Easy way to mark the DDs' socks and other clothes so I can tell them apart?

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The DDs are close in age so their clothes look very similar. I've decided to mark the labels in DD2's clothes with a laundry marker (not DD1's, as they quickly become DD2's ...), so that when I'm not around whoever is sorting the laundry will have an easier job.

What shall I do with socks etc that don't have a label to write on?

I assume a laundry marker will work ok on those shiny labels won't it?

I do this. You can sew in name tapes in a little loop (fiddly but saves time in the end) or stitch in some coloured thread onto the toes or the top of the socks.

Thanks frogs. Might do the stitch thing. Wonder if a dot of laundry marker would work though ... (says she lazily)

My mum used to stitch a different colour per person just inside the band at the top.
When they were paired and 'balled' you could easily see which pairs belonged to which person.
I was maroon
Choose nice colours please, for your dds' sakes!

Iron on transfers?

I have those JackieNo, the are fab for ds1's school socks that are black. I got white obviously!!

One doesn't do sewing so I have iron on

like these with their name on

www.easy2name.com/name-tapes.htm

They also peel off after a while (I mean if the corner comes up you can yank them off)

I haven't had any fall off yet, ds1 started in reception in September and they have lasted.

Aha, I saw this, at work where I don't post. I scrawled the initial of younger child onto the sole. That means that as younger child grows into older child's socks, you then scrawl initial onto the sole of that sock.

Sew in a little coloured cross with some embroidery thread - different colour (white / pink / pale blue) per child.

Doesn't work with dark socks tho', MI. And ds might just have an issue with being expected to wear pale pink socks...

Ah, the Inferiority Complex is awash with small filthy pink socks, as I have noted before .

Actually, I've now given up on sorting socks. And pants. And vests. I bung them all into a basket and tell the Inferiottes firmly either to sort them out or pick them out themselves. My quality of life has improved immensely, and I am really not @rsed if the four year old is sometimes sporting pants that go up to her armpits .

Can't you use tippex or something?

Frogs, my ds is happy to wear pale pink socks (they are off-white by now anyway) and Dora/princess castle pants. He is only just 2 though.

I've found ballpoint pen works just as well as laundry marker on shiny labels, by the way.

Anna that was the method my mum used, only she took it one step further - I had crosses and my little sis had triangles and each pair was marked with a different colour...

Yes I ahve this problem when dh sorts the laundry - though it is particularly tricky to work out whose socks are whose (I know because I bought every last pair...) And yes, you only need to put the name of the younger one on anyway, otherwise what happens when they get handed down?
But we seem to muddle through without the need for embroidery kits or name tapes
Crumbs, I don't even iron them.

I thought I was being stunningly inventive and original by doing the stitch of different colour thread on the top of socks. I must have subconciously read it somewhere and adopted the idea as my own original.

DDs wear almost, but not quite, the same size of black school socks - so unless I want to turn doing the washing into an all day event then I do have to mark them.

Marking socks?

I have two dds the same size, and another not much smaller. I buy the older two (the same sized ones) different colours/styles of socks etc. No marking or stitching or name taking required. e.g. one has plain short white socks for school and one has green-edged ones.

If they were really boring dark socks - can you buy slightly different patterns? or if they have to be identical I'd just leave them as communal socks - my dds wouldn't be too bothered at this.

I marked DD2's in order to try and ensure DD1 wouldn't shove her feet into foot-deforming overly tight socks and thus negate expensively fitted shoes.

But buying different styles and colours can work as well. As long as the dds know which are their patterns/colours. Lots of things come in pink or blue, dd1 has the blue, dd2 the pink. dd3 the greyish leftovers. Though dd2 recently refused pink, spoiling my system rather.

I allocate them slightly different kit.

DS1 Pale blue pants, red pants & stripey pants, white Fila sports socks and grey ribbed school socks, navy Fila sports socks for casual clothes

DS2 White pants, navy pants and any other colour or pattern not listed above, White Donnay sports socks, grey plain school socks, navy Donnay sports socks.

But what about hand-me-downs? Or am I the only one who makes my younger child wear cast off underwear ?

or, only buy one colour for each child?

Purple for one, red for another? If you buy em in bulk it also saves ages matching pairs.

Our boys just all have grey socks. If the three year old ends up wearing floppy ones and the 9 year old can only get them over his toes, who cares?

not at all Elliott, dd3 has never had new socks or pants. Or shoes. Or a new coat. But she knows what's hers, more or less, so do the others. Marking not needed. Due to most things being quite patterned/coloured or otherwise distinctive.

That's terribly organised of all of you. My two wear a mishmash of whatever pants/socks happened to be on sale in the relevant supermarket.

No, elliott, you're not . Hence the mark the younger child's stuff, you see.

And their upper garments have frequently been passed on from Tamum and/or MrsSchadenfreude, so have name tapes for a completely different child on them.