With school already starting for most & around the corner for others, you may be wondering:
- How to prevent lost?
- How do I label my kids items?
- What Items should I label?
These waterproof stickers are durable – machine washable and dishwasher safe. A great way for you to label all of your little one’s items before they head off to daycare, preschool or JK. Overall great for younger kids and if they forget their items at school. By having their names on their belongings, it helps avoid mix ups and prevent lost. Which can be costly after you invested some $ on a fancy lunchbox.
For us we ended up sticking a label on:
- School clothes
- Shoes
- Jackets
- Hat / Winter gear
- Lunch Bag
- Lunch Box
- Cutlery
- Water Bottle
- Ice Pack
Mom Tip: Label containers and removable lids separately. You can use a smaller sticker for the lids.
I can’t remember how I stumbled across Oliver’s Labels and Mabel’s Labels. During one of our friend’s 1st birthday party we received a party package from Oliver’s Labels and they have been so handy for us to label some of our LO’s items when we’re out and about. Once we got closer to Kindergarten, we used some of the labels for his shoes, bags and lunch boxes.
The stickers from both brands seems very similar in quality. Both websites could do a better job at showing what is included in each package. I found that sometimes I got confused on what’s included. To help you get started I’ll break down my thoughts on both brands and which starter package I think is worth checking out (aiming for that $25 price point).
Oliver’s Labels
I like that Oliver Labels offer a custom package ($29) where you can pick and choose the type of labels included in your package. They have a series of packages to choose from, so depending on your needs, you can choose one that most closely aligns to what you’re looking for. The pre-selected packages is best for those starting out. It gives you a mix & match of a variety of different stickers to label your different belongings.
Personally, I went with a custom package that included the following:
- 20 Original labels
- 50 Mini Labels
- 35 Stick-eez™ Clothing Labels
You can also include more to your custom package – most of the add ons are around $10 and offer a good number of labels to get you started.
I like that Oliver Labels offers further customization within the custom package. You can choose to have all 3 labels share the same designs or choose separately.
The original labels are the most versatile for us, they are large enough to label the bigger items we have. With the mini labels, it’s great for skinnier items or items, items you may not want a large sticker on, lids, clothing and more. As for the clothing label we use them on both clothing and small items.
Mabel’s Labels
Mabel’s Labels doesn’t offer a custom package – although I really wish they did. The best set for us was the Preschool Label Package ($24), even though we’re going to JK I like the variety in this package. It included:
- 8 Preschool Shoe Labels (4 pair)
- 4 Square Labels
- 10 Large Rectangle Labels
- 12 Large Tag Mates™ Stick On Clothing Labels
I really like the square shape for things such as lunch containers and thermos. The design and the shape suits the items nicely. Although it doesn’t look like you can buy these separately, only as an add on if you purchase the pre-school set.
Party Packages
I love that both brands offer a party package. This is a great party favour gift that is personalized and easy for parents to use. I think it also makes a good gift in general too – so you can order your friend’s names in advance for birthdays and holidays.
The party packages from both brands are pretty much the same in price at around $5 per name. Great price point for favours or a small add on to birthday or Christmas gifts.
Mom Tip: If you just want to dabble with a different variety of designs or order for multiple siblings, you can use the party packages as well. You can list your kid’s name more than once and choose a different style each time.
The party package retails for approximately $30 for 6 names. So technically if you like, you could split the party package up with your own kids name – so $15 each for two siblings (3 sets each). Or $10 for three siblings (2 sets each).
Comparison between party packages
Design & Customization
Mabel’s Labels wins here. They offer you access to all their designs in this package. Where as Oliver Labels only offer a limited selection (and not their best – IMO).
With Mabel’s Labels you can choose your icon, colour theme and font.
With Oliver’s Labels you can choose your theme and font.
Variety
Oliver’s Labels wins in this category. The different labels sizes provides you with a lot of options to label a wider variety of items. You also get 10 stickers, 1 pair of shoe labels, and a tag. Whereas Mabel’s Labels you get 5 stickers and 1 bag tag (although a little larger).
Another advantage they have is the variety in colours and designs within each package. This is great when your labeling your lunchbox, water bottle, etc. as you might want to coordinate with the colours you’re working with.
With Mabel’s Labels, I like that you have more flexibility to choose the colour theme, so it’s not too bad if all 5 stickers are the same.
Oliver’s Labels Party Package
Mabel’s Labels Party Package
Final Thoughts
You can’t go wrong with either brand. They both offer a variety of packages and designs to choose from. I think it comes down to which designs you prefer and going from there. Both brands offer free shipping, shipped via Canada Post regular mail, no tracking – to keep cost low for both company and customers.
I like the modern designs that Mabel’s Labels offers. Their colours are fresh and I prefer flat vs gradients. The ability to choose your colour palette is also helpful because you might like a particular design.
Discounts: Both brands offer a welcome discount for new customers. If you follow them closely they also have sales throughout the year – I think for 15-20% off.
Let us know how you label your kids items.
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