The 3 Best Labels for Kids School Gear and Clothing of 2025

After consulting with parents, caregivers, and teachers and digging through product sites, customer reviews, and parenting forums, we focused our assessment and testing of labels on several key features:

Durability and stickability: Do the labels stick to what you need them to, and will they stick for as long as you need them to? Most personalized labels use the same 3M Controltac paper and tout the same durability: They’re waterproof and dishwasher- and microwave-safe. Some brands claim that their personalized labels work on clothing and clothing tags just as well as on hard surfaces, but we’ve found that nearly all fail in the end to withstand regular washes.

Ease of use: Given that labels fall into the simple-pleasures category of purchases, it’s important that they are, well, simple. Iron-on and stamp options are available, but we don’t recommend them considering how easy and dependable stick-on labels are.

Design and ordering experience: Part of the appeal of labels is the delightful design. Your kid may recognize the toy truck, tie-dye colors, or Pokémon character on the sticker before they recognize their own name. And bright colors can go a long way when you’re trying to grab-and-go from a sea of Thermoses, CamelBaks, and L.L.Beans. The sheer assortment of designs to choose from can feel overwhelming, but once you’ve identified what you want, the design process should be easy.

Cost: Every label company we researched had a whopping number of label packages — different assortments based on size, shape, quantity, and color to fit every object a kid could possibly hold in their hand. We broke it down to cost-per-sticker.

Delivery time: Labels should ideally arrive in a matter of days, even during back-to-school season.

Over the past eight years, we’ve tested and retested personalized labels from 11 companies, as well as a write-on label and a fabric stamp.

After going through the design and ordering process, we put the labels to work for our families. We placed them on hard surfaces and clothing to see how they fared through washes, small-finger picking, trips to school and after-school activities, visits to the playground and museums, and more.