My Nametags - A kids name label review

So that's it - Holly's school application form has been submitted.  Time has whizzed away and before I know it, Holly will move up from preschool into foundation at school.  Holly loves preschool and is frightfully independent when it comes to getting ready every morning.  She has shunned the nursery-issued clothing bag and replaced it with her own; and every morning Holly chooses a vast array of spare clothing to pack in her bag in case she gets wet/painty/bored of what she is wearing.  I can't quite keep up with all the outfits so it is important for me to make sure that all of her clothing is named and labelled so that we can identify it in the piles of discarded clothing by the pegs at nursery!

I'm not a big fan of sewing name labels, nor ironing them (I don't own an ironing board so it is tricky!) so I much prefer to use stick-on labels that are specially designed for clothing or school kit.  MyNameTags asked us to try out their clever name label designer tool which generates name labels you can order for use on school clothing and belongings you don't want to get lost.

My NameTags sell colour labels and black and white labels.  They make iron-on labels (with a 10 year guarantee!) as well as my preference, the stick on labels which may not last so long but definitely more convenient for me to keep on top of the massive pile of school and preschool clothing!

Holly and I used their nifty online tool to choose a label background, font, pattern and text for our labels - there were soooooooooo many to choose from but Holly wanted something pink and instantly fell in love with this cupcake!  The finished article is very true to our original design.

Within 48 hours our custom-made labels had arrived and I was ready to start sticking.  For me, the ultimate test of a name tag is how it responds to being washed.  I've used different brands in the past with varying levels of success so I wanted to know how MyNameTags would respond to going through the washing machine.  You stick the name tag to the main washing label and it bonds really well - I'm very happy that they've stayed well and truely stuck after washing.  These labels are washable upto 60 degrees.

You don't just have to use My NameTags sticky labels on clothing - they are dishwasher and microwave safe too so they will be perfect for later in the year when both girls get to make Christmas puddings at school and have to take in all their own equipment.

A set of 56 colour name tag stickers like these costs around £12.95 including postage costs from www.mynametags.com

Hello Kitty Lunch Bag Review

When I was approached by Internet Gift Store to review one of their lunch bags, it suddenly dawned on me that this time next week we will know which school Lara has been allocated a place at.  Eeek.  Before I know it we will be in the world of lunchboxes (or indeed school dinners!) and the struggle for ideas for what to put into her lunch each morning.

I've not owned a lunchbox since I was at school and things seem to have come on quite a lot with the lunch bag (a soft-sided container) seeming to be the current trend.  I had a really good browse through the range of lunch bags on the Internet Gift Store because I wanted to choose Lara a bag which would get her excited about the prospect of school - at present she seems to hate the idea ("I want to go to nursery for ever, Mummy").

And so I chose this Hello Kitty lunch bag.  There were lots of different Hello Kitty bags on offer along with lots of other favourite children's characters but this is probably the most bold and instantly recognisable of the lot.

The lunch bag is nothing out of the ordinary.  The main pocket is a rounded rectangle and is a decent enough size to fit a drink, sandwich, fruit and snacks into.  To test it out, I also got this metal Hello Kitty drinking flask which has a flip-top cover over the spout.  The bottle isn't insulated but the aluminium casing will help to keep drinks slightly cooler.  It is a 400ml bottle which is slightly smaller than I think I would want to regularly send her to school with but for the time being it will make a great container for her to carry with her throughout the day for when she needs a drink.

The Hello Kitty lunchbag zips up and has a carry handle.  There is also a small name tag at the bottom so that it will be identifiable when it is placed on a shelf with everyone else's lunch bags.  I'm hoping that simply having the lunch bag will get Lara excited about the prospect of "picnic" lunches with new school friends.  At £8.99 for the bag and £3.99 for the bottle, I think that it is a small price for a happy Lara!