milk and formula to daycare. Plus, they’re:
- Durable and waterproof: These labels can withstand dishwashers, bottle warmers, and sterilizers.
- Dishwasher, sterilizer, freezer and bottle warmer safe!
- Easy to reuse: Use a fine-tip dry-erase marker to jot down information, then simply wipe the label clean for the next use.
NICU Protocols for Labeling Bottles, Breast Milk, and Formula
If your baby has spent time in the NICU, you’re probably already familiar with the strict protocols for labeling. NICU staff need to know exactly when and what type of milk is being provided, as well as who the milk belongs to. Here are some key points to remember:
1. Breast Milk
- Labeling: Always include the baby’s full name, date and time of expression, and volume of milk in each container.
- Storage: Milk should be stored in labeled freezer bags or bottles.
- Freezer Bags Labeling: Write the date, time, and amount of milk on the freezer bags. Additionally, it’s important to label the type of milk (whether it’s fresh or thawed) to ensure that staff use it in the proper order.
- Storage Duration: Breast milk can be safely stored in the freezer for up to six months, but it should be used within 24 hours after being thawed, depending on whether it was refrigerated.
2. Formula
- Labeling: Like breast milk, always include the date, time, and formula amount.
- Shelf Life: Be sure to check formula expiration dates regularly. Opened formula should be used within 24 hours.
NICU and breast milk storage guidelines:
- Children’s Hospital NICU Guidelines
- CDC’s Breast Milk Storage Guidelines
- American Academy of Pediatrics on Breast Milk Storage
If your sending your baby to daycare and need to switch from breast to bottle, here are some great tips on the best bottles for breastfed babies.
