Marking names on clothes?

[kellia]

What's the best way to mark clothes that will last through the washing machine? Especially jeans? My twins have gotten to the point where they don't wear the same size pants anymore and apparently it is too difficult to look at the size!

TIA!

 

[Alesia]

Use a fabric marker. Or sew on labels.

 

[Alesia]

.

 

[Iowajes]

Sharpie.

Although, I prefered a colored dot rather than my name. Depending on their age, names can get made fun of if other kids see them (like changing for gym at school.)

(And a uniquely my family situation, but anything that said JW, my initials, soon became CJW, my sister's. She stole a lot of my stuff that way)

 

[SEA333]

What's the best way to mark clothes that will last through the washing machine? Especially jeans? My twins have gotten to the point where they don't wear the same size pants anymore and apparently it is too difficult to look at the size!

TIA!

Sharpie Rub a Dub Laundry Markers. They are specifically made to withstand laundering. I've been told that the Sharpie lab actually has a normal, household washer and dryer in their testing room that they use to replicate real-world cleaning methods. I don't know why, but that always struck me as funny.

 

[barkley]

if they have interior physical tags you could take the smaller sized and cut the bottom half of the tag off-that way it's immediately noticeable and if the smaller sized person is going to inherit the larger size jeans down the line you know which ones to hang on to when one has said they've outgrown theirs (I do this when ds outgrows jeans in length but not waist so I can identify which ones to hang on to for cutoffs come summer). otherwise I use sharpies (dh, dd and I have ALLOT of identical t-shirts so each gets a small first initial written on the tag or inside the neckline).

 

[ktlm]

We do a Sharpie on the label, be sure and put something under the label when you write on it in case it bleeds through. Of course if you have clothes that are tagless, or kids who make you cut out the tags, that is a problem. It won't bleed through on most jeans, but anything else, you might have an issue. Also, if they won't look at the label to see the size, they may not look to see their name either...and also what happens when the smaller one grows and gets some of the larger ones cast offs?

 

[ImDMous]

This might take a little more time, but I would select a spot on internal seams and sew a few stitches in different colors for each person. Right at the bottom of the side seam for t-shirt, inside the waistband for bands, you could even do it right on the tag for clothes that have tags. That way if they do somehow switch owners as they grow, you can just take the stitches out and do them again in a different color. If you use embroidery thread or something thick, it should be easy to spot if you're looking but completely invisible from the outside.

 

[daemom]

I use a different colored Sharpie for each of my three boys. I just put a dot on the seam of a shirt or the toe of the socks. Oh the socks...........

 

[OZMom]

I use a different colored Sharpie for each of my three boys. I just put a dot on the seam of a shirt or the toe of the socks. Oh the socks...........

Oh you're good. I do not even bother with socks, if they fit they wear them. My boys are close enough in age the socks aren't really an issue most of the time and I'm just excited if they end up in a matching pair.

OP, if they won't look at the tag to check the size, will they check for a name? Or will you need to mark something on the clothing themselves? I had to mark DS4's clothing for preschool. We used a sharpie laundry marker and it has held up pretty well. Maybe you could make a small "tag" with names or initials with iron on transfer paper? Good luck!!

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

As stated Sharpie makes a specific laundry marker that is made to withstand washing

I have found that a marking system works better for my boys.

The oldest get one line, the younger gets two lines, when the oldest out-grows his clothes and they go to the younger, I add a line to make it change from one to two.

For socks, the older wears and we purchase BLACK socks only, the younger wears and we purchase WHITE socks only

There is one brand in particular that prints the name brand across the bottom of the toe in different color thread according to the sock size. Such as it would say HAYNES in Blue for small, in Red for Med and Green for large.

 

[NinaBella]

I have always used Mabel's Labels to mark my kids clothes. Their clothes labels are peel and stick and do not wash off. I put it on everything they may have lost at daycare when they were younger. Now they are middle school and I still have left overs I put in their jackets. DD goes to a lot of sleepovers and her entire cheer team has matching shirts, shorts, shoes, etc. that I put a label on everything so we get "her's" back and not someone else item that may not have been cared for as well.

In our house everyone has their own laundry basket and each is responsible for his/her own laundry. This has worked out great compared to before everything getting dumped into one basket, washed together, then has to be sorted. Now they wash their own, take out their own, and take to their room to put up.

 

[kellia]

Thanks for the replies! I wasn't sure what would mark denimn. Since my boys are fraternal twins, I won't have to pass them down. The problem is that they wear the same size but one is slim and the other is regular to husky depending on the brand. I just wanted something that would make it easier for them to see quickly and not have fights because someone "took" all their jeans, etc!

 

[Jaime4004]

What's the best way to mark clothes that will last through the washing machine? Especially jeans? My twins have gotten to the point where they don't wear the same size pants anymore and apparently it is too difficult to look at the size!

TIA!

Are they in the same room? My boys are one size off and their clothes look similar. I got sick of having to look at every tag when doing laundry to see who they belonged to, so I bought them separate hampers and now do a load of each. Makes putting them away (or handing the basket to each kid to put away) much easier.

 

[v.t.]

I bought them separate hampers and now do a load of each. Makes putting them away (or handing the basket to each kid to put away) much easier.

This is how I have started doing it as well, works great.

 

[lauradis]

sharpie and I would put x on the label not the name on present bigger size.

This will be helpful for hand me downs if you do them, just reverse it to smaller size, bigger newer sizes get nothing.