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Original poster

Labelling uniform for high school - quick poll on how to do it

62 replies

FuckedOffWithTheLotOfThem · 21/08/2025 20:48

DC is off to Big School in September and I've just spent a small fortune kitting him out. It all needs labelling. DH insists that the name labels that have seen us all the way through primary school will cause social death at high school, and we should just biro his name into everything.

YABU - DH is right and we risk DC becoming a laughing stock if he's spotted with a name label

YANBU - we should get the labels and have done with it

OP posts:
Ponderingwindow · 21/08/2025 22:11

More adult looking stick on labels. I have no patience for anything else.

Original poster
FuckedOffWithTheLotOfThem · 21/08/2025 22:10

bluesky9 · 21/08/2025 22:06

Sharpie, but Mr Bystander DH should do it

Mr Bystander DH Grin

OP posts:
Gemstonebeach · 21/08/2025 22:10

Sticker name labels. Why would the other kids care at all?

mamagogo1 · 21/08/2025 22:09

I sewed them in, (I also cut them cut to reuse) same set are now sewn into military uniform!

Aspidistree · 21/08/2025 22:07

Sharpie wears off, I can't be doing with the admin.

Cash's or stickins here but I did stop labelling socks (probably should never have started, but I was a boarder and some habits are hard to break)

Magicmagician · 21/08/2025 22:06

We use stik-ins here too (going into year 8), they last really well. You can peel them off if you really try hard but they don’t come off on their own or fade, and as pp said they’re plain, just first name, second name. So much easier than sewing and easier to read (my writing anyway!) than a sharpie

bluesky9 · 21/08/2025 22:06

Sharpie, but Mr Bystander DH should do it

OneFootAfterTheOther · 21/08/2025 22:04

Sew in labels here. Both DC survived.

Ablondiebutagoody · 21/08/2025 22:01

Sharpie

sanityisamyth · 21/08/2025 22:01

Cash’s name tapes

Original poster
FuckedOffWithTheLotOfThem · 21/08/2025 21:34

HappyAsASandboy · 21/08/2025 21:29

I use Stickins stick on labels. In primary I put Line 1: kids name, line 2: my phone number. I secondary I just did the kids name and no phone number. No complaints from my kids re bullying.

Yes we did the phone number thing too. I never once had a call or message when anything went missing, but one of the DCs surprised me by reciting my phone number the other day. He said it was because he reads it on his pencil case every day during lessons Grin

OP posts:
HappyAsASandboy · 21/08/2025 21:29

I use Stickins stick on labels. In primary I put Line 1: kids name, line 2: my phone number. I secondary I just did the kids name and no phone number. No complaints from my kids re bullying.

Original poster
FuckedOffWithTheLotOfThem · 21/08/2025 21:28

Dr13Hadley · 21/08/2025 21:24

I use Stikins labels as they are brilliant and don’t come off in the wash. It’s just first name and surname in black on white background. Stick them in the clothes label so they can’t be seen unless looking for them. Can’t be faffed writing on each item of clothing. Plus the stickers work in shoes and on bags, water bottles etc. (I don’t work for them btw! Just been using them for years).

Can they be peeled off if someone deliberately nicks something?

OP posts:
Dr13Hadley · 21/08/2025 21:24

I use Stikins labels as they are brilliant and don’t come off in the wash. It’s just first name and surname in black on white background. Stick them in the clothes label so they can’t be seen unless looking for them. Can’t be faffed writing on each item of clothing. Plus the stickers work in shoes and on bags, water bottles etc. (I don’t work for them btw! Just been using them for years).

TheChosenTwo · 21/08/2025 21:23

Never bought labels, always sharpie on the clothing label.
of course now some of the labels are BLACK which poses an interesting challenge 😂
and I didn’t not bother buying labels because of social embarrassment, just because with 3dc I was quite disorganised and so just scribbled on their neck labels as we were walking out the door until everything was named 🤪

Original poster
FuckedOffWithTheLotOfThem · 21/08/2025 21:22

Thinking of doing both - a label in a reasonably obvious place to prevent accidental switches during PE changing and the sharpie approach to guard against targetting nabbing and subsequent label removal #overthinking

OP posts:
Xmasbaby11 · 21/08/2025 21:21

I’ve used the my name tag stickers for my teens - they chose new designs for secondary, think light blue background, headphones as the icon. My kids are fine with them and it’s never occurred to me it wasn’t the norm. Also great for calculator, water bottle etc / though hasn’t stopped dd losing her water bottle several times and never finding it!

EllatrixB · 21/08/2025 21:20

I've had mixed results with the supposedly invincible iron-on labels and stick-on labels so if there's a white label, I now use a laundry pen. We have a thriving uniform bank in our town and I'd say 60% of the uniform there is labelled this way, and it doesn't seem to stop anyone from buying it! Then you can either cross it out or stick a label over it.

Original poster
FuckedOffWithTheLotOfThem · 21/08/2025 21:19

The poll is 50:50 atm so at this rate I'll be ordering a batch of plain labels (with no dinosaurs or cars this time Grin) and a sharpie

OP posts:
Original poster
FuckedOffWithTheLotOfThem · 21/08/2025 21:17

museumum · 21/08/2025 20:56

We use nametags sticky labels but we got plain ones with no characters or childish font.

We've been using the same (and the iron-on ones which are a bugger to shift if you need to take them off again) and was planning on doing the same until DH's well-meaning intervention

OP posts:
Hayley1256 · 21/08/2025 21:12

I love Stickets - they do not come off amd can get mature looking ones

Original poster
FuckedOffWithTheLotOfThem · 21/08/2025 21:10

Mixed results so far! The high school transition is such a minefield!

OP posts:
Hippee · 21/08/2025 21:08

If you can be bothered I don't think there's a problem with sewing name labels on. All mine have had them (running out of steam a bit now with third child in year 10). Certainly a lot better than losing stuff.

Ineffable23 · 21/08/2025 21:05

Sharpie on the label

MrCottersJauntyCap · 21/08/2025 21:03

I sewed labels in as lots of things like jumpers and PE kit were handed down from my eldest to my youngest so I didn't Sharpie the label. Plus it depends how common the surname is.

I used a sewing machine with a zig zag stitch and the labels were precut and I bought different colours for both children meaning it was easy to see which jumper or trousers belonged to which child.

Secondary uniform costs a bomb, label it, don't lose it. Get your child to remove PE kit items and immediately put it back into their bag, not on the bench beside them. Too easy for another child to pick them up.