Labeling Bottles etc.

[Francine]

Has anybody come up with a way to label bottles that doesn't wash off every time you wash them?

Also, at what age do you stop giving bottles or do you give them until Mom and Dad don't anymore? I have two one year old boys, both of them drink out of cups all the time but both sets of parents give them bottles to get them to sleep at nap time. Both of them have told me that it's okay to just give them the bottle in bed with them...not going to happen! In my opinion neither of these kids needs a bottle.

[Lianne]

When I felt the child was ready, I took them off the bottle, pacifier, etc. at my house but I never expect a parent follow my lead. If they do, great, but if they don't then that's their choice. Kids learn quickly that things happen differently at daycare and home and they generally adapt easily.

[boysx5]

I use different colors for each child or a theme cup that I buy for them. Bottles I wait for the parent to stop giving them I had one who said she was stopping I did stop here and then a month later she came with a bottle and I said well I put all the bottles away so I won't go back to here and the mother was fine with that.

[Golden Rule]

Has anybody come up with a way to label bottles that doesn't wash off every time you wash them?

Colored rubber bands, tight around neck of bottle if two children have the same style (rarely happens, here).

Also, at what age do you stop giving bottles or do you give them until Mom and Dad don't anymore? I have two one year old boys, both of them drink out of cups all the time but both sets of parents give them bottles to get them to sleep at nap time. .

No bottles here past 12 months..... Substitute for a sleep buddy (small personal teddy) if really necessary. Just keep them in the cubby the rest of the time....huge cootie factory if passed around IMHO.

[Crystal]

I take binkies by 6 months and bottles by 12 months. By two, at the latest, I take sippy cups. Bottles are used for nutrition. Once a child is eating full meals, they no longer need the bottle. I have never had a child who protested with me, but do with parents....I have some children who are almost 3 and still have a bottle at home and 5 year olds who still use a sippy cup at home.....I feel like they need to learn to use a real cup as soon as they are capable.

[Golden Rule]

I take binkies by 6 months and bottles by 12 months. By two, at the latest, I take sippy cups. Bottles are used for nutrition. Once a child is eating full meals, they no longer need the bottle. I have never had a child who protested with me, but do with parents....I have some children who are almost 3 and still have a bottle at home and 5 year olds who still use a sippy cup at home.....I feel like they need to learn to use a real cup as soon as they are capable.

I love that you take binkys at 6 months, too... I catch a bit of drama over that one.... It really is the worst thing ever brought into daycare in my mind...like asking for them to get sick (toddlers love to sneak little tastes to see what all the fuss is about. Even the best laid out security plans fail from time to time at the worst possible moments.)

I have to admit that I cheat on the "real cup" thing (except on the playground where it is simple), am zipping up flame suit. I use the sports bottles that they use in elementary schools around here.(limited water fountains so kids keep them in their desks). I am getting older and getting milk out from under those play mats, hanging them up to dry for over an hour, them putting them all back is getting more tiresome (plus it sours and stinks up the place....ugh!!!) I do only allow drinks at the table, but when they knock them over it is usually in animated discussion with flailing arms....some should be baseball pitchers, I swear!!! None of my parents seem to mind, though.

[momma2girls]

I take binkies by 6 months and bottles by 12 months. By two, at the latest, I take sippy cups. Bottles are used for nutrition. Once a child is eating full meals, they no longer need the bottle. I have never had a child who protested with me, but do with parents....I have some children who are almost 3 and still have a bottle at home and 5 year olds who still use a sippy cup at home.....I feel like they need to learn to use a real cup as soon as they are capable.

I see children(thank God not here at my daycare) that are still on pacifiers and bottles over 3!!! I stop at 12 months as well!!!!!

[Crystal]

I love that you take binkys at 6 months, too... I catch a bit of drama over that one.... It really is the worst thing ever brought into daycare in my mind...like asking for them to get sick (toddlers love to sneak little tastes to see what all the fuss is about. Even the best laid out security plans fail from time to time at the worst possible moments.)

I have to admit that I cheat on the "real cup" thing (except on the playground where it is simple), am zipping up flame suit. I use the sports bottles that they use in elementary schools around here.(limited water fountains so kids keep them in their desks). I am getting older and getting milk out from under those play mats, hanging them up to dry for over an hour, them putting them all back is getting more tiresome (plus it sours and stinks up the place....ugh!!!) I do only allow drinks at the table, but when they knock them over it is usually in animated discussion with flailing arms....some should be baseball pitchers, I swear!!! None of my parents seem to mind, though.

LOL! I'll admit, for the less skilled cup user, I do use sippy cups for juice....I cannot stand cleaning that up off of the floor. The way I teach the children to use regular cups: by the time they are 18 months, when they want water, they are given a regualr cup while standing near the sink, while I stay next to them.....once they are good at standing and drinking the water, then I give them a regular cup at mealtime.....the only place the children ever have a drink is water at the sink or sitting at the table. I never thought about sport bottles for outdoors....I may have to try that....thanks for the idea!

And, yes, binkies....I cannot stand them. I do realize some children have that innate need to ****, so I allow them until 6 months....for sleep time ONLY. I never let a child move about the house with a binkie....too many germs and to much potential to share! By 6 months, the intense ned to **** should have passed and they start becoming a habit rather than a need.....not a good habit to start IMO.

[MarinaVanessa]

I use different colors for each child or a theme cup that I buy for them. Bottles I wait for the parent to stop giving them I had one who said she was stopping I did stop here and then a month later she came with a bottle and I said well I put all the bottles away so I won't go back to here and the mother was fine with that.

Yup, me too. I just buy bottles (for the ones under 1) that coordinate with their cubby colors. I do this everything actually. It's just easier for me to keep track of who's is what. For example DCG likes green so she has a green cubby, drink cup, plate, bowl, utencils etc. DCB is light blue cubby, bottle, plate, bowl etc and once he turns one he'll have a light blue sippy cup (which I have already purchased). Marker always seems to wash off in the dishwasher and I dishwash everything through the sterilizer cycle so I needed to find a system that worked better.

[Janet]

Labeling, bottle, pluggies, etc...

I only have one kid that takes a bottle right now, and her mom brings those (breast milk) so there's no confusion there. During the times that I've had more than 1 that took bottles, I would just make sure that they all were using different bottle brands. As far as cups go, I don't label them because the kids are only allowed to drink at the table. I only use sippy cups for beginners. Once they are able to do it, they drink from cups without sippy lids. I currently don't have any kids that take pacifiers, they've all given them up. When they do use the pacifier, I keep it to naptime use only and that helps out a lot.

[AmandasFCC]

Yeah, I've yet to have 2 kids with the same bottles. And their cups stay at their spot on the table all day. I take pacifiers away at the door as long as child doesn't scream the house down upon arriving, or if even with the soother child STILL screams the house down (clearly it's not serving its purpose then ...)

I have an 18mo dcg who still gets bottles at home but doesn't here. She gets a sippy here. Her 3yo brother also gets bottles at home but drinks solely out of a cup here. You don't HAVE to follow the parents' lead really, your house, your rules, and you're not dying the child the milk that goes in the bottle so there's no harm done IMO.

[DCMom]

I have three using bottles right now, all different types so this is a non-issue for me right now.

For outside with the preschoolers, I use the take and toss cups and I label them with child's name using P-Touch labeler/labeling tape. I put them through the dishwasher daily and the names are still on from LAST year! So it works pretty well.

I actually use that label maker for a lot of things~cubbies, nap mats, art folders, hooks, toothbrush holder. Yeah, I guess I kinda like my label maker

Bottles are usually gone by one and they get a sippy cup; those are gone by 18 mos to two usually. Drinks are only allowed at the table. Binkies are only allowed in bed after six months. I like them gone by one, but I have one three year old that still has it a nap time...whatever. As long as he doesn't whine for it all day I don't care.

I don't think about/care what the parent does at home as far as cups, binkies, bottles, etc. My house, my rules~their house, their rules. The kids know the difference. I mention to them what I am doing, so they are aware but it mostly goes in one ear and out the other