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Label It Smart

Choosing Clothing Labels for Children

As we get ready to return to the new school term, parents are getting ready for “back to school” by planning and purchasing uniforms and athletic kit for the year. But who has the time to sew labels into children’s clothing? Apparently Kate and Pippa Middleton’s Mom.

According to a recent post in The Guardian “How Do You Label Your Children’s Clothes” Mom’s everywhere are struck with the task of not only sending their children to school with the appropriate uniform or kit, but ensuring that those articles actually return home. In an interview with Tatler Magazine, Carole Middleton admitted to hand sewing her children’s name into their clothing each year.

It sounds like a lot of work doesn’t it? Why bother labelling the clothing at all? Well, being a Mum of four boys makes me an expert on the topic, and the Easy2name business was set up in 2000 inspired by my own struggle to keep track of my children’s belongings. We make and dispatch labels every day for nursery, school, care home and craft use, we can even make labels with your own team or business logo as well.

Smart parents know that the cost of uniforms can be quite high and kids can be careless when it comes to caring for their clothing during the school day. The problem becomes even more pronounced if children are staying away from home during the school term, where shared laundry service can mean lost articles with no hope of being returned if they are not labelled properly. And aside from the inconvenience of having to replace the needed garments the costs can quickly add up, and even double or triple the expense for the year.

Why labelling clothes works!

Many schools make it mandatory that all student clothing is labelled appropriately. It helps to prevent a variety of issues including helping parents and students keep track of their property. It also assists the administration by being able to return the lost garments and avoid any issues of dispute.

If everything is labelled then even lost garments can be identified and then returned to their rightful owners promptly. While we don’t like to think of theft as an issue at school, clothing theft does occur intentionally and unintentionally as students misplace their own articles (and perhaps fearing repercussions) look to other students and their property for replacement.

No one wants to “get in trouble” with their parents, so even if your child is careful chances are that their garments could still be misplaced or taken despite their caution. The solution to the problem is a rather simple one. Do not send your children to school with any garments that are not labelled and identified. No matter what, the clothing should stay with your child that way or be easily recovered and returned if lost.

Sewing in Labels

The most effective method of labelling your children’s clothing is to sew them directly to the garment. No matter how many times the article is washed, a sewn-in label is resilient and will be durable and legible over its lifetime of wear, which is worth the extra cost and time it takes to sew them.

A Tip for Mum: When it comes to choosing a location for your sew on label, consider the comfort of wearing the clothing. If labelling a shirt, then the most uncomfortable place to stitch a label is the back of the neck, which depending on the temperature it can rub or chafe. Unless specific guidelines are provided by the school, you can apply some loving creativity and choose some alternate locations such as the inside bottom, or in the case of long sleeved shirts, the inside of the cuff instead. For trousers consider placing the label at the bottom of the pant leg to avoid discomfort at the waist.

Using an Iron-on Label

If the idea of breaking out a sewing needle (or giving the lot to a sympathetic relative for assistance) isn’t an option, your next best choice is the quality iron-on label. When it comes to this style of label it’s important to consider quality first, as the adhesive on lower grade iron-on labels is not durable. In other words your investment of time and effort labelling clothing for your child will be wasted if the labels simply come off in the laundry, defeating the purpose entirely.

A Tip for Mum: Quality matters. Look for a iron-on label that has a wash temperature rating of at least 60 ̊and one that is guaranteed to be applied to any type of fabric, including polyester blends. Pay close attention to the instructions for the iron-on label as temperature setting is important.

Stick On Labels

For garments that are not frequently washed (or those that are dry cleaned) and materials that cannot be ironed the stick-on label is a good solution. While not as durable over long term wear (you may have to replace stick on labels more frequently) they offer a good option for things like jackets, swimwear and other waterproof materials.

A Tip for Mum: Let your child know that the label is applied as a stick on and to advise you if it starts to loosen so that it can be replaced. Quality stick on labels can be durable depending on garment wear and moisture, but be ready to replace them as required.

Choosing a good location for a stick on label is helpful and place it where there is less movement or friction to keep it on longer. When it comes to the preferred method of labelling your children’s clothing, the author of the article had a preference for sewing in the label for sentimental reasons. Let’s not forget that there is an element of classic nostalgia to having Mom sewing in your name for your school clothing.

As the author suggests, there is something really nice to wearing clothing that has been touched by your Mother, and with hand stitches that are made (however unevenly) with love.

We welcome customers to ring 01635 298326 at anytime and talk through the options with our friendly team for assistance and advice.

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