Introducing "My 411 Wristbands"

Tired of using a marker to write your cell phone number on your kid's stomachs?

"My 411 Wristbands" include the child’s first name, the parent’s first name and cell phone number and any allergies or special needs the child may have. They can be customized to fit any parent’s needs.

From the Mabel's Labels website:

Resistant to water, sunscreen, chlorine and perspiration. Available in 5 original designs.

The information on the wristbands can be whatever you like to a maximum of 50 characters. Information is printed exactly as you type it.

Mabel’s Labels will donate 10 percent of all sales of this product to Autism Speaks, an organization that promotes research and awareness about autism.

Help! I've got more than one child!

What do you do if you have more than one child and don't want to spend a fortune on personalized labels for each one? Here are some ideas for you:

Solution A: Family name

From the FAQ on the Mabel's Labels website:

I have 2 kids, could I have half my order as "Jenny" and the other half as "Kate"?
Unfortunately we can’t split orders. But you might consider going with the family name, so everyone can share the labels.

Should you order the Classic Stickies you'll be able to give each kid their own colour (assuming you've got no more than three children).

Solution B: Give children have same initial

If your children all have the same initial (such as Nicole, Nancy, Nathaniel and Ned) you're all set. Get the initial with your family name!

What's that? You didn't name your children with the same initial and you don't want to rename them? No worries.... we have more ideas below!

Solution C: Two children -- icon / no icon

If you've got two children with a large age difference, you may be able to convince the older one that icons on the stickers are for little kids. Then order your labels with the family name and cut off the icon for the older child to use. The younger child will identify anything with the name and the icon to be theirs.

Be sure to round the corners when you cut as approximated by the red lines in the image to the right.

Solution D: Two initials

If you need labels for two children, Nicole and Mabel, you could order the label as shown to the right.





Then for Nicole, cut off the ",M" and the icon. Be sure to round the corners when you cut as approximated by the red lines in the image to the right.




For Mabel, you cut off the "N." Again, be sure to round the corners when you cut as approximated by the red lines in the image to the right.

Solution E: Two initals, short family name

If you have a short family name and need labels for two children, Nicole and Mabel, you could order the label as shown to the right.




Then cut the label in half, one for each child. Be sure to round the corners when you cut as approximated by the red lines in the image to the right.

Solution F: Multiple initials

Use all the initials separated by a "/" for Nicole, Mabel and Tricia. No cutting required!

I hope you've found an idea in here that works for you. If you have other solutions you'd like to share, please let us know!

Removing iron-ons

Mabel's clothing labels resist the wear and tear of laundry and children beautifully! Iron-ons are the classic choice for clothing labels.

But can they be removed?

The short answer is, it depends.

Many people are able to just pull them off by picking at a corner that has come loose over time. By design, however, the iron-on label ever so slightly melts to adhere to the fabric.

If you have been aggressive with the iron (by heating longer than recommended on the package) to adhere the labels (as I was with the socks shown to the right*), you may be left with a little bit of residue on your clothing. Note that I was able to remove the name part of the label, but not the base part that melted into the sock.

Some people recommend to "Try ironing it and when it is warm ease up a corner and pull fairly hard." I understand that some people have had success with the following method:

1. Place a piece of parchment paper over the label and heat the label with a hot dry iron.
2. Remove the parchment paper.
3. Pull it from a corner while the label is still hot. (Be careful not to burn yourself! Use a blunt knife to do this.)
4. Peel label away from the clothing.
   
5. The label may break as it cools.
6. Repeat as necessary.

I haven't had a chance to try heating up the label and then removing the residue -- when I do I'll post back here with the results.

Alternately, one could iron a new one over the top (should the item be used by another member of your family).

Variables which may affect the ease with which labels are removed: washing in hot water, excessive washing, time, fabric (smooth cotton vs fleece).

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* The labels on had been on these socks for about six months. In that time they had only been washed in cold water.

What else can I do with Tag-Mates™?

Mabel's Labels Tag-Mates™ (stick-in clothing labels):

• are ideal for quick labeling – no iron necessary!
• resist the wear and tear of laundry and children beautifully!

But that's not all! Here are some ideas I've heard about (but haven't tried)*:

• Tag-Mates™ are the perfect size for Leapster / GameBoy cartridges. (I've heard that Skinny-Minis™ work well for this too.)
  
• Used by the elderly residing in assisted living centers. (Name and room number on the label.)
• Identifying baby soothers.
• Use on fabric sandals (beachy ones) with clothing tags in them.
• Hockey gear.
  

An additional note, if you order the labels without an icon, the text tends to be larger and easier to read.

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*Your mileage may vary!

Laminating allergy alert labels

Many parents use Mabel's Labels allergy alert labels on their food containers and travel gear to help remind other caretakers of their child's food allergy or another serious allergy.

Pig in the Kitchen came up with this clever hack using the allergy alerts, a laminator, a hole punch and some ribbon to make allergy alert tags for bags or zippers or what have you!

(Photo below and hack idea used with permission of Pig In The Kitchen.)

Can you take off shoe labels?

It's well known that Mabel's Labels shoe labels are:

• extra tough
• extra sticky
  
• do not rub off on socks
  
• fit nicely into the insole of shoes, boots, skates and rollerblades and are
  
• shipped with protective overlays to ensure durability.

But what happens if you want to take the labels OFF the shoes?

From Lady M's post "More on Mabel's Labels":

"My son outgrew his his nicely labeled shoes this week, and I wanted to return them to anonymity before giving them away to Goodwill. With only a little bit of tugging effort, I was able to remove the Mabel's Labels from each shoe, with barely a trace of stickiness left in the shoe.

The labels stayed on when they were supposed to stay on. And they came off when they were supposed to come off. I'm a fan."

How do I label boots?

Pint size boots all seem to look the same. How can you label them so it's obvious to the teachers and the children which boots belong to whom?

Here are some ideas that I've seen work (in no particular order):

• stick Tag-Mates™ on the sizing label on the inside of the tongue of the boot
• stick a Skinny-Mini™ on the sizing label on the inside of the tongue of the boot
• stick a shoe label (with protective cover) on the sizing label on the inside of the tongue of the boot
• stick a shoe label (with protective cover) on the lining on the (inside) side of the boot
• stick a shoe label (with protective cover) into the insole of the boot (it may be difficult to see depending on the style and size of boot)
• stick a Skinny-Mini™ on the outside on the back of the boot (shown in photo to the right)
  

Hope you found a solution that meets your needs!