Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Labeling Baby/Kid Stuff

I have several friends who are expecting little bundles of joy soon, not to mention a niece or nephew due…on my birthday.

So I have been thinking about some of the little things that make a big difference to a new Mom. One thing I had to adjust to was the idea of labeling everything.

Did you hear that? You have to LABEL EVERYTHING.

When you go anywhere, everything has to be labeled…paci’s, diapers, bags, bottles, sippys. If it belongs to the baby, it will have to be labeled at some point.

And while it’s really fun to buy personalized stuff, that’s not always an option. As I’ve said before, I do love my BumpyName Orbit Labels from InchBug. They are definitely worth the money.

Otherwise, buy loads of Sharpies, especially in black and silver, Fine and Ultra Fine. I absolutely love the retractable ones.

I keep my Sharpies everywhere – baby’s room, kitchen, office; pretty much anywhere I ever need to write. That way I never have to go searching.

For the diapers, the best way I’ve found to label them is to just write on them with a Sharpie. I keep a Sharpie in the drawer by the diapers and label a stack all at once. Then, when I get ready to load a bag, I can just grab from the labeled stack.

C uses plain cloth diapers as his lovey (aka rag). I tried labeling them with Sharpies, and it worked fine. But it wasn’t quite as visible as I would’ve liked. So I got some stretchable iron-on transfers from Avery, printed his name in a fun font with some great color, and ironed them onto the corner of the lovey/rag.

The iron-on labels also work great for labeling clothing, especially since you can make them in whatever size you want.

The tags that come with diaper bags aren’t always sturdy enough or large enough. So I bought customizable luggage tags from Wal-Mart in fun colors. Hobby Lobby also has some adorable customizable tags in their stationery department. If you’re not a do-it-yourselfer, you can order personalized tags at several sites, including here.

Of course, there are websites that specialize in labels of all kinds for babies and kids. A couple are Stuck On You and Mabel’s Labels.

For toy tubs and shelves, I detailed how I keep things organized here.

And did you ever consider labeling your kid? It’s a great idea, especially for family outings to theme parks, etc. when the kids are a bit older. Safety Tats are an awesome product, and I can’t wait to get some.

So there are the majority of my labeling secrets. I’m not withholding anything on purpose, I just can’t think of anything else. I just have a sneaking suspicion I’ve forgotten something. I’d love to hear your labeling secrets, too!

Head on over to We Are THAT Family for more Works For Me Wednesday.