talk to me about school labels!

[genderstereotypesnotgender]

My daughter is starting reception in september, i've been rather prematurely looking at name labels today and I had no idea there were so many options! What's best? Stickers, sew on or iron? Are some brands better than others? What do you use?

I want something that can withstand washing, can't just be peeled off by my 4 year old but also not too difficult to remove as I'm hoping most of it will be in good enough condition to hand down to sibling.

I really rate the stick on ones from www.mynametags.com - my top tip is set them up with two lines of the name then you can cut them in half and get double the number 😉 They last really well, the ones I stuck on when my son started reception are still in place and he’s Year 5 now.

I got these stamptastic.co.uk/products/standard-name-stamp

Best thing ever - no sewing or ironing and so quick. I’ve only had to redo the stamps once in the year. I got our surname so ds2 could wear them too.

I used woven labels and they are tough to get off again!

We had these www.easy2name.com/starter-pack/fab-funky-school-pack.html and still have them many years later. They are easy to use and the picture helps them to identify their stuff before they can read their name.
DD is in year 9 now but we still need to label the odd thing for when she goes on camp or rugby tour etc.

I use stickins-they just don't come off and sooooo quick!

Iron on for clothes, and stickers for shoes/waterbottles/anything else, and a marker pen.
Yes to getting something slightly more expensive with a picture she has chosen for the first set. It makes it much easier to find stuff when you cant read!
You can get the iron on ones off again by ironing til soft, then peeling off with tweezers, but only jumpers tend to get passed on in this house.

I just write our (unusual) surname on stuff like wellies, coats etc that get passed on. Probably not going to work if you are a Smith or Brown tho!

I second what almightygirl suggests. My dc are older now but how I wish I'd just bought a surname stamp sooner - so much easier than sewing or faffing about with iron on labels! Totally worth it.

Stick in labels. There are many different companies and they are all much of a muchness.

If you're wanting traditional name tapes - go for sew in woven ones and they'll last better than anything else I've tried. Disadvantage being that a) sewing them in is a job I loathe, and b) if you're at a school with thieving bastard other parents (like our naice middle class one) they're easy to cut out and steal the bloody uniform (yes someone did this to one of DD2's jumpers, used it for a year, stuck it in lost property where it drifted back to me as I also sharpie the washing labels and I was MORE pissed off with them cutting the name tape out that I hate sewing in than the jumper theft).

I've tried iron in ones and they always seem to come unstuck if you tumble dry stuff. Stickins are great on tupperware and things, and on care labels but I like something clear on the neckline so stuff actually might make it back to DD2 (dyspraxic and will lose anything).

These days my standards are lowered from the dutifully keen reception days and I just write the name on the actual fabric in sharpie just inside the neckline and name label if I get a chance too.

Oh and label shoes somehow or another (I usually just sharpie inside them on whatever bit shows up) - they're forever taking them off to get dressed up in Reception in particular and since they ALL seem to have the same 2-3 pairs of Clarks black school shoes - it's easy as heck for them to get muddled up.

Oh and any time you're in the school building take a detour to lost property - thankfully DD2's class teacher knows her organisational struggles by now and reunites her with her trail of lost belongings (wouldn't be expecting this of a teacher of a child DD2's age but it's a symptom of her SEN) and has a checklist for DD to work through when packing up to go home every night - but stuff still goes walkabout.

Another vote for stick in labels. I use stikins but there are other similar brands.

Regarding your younger sibling, they are very difficult to peel off (which is why they're so good), so unless you have an extremely common surname, I'd suggest only getting the surname printed on the labels, so they can be used for both children.

You're also being fairly optimistic about the state school uniform ends up in! It's the bloody whiteboard markers! I've had a couple of cardigans and trousers being passable to go into the school emergency clothes stock each year and most of the rest has ended up as cleaning rags!

I used the tiny me iron in labels. Cute but are curling off after a few months. I will be looking into something else next year. There are so many. One of my friends uses a stamp! It was £15 but she said it's worth it.

I used and still use pre-cut woven labels in bright colours and I sew them in using a sewing machine on a zig zag stitch using colour matching thread to the item. So they are on the back of the neck of a jumper, collar of the shirt and front of the trousers where you would put your hands to hold them and put them on, meaning your child sees the label and knows they are theirs.

The bright colour makes it very easy to spot for the child rather than trying to find the care label.

As I have had 2 children go through primary school, this method has worked well, easy for me to know which shirt is which without checking the label size.

wunderlabel.co.uk/woven-labels/classic/

I use these. They stick to everything and don’t fade or fall off. Brilliant!

www.wovenlabelsuk.com/school-labels/wl-js.html

Sew on are great. I am still using the same set of labels that I bought for my children in nursery, and now they are nearly finished high school.

I’ve never met an iron-on name tape that does t peel off.

We have a very common surname. I use see in name tapes. I survdien with a big pile of uniform, name tapes and a film once a year and do them all in one hit. I do extras throughout the year as needed.

I also sharpie onto the waistband sometimes too. And into coats+phone numbee were r. Shoe labels/Sharpie useful too, as there revd to be about 4 styles of shoes between 30 in primary school classes!!

Stick in label (Easy2Name are good)

Ours from tiny me are still going strong from September and we tumble dry

As a teacher, the best thing I've seen was the surname written in sharpie on the back of the collar. Those kids never lost their stuff! I plan on at least putting DS's initials on his clothes in the same way when he starts school.

I’m a teacher as well and my issue with Sharpie is that I often can’t read it because it’s bled all over the label. Also, the issue with initials is that there will no doubt be another child with those initials.

Watching with interest

I write in Sharpie on anything that can be written on/in (shoes, soles of socks, the labels ASDA school wear handily attached). Anything else has a stockings label. After 4 years, I've had just one peel off and that's on a lunchbox which gets washed daily

Sharpie inside the neckline's worked well for us this year - but we're moving from red uniform to dark green where it's going to be a much less visible option. I hate sewing name labels so much - sigh.

I sew. Only time things go missing is theft but thankfully few and far between.

I also use stikins - brilliant things.

And I like easy2name labels for bottles, pencil cases and the like with the shoe cover stickers. They don't budge after years of dishwasher.

I work in a primary school. Truth be told, don't use sharpie - it bleeds. Never use biro.

Always show your child where their name is - collar placement is best. If your child knows how to look for their own, they will! Most kids have no idea if their name is in it or not.

I sew name tapes in lieu of coat tabs - at each end only so they can also hang jumpers on their peg as they do their coat.

You won't believe how few children know to use the hook in their coat collar and throw their coat at a peg thinking it will stay.

Names on labels drives me bonkers. No I do not have time to find a label and squint at the year old pen name.

SEW IT ON THE COLLAR and then I will take a moment to give it back.

Got siblings? Surname only so you can hand me down.

The other thing that drives me batty is well named items for children who left 4 years ago. If you have been handed it on - put your own bloody name in it else it goes in the bin.

Please don't be that parent who loses a week old jumper and yells at the secretary even when it isn't named. She just ignores your moaning whilst smiling.

How common is your surname? Unless it’s Smith or Jones, get ones with just surname and then you don’t have to faff about changing labels when you pass down to the younger sibling. Or just leave the older sibling’s full name in - the younger one (and teachers!) will still easily know it’s their jumper.

I use woven ones you sew in, from Able Label, cos that’s what my mum did, and I feel like a proper mum sewing them in, rather irrationally!

waste of money.
biro on labels works well.
or a thread of coloured wool sewn into hems of jumpers/cardigans/socks