Do you label your children's school uniform, and if not why?

[ItWasnaMeGuv]

I ask because after more than 20 years working as an assistant in primary schools, still we end up with mounds of lost property which is not labelled and never, ever claimed [and frustrated emoticon].

When we find labelled items we can get them returned to their owners straight away, which is lovely. Sometimes items are clearly expensive, coats for example. I am always astounded that items like this are not claimed.

I know with my own kids, everything was labelled as I couldn't afford to keep buying replacements. I would be interested to know if there are any mumsnetters who do not label school uniforms. Why not? It is really helpful, to everyone.

I just wrote it in washproof pen.

I label everything. Never lost anything although school are very good at teaching them to be responsible for their belongings (jumpers taken off must be put away, not strewn across the playground etc)

My DC have mounds and mounds of uniform because we have feeder families giving it all second hand to us. My ds had 23 jumpers last year. So I just send them in, if he loses one a fortnight then we get to the end of the year with a few in hand and they go to the uniform sale to help out the next person.

I label everything. I’ve got a custom stamp with my kids first initial and surname. Takes less than two seconds to ink stamp their labels. Don’t see why you wouldn’t label 🤷‍♀️

My eldest wore a brand new jumper I hadn't got around to labelling which was promptly taken by another child. I was kicking myself.

I named stuff. It still.wasn't necessarily returned. Eventually I went through the box of unclaimed, unlabelled stuff and replaced that way.

@ItWasnaMeGuv if it isn't labelled and can't be returned, surely that's the parents' issue rather than yours? Just put it in the PTA box for the next sale.

I really don't see what there is to get worked up about, when it isn't your monkey.

DS has just started P1. I’ve labelled everything and so far his teacher seems great at trying to do what she can to match up belongings and children when they’re lining up ready to leave class.

There was an email sent out on the morning of day 3 from the head teacher though to say that there were already over 20 items in lost property so could everyone please remember label 😅

Thanks for all your replies. I am sad to hear that some labelled items are still not returned though . At my school we check every item for a name and are happy when we see one, and get it back to the child.

Whenever we have school events, fairs, parent's evening, etc., we have a "Lost Property" stand and a sign "If you think it's yours, take it!" [pray emoticon]

This year we got one of those large metal charity clothing boxes installed in the playground for local use and place unclaimed items in it at the end of each term. We tried giving away second hand, no-one was interested.

I care, I guess. It does matter to me that I can return stuff to its rightful owner. As a parent myself I was always grateful if my own child's item was returned.

The other issue is space to store the unclaimed items. We don't have any. It piles up and up making the place look untidy .

Well you’ve remembered now so why not go and do it?

Well you’ve remembered now so why not go and do it?

Well you’ve remembered now so why not go and do it?

Our class WhatsApp is pretty much a lost and found of boys PE kit. Everyone labels stuff so it all seems to get returned.

I love being told that ‘my son’s jumper is a size 26’. Yes and so are the other 29. I do my best to keep everyone’s belongings stored easily, so we have a jumper box in the classroom rather than them going out with the other pegs and getting lost. Same with hats/gloves/sun hats as needed. Make simple systems to make it easy for little ones to look after their things!
As a parent, I label everything except the polo tops as we go through a fair few.

We label everything and still nothing comes back. DD ended up in summer dresses two sizes too small because she ended up with someone else’s unlabelled dresses. After I really don’t know how many water bottles I put air tags on them and frogmarch DS through school while tracking them down!

I don't label ours. I won't use stickers or stamps because they mean the clothes can't be sold or passed down, and I don't have time to sew labels in.

Our school jumpers are unbranded so I buy them secondhand off Vinted etc, they are not expensive enough to worry about losing one or two a term. Mine is usually careful with belongings and any that have been lost usually turn up in the big lost property bin.

But if the owners don't care enough to label why expend your own energy worrying.

Vis a vis space/storage - can't it go in a big plastic box and put somewhere out of the way. Once a month, on a table in the playground and then given to the PTA or landfill.

I am so glad my DC are grown up now.

I should also add they don't change for PE, just go in the morning in their kit, so nothing else gets lost.

Yes

I work in a school, and spend hours looking in at labels and trying to decode biro scribbles etc.

Therefore my own childrens uniform has sew in labels sewed into the most obvious place, so if any other person or member of staff picks it up, they can instantly read it and quickly see it belongs to my child!

Because they're lazy and think the teachers have nothing better to do than act as custodian for their child's clothes/water bottles/earrings/jellycat.
And it would deprive them of the chance to moan about how expensive school uniform is and they've got no money.

One genuine reason is illness/disability, but parents I've met who are in agony from serious illnesses have perfectly labelled uniforms ready.

Just here to shout out for stickins. They are expensive but actually work and so far mine have lasted more than a year on clothes. On shoe soles they last about 6 months.

I label coats and jumpers…the things they take off basically. Hats and gloves when they used to wear them, but they don’t now as teens.
I don’t label the rest.
ETA When I say ‘label’, I mean I write their name in biro on the clothes label already there. I do check it on and off when washing and re-write if it’s faded.

I mean to label things, but then i forget. I am very disorganised and we have lost a fair amount of uniform, which i suppose is my comeuppance.

Not only do I label everything, the labels even have my mobile number on them! Things still go missing and are never returned. I suspect that kids pick them up by accident and their parents don’t check or notice the labels so use the uniform items thinking they must be their child’s.

I label everything. Sewn in labels for indoor clothes, gloves, hats, scarves, etc. Stickers for school bags, shoes, lunch boxes, water bottles, snack tubs, watch back, etc. Sharpie on Bookbag label, plastic bags with Nativity costume, etc. Name embroidered purses.

I have never labelled pants. I did label nursery socks (merino wool for fully outdoor nursery) but not school socks. I did label tights though.

I am a teacher. 27th year. My children have never lost a single thing, Both now in secondary school and still have discreet labels on everything.

It drives me crazy that parents don’t label. It smacks of laziness. It’s definitely not environmentally friendly.

As a child, it made me feel a little less loved that my mum did not sew in labels like the other children in my class. I will be offering my sewing services if my DC have children.