To ask you to think before you personalise clothing and other gifts you buy?

[AloysiusBear]

We all need to consume less, and reuse & pass on more.

This year so many retailers have cottoned on that personalising items reduces our ability to pass them on to other children.

Don't do it! That Christmas jumper can be passed on to your niece, nephew, younger child, neighbours child, but Annabel isn't going to want it if its got Ethan embroidered or printed on very obviously.

Overtly gendered and personalised items are retailer strategies to reduce our ability to re-use and push us to buy more.

Lets all try not to.

When I was at school we were supposed to embroider our names on the outside of our PE kit. (In full which was a nightmare for me as a skinny kid with a long name!).

This meant that if your kit wasn't worn out when you outgrew it you could unpick the stitching and use it for another child.

Same for aprons for technology etc

Depends what it is, my DD's took their personalised baby fleece blankets to university!

It's even worse when those are actually your son's names. And compounded by your husband buying the JW shirt with just "Jack" on the front in large letters.

On the plus side, I've bought fewer JW clothes of late because the quality is not what it used to be.

Well, to be fair, babies can't read so I doubt they'd mind. My daughter and first born had a sleepsuit that said 'little brother' on it, passed down from a cousin. She didn't comment.

Though I agree that a baby dressing gown is an odd item to exist in the first place!

I'm just about to order personalised vinyl decals to make a set of Christmas pjs for my family. I've wanted them for ages but I'm not willing to spend that amount of money and I have a big and tall DH so there's never any in his size available.

So I've bought matching tops on Amazon as cost effective as possible and I'll iron the decals on. 3 sets of the 4 will be worn until they fall apart (no more growing to do). The 4th will be grown out of but I'll cut the decal off and sew it on a new top and recycle the remainder of the top.

If done with thought and care personalised items are ok.

Another one here with a very unusual surname.

I've never bought personalised anything unless it was a proper keepsake (like something special to hang up). My DS didn't even have a "baby's first christmas" bauble - just a lovely one I liked.

I used to stitch his name tag on school uniform and then unpick it to go to the charity shop or the school swap bag. Absolute waste of time those tags were though, I swear he and his friends wore each other's uniforms.

I bought for DS1 a lovely soft fleecy blanket from a charity shop years ago. It was navy blue and had a beautifully red embroidered word on it. Was perfect for the pram.

It took me way longer than it ought to realise that a fleecy blanket with red 'Sabre' embroidered indicated it was probably a dog blanket.

I used to tuck the blanket with the Sabre proudly at the front.

Anyway you are quite right, OP. I did personalise a few things in the early days but now avoid it.

All I will say is that cheese boards with your surname are so treated that they dont burn in a log burner.

I’d never thought of it life that but, yes, you’re right. I’ve never been one for it anyway. I’ve only got 3 things with names on anyway, a cup and two Christmas decorations 🤷‍♀️

Minefield
If they are staying Christmas Eve they will already have a Christmas stocking and doing it is the parents role.
If not Christmas Eve- why would Santa leave gifts twice?

If they are adults then knock yourself out.

I'm in the in between camp on this one! I agree when it comes to clothes and certain other items, but I do love personalised advent calendars, baubles books etc.

Absolutely.

The only personalised things I have bought for people's babies are Christmas tree decorations with their names on.

And I avoid giving very gendered clothing to people unless I know for sure that it is their last baby, in case they want to reuse it for subsequent children.

The personalised swimming towels DDs recieved a couple of years ago are very useful for school swimming, scout camps etc.

But generally.. . YANBU. Most stuff doesn't need to be personalised to make it special.

DDs rugby club has a general pool of kit that they distribute as needed and is handed back as it is outgrown as part of their "kids play for free" guarantee. (This includes boots, all you have to actually buy is a gum shield and most people chose to buy their own socks). This is great environmentally as well as making sport accessible.

yeah well....you and me figured that out!

Hi Minefield, they are not adults but I have already asked their parents if I could do the Christmas Stocking and Christmas Eve Bags weeks ago. and if so, what I was going to put in them so that they would not duplicate anything by accident and save them a little if they were going to buy what I had.

Hi WhyCantNameLastMoreThanDay, They are not adults but I have already asked their parents if I could do their Christmas Stockings and Christmas Eve Bags weeks ago and they were happy for me to do so. I then let them know what I was going to put in them to avoid them duplicating and spending money which they did not need to.

Apologies, I addressed this to a quote in your post - my mistake. I have re-written this post to you WhyCantNameLastMoreThanDay

Only if you have more money than sense! It's not like the kid can read it or will care! Even older kids just say 'I got it for my birthday' it's not something I'd buy anyway, but if given it, they'd wear it until it didn't fit, & if you don't buy eleventylion clothes, they're ready for charity bags for weight rags anyway.

Apologies WhyCantNameLastMoreThanDay. I responded incorrectly using your wrong name, then sent apologies to myself !!!! I have re-written my post so hopefully it makes sense. Don't post often so apologies again

Hahaha I see

Agree OP.

Have only bought a personalised item for DC in a bright but neutral colour, a cool bag with first name on. Bought it for nursery but it was big enough (and good enoguh quality) that it's been in use for 10 years now, and still going strong. We all use it whenever we need one - it's the 'family cool bag'!

It's a substance vinyl printers use and just smear on, it melts the glue and allows it to peel off without damaging the garment. I'm sure if you can find a printers near you they'd do it for free, takes about a minute. Stinks to high heaven but once dried the smell goes immediately.

Another tip is to use a tumble drier, starts peeling off and you can just pull it.

Thank you! I'll see if I can find the substance online as I have a few to de-initial.