We just finished our first full week of preschool today. Nadia is enrolled in a co-op program in their Young 3s class. So far, her teachers seem fabulous, but they definitely have a job I am NOT cut out for. Monitoring a classroom with 16 tiny, little 2, almost 3-year olds is not my cup of tea. I'll take a classroom with 30+ 5th graders in it any day, but toddlers and preschoolers? No way. As if just the general monitoring of the class was not enough, the teachers torture themselves even more by taking the children outside every day, unless it is bitterly cold or raining. Great for Nadia, not so much fun for the adults, I'm sure. That's a lot of hats, coats, gloves and boots to keep track of, not to mention actually getting said articles of clothing onto squirmy, typically uncooperative, little kids. Thank goodness for Mabel's Labels. I've been able to label all of Nadia's jackets and shoes for the fall, and will also be able to easily label her clothes for the winter as well thanks to their Ultimate Back-to-School Combo Pack. I'm guessing Nadia's teachers will be as thankful for our clearly labeled clothing as we are.
When I first saw Mabel's Labels, I was very curious to find out if this whole labeling business was going to be as simple as Mabel's Labels makes it look. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to things like this. I get frustrated when items get lost, but I'm not going to sit around ironing on labels, nor am I going to sew on personalized labels either. Yes, permanent marker would work, but it washes off in both the laundry and in the dishwasher. The mothers at Mabel's Labels must have felt the same way because their labels require nothing more than sticking on a little sticker. Yep, that's right. These labels are really, honestly that simple. I didn't have to drag out an ironing board and worry about melting anything. I didn't have to break out the sewing machine that my mom insisted on buying me that I have never used, and I didn't have to try to sneak around with a permanent marker so that Nadia can't discover where I hide them. I just peeled the stickers off and stuck them on. It took all of 5 minutes to do her jackets and shoes. I wish I had discovered Mabel's Labels a long time ago!
The Ultimate Back-to-School Combo pack that I received is only available until September 3oth. With this pa
ck you receive 40 Skinny-Minis, 50 Tag-Mates, 16 shoe labels and 2 bag tags. The Skinny-Minis are microwave and dishwasher safe tags that stick directly onto school supplies, small toys and dishes. I tested them out on Nadia's Sigg bottle and also on her plastic cups. My husband was very skeptical when the first cup went through the dishwasher, but the label stayed on. No peeling, no fading, no bubbles at all. Since we don't really have to worry about school supplies, I never thought about how great these labels would be for labeling supplies. As a former 5th grade teacher, I know how easily kids misplace things or "borrow" someone else's scissors, ruler, etc. without returning them. These would be awesome for helping kids keep track of their stuff in the classroom and to help avoid the inevitable arguments about whose stuff is whose.
ck you receive 40 Skinny-Minis, 50 Tag-Mates, 16 shoe labels and 2 bag tags. The Skinny-Minis are microwave and dishwasher safe tags that stick directly onto school supplies, small toys and dishes. I tested them out on Nadia's Sigg bottle and also on her plastic cups. My husband was very skeptical when the first cup went through the dishwasher, but the label stayed on. No peeling, no fading, no bubbles at all. Since we don't really have to worry about school supplies, I never thought about how great these labels would be for labeling supplies. As a former 5th grade teacher, I know how easily kids misplace things or "borrow" someone else's scissors, ruler, etc. without returning them. These would be awesome for helping kids keep track of their stuff in the classroom and to help avoid the inevitable arguments about whose stuff is whose.The Tag-Mates are designed to stick right onto the labels of your children's clothing. They are also able to withstand the washer, the dryer, and general wear and tear. Again, we tested 
them out on Nadia's sweatshirts and they were simple to put on and came out of the dryer looking as good as new. I've also started putting them on her pants and skirts in case there's that inevitable "accident" one of these days at school. I can't get over how simple these tags are to use. The only drawback is that they don't work directly on the fabric, you have to put them onto the tag. If you have clothing that doesn't have tags, Mabel's Labels does have iron-on labels for things like mittens, etc. I know I told you I was anti-ironing, but since I don't have a choice, I will be opting for the simple, cuteness of Mabel's Labels to supply me with my iron-on labels for winter articles as well. I say simple cuteness because each label comes personalized with not just your child's name (up to 20 characters,) but also with one of several kid-friendly icons and you also get to customize your color as well. Nadia of course chose the hot pink color with butterflies. They are really cute and the pink tags definitely stand out!
them out on Nadia's sweatshirts and they were simple to put on and came out of the dryer looking as good as new. I've also started putting them on her pants and skirts in case there's that inevitable "accident" one of these days at school. I can't get over how simple these tags are to use. The only drawback is that they don't work directly on the fabric, you have to put them onto the tag. If you have clothing that doesn't have tags, Mabel's Labels does have iron-on labels for things like mittens, etc. I know I told you I was anti-ironing, but since I don't have a choice, I will be opting for the simple, cuteness of Mabel's Labels to supply me with my iron-on labels for winter articles as well. I say simple cuteness because each label comes personalized with not just your child's name (up to 20 characters,) but also with one of several kid-friendly icons and you also get to customize your color as well. Nadia of course chose the hot pink color with butterflies. They are really cute and the pink tags definitely stand out! The shoe labels are ingenious as well. It's a two-step process, but still super easy. You si
mply place the round label on the insole of the shoe, then cover it with a clear plastic label on top. That's it. Now your shoes are labeled. Again, these tags were bright pink which will make Nadia's shoes easy to spot this winter when we frequent the McDonald's Playland I just discovered within a very short driving distance from our house! She also has a tendency to take her shoes off whenever she feels like. Hopefully she leaves them on at school, but if not, it will be easy for her teachers to figure out which kid is running barefoot!
mply place the round label on the insole of the shoe, then cover it with a clear plastic label on top. That's it. Now your shoes are labeled. Again, these tags were bright pink which will make Nadia's shoes easy to spot this winter when we frequent the McDonald's Playland I just discovered within a very short driving distance from our house! She also has a tendency to take her shoes off whenever she feels like. Hopefully she leaves them on at school, but if not, it will be easy for her teachers to figure out which kid is running barefoot!Finally, the Ultimate Back-to-School Combo pack includes two bag tags. These are sturdy metal tags, again bright pink, which attach to backpacks and lunch bo
xes using little beaded chains. Super simple to put on and will make identifying Nadia's backpack a piece of cake, especially since the area for hanging bags is pretty small in her classroom.Because the people behind Mabel's Labels are moms, they know that you are not running back and forth from a computer screen to a pair of shoes to make sure you use the labels correctly. Each individual package of labels comes with the instructions printed RIGHT ON THE PACKAGE! You don't have to worry about keeping track of an instruction sheet, or making a mistake because you thought you remembered how to use the label. How smart is that?
While I suggest making your way over to Mabel's Labels for this great Ultimate Back-to-
School Combo, if you don't make it, don't fret. Mabel's Labels has other combo packs to choose from, and you can buy all the mentioned labels individually as well. In addition to the labels that came in my combo pack, Mabel's also makes bigger sticky labels for items like bottles and toys. They make Household labels for everything from spices to recycling bins to classroom items for teachers. Mabel's Labels has recently introduced their stationary line with adorable stationary packs which would be perfect for Thank Yous, and they also make super fun little return address labels. Both are fully customizable. Finally, the product that seems the most intuitive, but also the most inn
ovative are the Kid Safety Products: allergy alerts and "My 411 Wristbands". The allergy alert labels are fully customizable and are for things like dishes and travel gear as a way to remind your child's caretakers that your child has a specific allergy. The "My 411 Wristbands" are fully customizable as well. On them you can include telephone numbers for parents, allergy alerts, or special needs. The bands are resistant to water, chlorine, sunscreen and perspiration. Mabel's Labels is very generously donating 10% of the proceeds from the sale of the "My 411 Wristbands" to Autism Speaks.
School Combo, if you don't make it, don't fret. Mabel's Labels has other combo packs to choose from, and you can buy all the mentioned labels individually as well. In addition to the labels that came in my combo pack, Mabel's also makes bigger sticky labels for items like bottles and toys. They make Household labels for everything from spices to recycling bins to classroom items for teachers. Mabel's Labels has recently introduced their stationary line with adorable stationary packs which would be perfect for Thank Yous, and they also make super fun little return address labels. Both are fully customizable. Finally, the product that seems the most intuitive, but also the most inn
ovative are the Kid Safety Products: allergy alerts and "My 411 Wristbands". The allergy alert labels are fully customizable and are for things like dishes and travel gear as a way to remind your child's caretakers that your child has a specific allergy. The "My 411 Wristbands" are fully customizable as well. On them you can include telephone numbers for parents, allergy alerts, or special needs. The bands are resistant to water, chlorine, sunscreen and perspiration. Mabel's Labels is very generously donating 10% of the proceeds from the sale of the "My 411 Wristbands" to Autism Speaks. The full review - based on a 4-star scale:
Functionality **** - Ingenious! Incredible! Impossibly simple to use! Amazing time savers! What more can I say? Mabel's Labels are easy to use, designed to withstand washing and drying and are cute to boot.
Style **** - Simple, kid-friendly designs that are fully customizable with choice of color and icon. The colors stand-out which is important when you're trying to locate clothing, shoes, toys or a cup in a hurry.
Price ***1/2 - I've never priced labels before; so, again this is another very subjective part of the review. Personally, the $40 combo pack is a steal for as many labels as you get. My husband and I are all about factoring time spent into determining whether or not a product is worth the price. The time you will save when labeling school supplies or kids clothing for camp, school or daycare is totally worth it! Someday when I have enough kitchen cabinets to organize my spices and other kitchen staples better, I will definitely be springing for the kitchen labels. My dream home has every box, bin and container neatly labeled and organized. We're just short on space to make perfect organization happen, but someday...
Overall Rating ***1/2 - I'm blown away by how easy these labels were to use, and by how well they stay on. Mabel's Labels didn't skimp on quality or design. The fact that they are fully customizable means you can find an option to fit any child in your house. It's amazing how many of the best products for kids are usually designed by moms. We just get what's important. The moms at Mabel's Labels are no exception.
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2 comments:
Thanks, Crystal- I have seen these advertised many times but have been skeptical. I am now willing to try.
Do you think that the bag tags would work on a zipper pull, say, to identify a winter coat- like a ski pass?
Could a very detail oriented, determined child peel these off of clothes?
Yes, the bag tags would definitely work on a zipper pull. They attach with a little chain which I'm pretty sure is small enough to fit through the little hole on a zipper pull.
As for pulling off the labels, I can't speak for the iron-on ones, but the ones on the tag aren't coming off. In fact, they so nearly blend into the tag that you can't tell that they were added on after the fact. I don't think any child would even try to peel them off because it wouldn't even seem like an option.
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