Lost
We all know, some children have the tendency to lose or misplace items due to carelessness. So much so that it can become that you're no longer finding yourself getting slightly mad that your kid has lost one of their belongings, but instead you are celebrating that they've managed to bring home every single one of their possessions from school. How do parents get to that point and how can they save themselves money, stress and the hassle of locating missing belongings or returning them to their rightful owner?
According to The Sun newspaper, "mums spend £1589 replacing items lost by their kids before the age of ten". 62% of which go missing including coats, school uniform and books will never be found again: "I have witnessed an entire class not know who's coats, water bottles, lunch boxes etc. are in their own classroom's lost and found." Now, kids are not the only ones to take the title in the game of lost items, some adults can be just as forgetful, the only difference is, adults have a higher chance of remembering where they left them.
Found
With this in mind, have you ever tried to label your kids belongings? Now, like everything else, there are many solutions to mark possessions however we aim to mention only the most popular measures in this blog post.
Put down your pen
Let's start with the common, cost-effective approach of writing your kids name on to their uniform using a marker pen. One for the busy parents who are always running behind on their schedules. Picking up a pen to scribble your child's name on their clothing but not thinking of the pitfalls that may come into play further down the line. Firstly, the marker will fade over time or if the pen is not waterproof, it may come off the first time you wash the garment which leads to added time rewriting your childs key information. Not only might it fade naturally but it could also rub off on your child's skin. Marking their name with a pen may be a quick solution for the label on uniforms, however it will not work so well on other belongings like lunch boxes, pencil cases and stationery.
Stickers
Stickers are a relatively low cost, quick solution that can be printed or designed to go hand in hand with a marker pen. Stickers are ideal for attaching to lunch boxes, pencil cases, water bottles, stationery and even clothing labels. Writing your kid's name on the sticker or getting it printed in full colour may be ideal for a range of materials, however, the pen ink or printed design on the stickers can deteriorate and fade due to washes and general wear and tear.
Iron on labels
Iron on labels are perfect for clothing, textiles and fabrics of any kind i.e. school uniform. However, if this is the only method of labelling you are using, similar to the pen, you won't be able to mark every item your child owns. Not only this, but you also have to customise these online and wait for delivery which can be a time constraint especially for the average busy parent. Ideal for a small number of garments but if you have plenty of clothing to mark, ironing labels can also be costly. On the contrary, ironing labels do have their plus side. They are clear to read and are unlikely to fade quickly or easily. A more secure method of marking garments.
Gift Tags
The less popular method of marking items; small gift tags when used in conjunction with a pen show your child's details clearly. Applying the gift tags is quick, simple and you can remove them when you need to wash the garments or items. However, the one downside to these small name tags is they could become pretty irritating if attached to the inside of your little one's uniform and they may also become damaged due to the hustle and bustle of school life, if applied to lunch boxes, pencil cases and water bottles.
Our solution
Imagine how great it would be if we could combine all of these solutions to make one super product that would mark any item? Well, that's what Trodat have done. Say goodbye to spending even more money on replacement items and hello to the newest member of Trodat's product line, Stamp 'N Stick. The functional way to mark belongings.
What's inside the pack?
Priding themselves on establishing a versatile, one-stop solution for every application, Trodat have included a range of materials and accessories to ensure parents have got everything they need to mark all of their children's belongings. The Stamp 'N Stick pack includes:
- 1 green stamp with a black textile ink cartridge
- 1 letter and number set with fun icons to allow you to design your own stamp
- 30 durable stickers for attaching to trickier materials 1m iron fleece for better legibility on darker materials
- 1 set of tweezers to apply your characters to the stamp easily.
The perfect tool for marking fabrics, lunch boxes, pencil cases, water bottles, school bags, P.E kit, jotters, stationery and so much more.
The marking solution is a D.I.Y stamp, which means you create the unique impression yourself. Kid-friendly, the stamp enables you to change it up with different characters and icons depending on the application. A fun tool that your kids can get involved in, think of it as a back to school craft project that is going to save you money rather than cost you cash (wouldn't we all love that).
It saves you money
Just what every parent looks for when their child starts back school. Any way they can save a little bit of money from the cost of uniforms and equipment. We're ahead of you there: Cost-effective, the stamp lasts for 1000s of impressions, removing the individual fee of a sticker/label per garment. And when it begins to fade or you run out of stickers, simply purchase Trodat's Stamp 'N Stick refill pack to set you on your way for another round of stamping.
Safe on skin and waterproof
No need to worry about the ink fading or rubbing on to your child's skin. The stamp ink is dermatologically tested, waterproof up to 95°C, machine washable up to 60°C when stamped on the fleece and dishwasher safe up to 75°C when stamped on the stickers.
