to label kids stuff with a marker pen

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In an attempt to be a proper mum I thought I might splash out and buy those stickers loads of people have but they are ridiculously expensive. it would be about 50 quid to buy to 2 x "value packs" for my 2 kids - I think that is mad or am I being tight?
Is there any cheaper alternatives - looked at stuck on you etc so far. or shall I just stick wth my trustee permanant marker?

Flexybex -There are indeed clothes trolls alive and well at our primary school. Every term items go missing and reappear on other children, not always by accident (have heard one mum say "oh DS's jumper was all covered in paint and wouldn't wash off, so I swapped it with another that was in the cloak room!" ).
I am a sewing martyr and proud - DD has never lost a cardigan yet touches wood
And if she ever did it is well labelled so the ladies who sort lost and found can easily get it back to us. Or if fowl play is suspected DD's name is written in the sleeve . I can't afford to supply the class with clothes, sewing a few labels on is cheaper. Oh and iron on ones don't withstand the wash test in this house.

Marker pen all the way here and I just put the surname in so I can pass on to the smaller ones easily (how tight is that) :o

marker pen here.

on coats I try and write on the coat itself not just the label, too easy for someone to cut out.

Don't forget to mark with surname rather than first so they can be handed down!

Xpost.

Even considered just Puting in a symbol so can be passed on.

Can I ask about this writing in the sleeve thing? Where exactly? I have heard that nice stuff at our school that is lost is unlikely to show up because labels get snipped out

Get a fabric pen around £3 on eBay. Last a very long time.

Not that it stops jumpers/ cardigans going walkies

Bella I use a biro and write either at the top just inside the sleeve, or on the inside of the cuff. I do full name as DD's stuff is useless for DS - all dresses and frilly cardigans (as thats her style!), plus we are facing a total change of uniform colours for September as the head doesn't like green and yellow .
Just turn the cuff over and write in biro your chosen wording.
For DDs coat I wrote it everywhere inside, and sewed a label in for a hanging loop. It was not a cheap coat and it was perfect in the snow, didn't want it going walk about!
Best place to write it is on a seam or where the fabric is thickest, and with biro that won't leak through. hth

Coconutty - sew in are cheaper sew in labels
And don't need replacing.

There is a specific pen called a laundry pen. It is like a black marker pen but will withstand washing and dry cleaning. I labelled a jumper 4 years ago for ds with a laundry pen and dd is now wearing it - never had to redo the work of a laundry pen. It was £1.55.

I do sew labels into the back of the neck as I noticed its where the teachers always seem to look (being the obvious place I assumeut) but I also Sharpie along the hem just in case the label comes off is removed.

On searching through lost property this week there a dozen tops with no markings... the headmistress then came out of DS's class with an armful of unnamed fleeces.... She had 8 of the damn things out of a class of 22

Ds is about to start school and I'm having this dilemma. Previously a laundry marker has done the trick but school uniform is different isn't it? I keep thinking of my mum and the cash labels and know she thinks the marker is a sign of slipping standards or neglect.

cider do what I do and give your mum the bag of uniform and the labels

I bought sew on labels so I could take them out and hand them down - didn't think of just writing in the surname - duh!!!!

It is true re stolen uniform, I bought some new jumpers for DS and he had a couple of hand me downs as well (they were a bit stretched at the cuffs and a bit worn). Within a term both brand new jumpers were missing and were never returned, they had sewn on labels and school put a sign up asking for them to be returned (assuming they were swapped by mistake). I never got them back.

Marker pen is, of course, fine, as long as you keep an eye on when it is wearing out (but the same goes for labels wearing out/coming off). However, if you do want labels, look on ebay. I have always bought sew in, iron on, clip on and sticker labels (I may be a little obsessed ) from easy2name and the like, but got some for DS from ebay for about 20% of the price and they are just the same - so ebay all the way from now on.

Do people use anything else?

My friend gets labels printed like this :

Fred Smith Sarah

Then she tucks the end and sews it in of whichever child it is, so Fred Smith or Smith Sarah ....

I use a Mothercare fabric pen. I bought it 3 years ago when dd1 started school. Its been fantastic - used it for dd1 and dd2 now - have had no issues with it slowly disappearing etc. Have also been able to use it on inside of dd2 "indoors" and even with her little sweaty feet hasn't rubbed off at all.

Sharpie marker on everything for DDs school stuff everything !!!!!

I remember our bitch of a nursery head teacher making a massive fuss about labelling, and I can see why, but it was harder in nursery because they wore normal clothes. I would write his name on anything likely to be taken off.

Anyway, one newsletter she went to great lengths to tell us all to label everything, and helpfully said 'For those who can't afford to buy labels, biro will suffice'.

Laundry pen here!

I bought some lovely embroidered labels for DD and used them for her first school uniform. I then realised I had better things to do with my time.

I do feel a slight twinge of regret at times. In a perfect world I would sew in embroidered labels. But then I get real.

There is a silver Sharpie which is perfect for inside navy or black coats, winter hats, gloves, etc

Sharpies in co-ordinating colours for lunchboxes, water bottles, pens, etc.

Laundry pen for everything else.

When teachers find a stray cardie in the staff room we automatically check to see whether there is a name on the label, then look slightly sheepish when we realise that "Pepperberry 14 Super Curvy" is unlikely to be in year 3