Orientation night. The school hands you a packet. Inside: a supply list, a calendar, a directory, and approximately seventeen pages about the lunch account portal. What is not inside the packet: any guidance whatsoever on what to label, which type of label goes on which surface, how to make labels that actually survive the school year, or why the water bottle label you put on in August is going to peel off by October if you don't do one specific thing first.
This is that guide. The one the school assumes someone is giving you. Every item in your child's school setup, in order of what matters most, with the label type for each surface and the one prep step that makes all the waterproof labels last. Whether you're doing this for the first time or optimistically retrying after last year's labels all fell off by October, this is what you need.
From the founder of Sticky Monkey Labels
I'm Dodie — mom of three boys, original creator of Peel 'n Stix® clothing labels, and founder of Sticky Monkey Labels, now in my 15th year. I have helped thousands of families get through the back-to-school labeling process before the first day. Here's the version of this guide I wish every school orientation packet included.
What's Covered
- The one prep step that makes all the waterproof labels work
- Water bottles and food containers — label these first
- School clothing — uniforms, outerwear, and PE kit
- School supplies — pencils, cases, electronics, and backpacks
- The spare outfit — the most important thing you probably haven't labeled
- How to run the labeling session so it's done in one evening
- Which label pack covers what
- Frequently asked questions
The One Prep Step That Makes All the Waterproof Labels Work
Before we get to the checklist: there is one thing that determines whether your waterproof labels last from August through June or fall off by October. It takes 30 seconds per surface. Almost nobody does it because nobody mentions it. Wipe the surface with isopropyl alcohol before you apply the label.
Every smooth hard surface — a stainless steel water bottle, a plastic lunchbox, a glass container — carries an invisible layer of manufacturing oils, skin oils, and residue that prevents adhesive from bonding to the actual surface. You can't see it. You can't feel it. Wiping the surface with isopropyl alcohol removes it completely. A label applied to a clean surface bonds directly to the bottle. A label applied to that invisible residue layer bonds to the residue — and when the residue breaks down under dishwasher heat, the label goes with it.
Water Bottles and Food Containers — Label These First
Start here. These are the items that go through the dishwasher every day and the items most likely to come home without a name on them if you don't label them before school starts. The water bottle gets labeled with the most dishwasher cycles of anything in the school bag — it earns its label more than anything else.
Water bottle: Two labels. The bottle body gets a label on the smooth hard surface area (never on silicone boots or silicone grips — nothing adheres to silicone). The lid gets its own label on the flat hard plastic area. Lids separate from bottles during dishwasher cycles and communal rinsing at school. An unlabeled lid on a labeled bottle is a lid that ends up with the wrong family. Our water bottle labels are sized for both the bottle body and lid separately.
Lunchbox: One label on the exterior (front or top, where it's easily visible). The lunchbox itself travels to and from school daily and ends up in shared bag areas at lunch. A name on the outside is what gets it back to the right child at the end of lunch.
Every container inside the lunchbox: This is the one most families miss. Containers separate from lunchboxes at the lunch table. A Tupperware without a name on it is a Tupperware that ends up in the classroom's communal container pile. Label every container individually, including the lids. A slim rectangle label on the container body, a small round label on the lid.
Ice packs: Yes, these too. Ice packs look identical and end up in communal refrigerators and lunch areas. One small label on the smooth area of each ice pack.
Thermos: If your child takes a thermos, label the body (smooth metal or hard plastic area, not the silicone gasket) and the lid separately.
School Clothing — Uniforms, Outerwear, and PE Kit
Clothing labels are different from waterproof labels — they go on fabric, not hard surfaces, and they come in two types for different garments. The rule is simple: iron-on for iron-safe cotton garments, stick-on on care tags for everything else. For the full garment-by-garment breakdown, see our guide to iron-on vs stick-on clothing labels.
Iron-On: Cotton Garments
- School polo shirts
- Cotton school trousers
- Cotton school dresses / pinafores
- Cotton sweatshirts and hoodies
- Cotton everyday shirts and tops
- Cotton onesies and rompers (daycare)
Stick-On on Care Tag: Everything Else
- Fleece jackets and zip-ups
- Puffer coats and waterproof outerwear
- Synthetic PE shorts and athletic tops
- Sleep sacks and blankets
- Hats, mittens, and gloves
- Any "do not iron" garment
For both types, wait 24 hours before the first wash. Every clothing label that "peeled after the first wash" was almost certainly washed before the 24-hour cure window. Apply labels in July and they're fully cured before August — with the whole summer as your cure time.
Our Design Duo clothing labels are available in both iron-on and stick-on (Peel 'n Stix®) so you can order once and cover every garment type in a single order.
School Supplies — Pencils, Cases, Electronics, and Backpacks
School supplies are the category where families underestimate how many items need labeling — and where losing an unlabeled item has the highest replacement cost. A lost calculator is a $15 item. An unlabeled one is a lost $15 item. A labeled one comes home.
Pencils, pens, markers, and crayons: Standard waterproof labels are too wide for pencil and pen barrels — they overlap the edges and peel from the curved surface immediately. Pencil labels are sized specifically for the narrow cylindrical barrel and wrap cleanly. Label every pencil, every marker, every crayon. Yes, all of them. Yes, really. The packs that arrive in August are gone by November without names — they circulate between desks and bags and never come back.
Pencil case: One waterproof label on the smooth exterior. Two labels if there's a hard plastic section and a fabric section.
Calculator: One waterproof label on the smooth hard plastic body. Calculators are expensive, identical, and shared by thirty students in the same math class. Label every calculator before school starts.
Headphones and earbuds case: One waterproof label on the hard plastic case.
Backpack: Waterproof labels do not go on the fabric exterior. They go on the luggage tag, the ID window on the front panel, or the smooth coated lining inside the main compartment. The backpack tag is the most visible and the most useful place — school staff can identify a bag by its tag without opening it.
Scissors, rulers, and other hard supplies: One label on any smooth flat surface. Scissors get a label on the handle (smooth plastic area). Rulers get a label on the smooth flat side.
The Spare Outfit — The Most Important Thing You Probably Haven't Labeled
Every school keeps a spare outfit on file for accidents. You put it there on the first day, it lives in a cubby or bag in the classroom, and it comes out when your child needs a change. After it comes off your child, it goes into a bag with all the other wet clothes to be washed, returned, or replaced at pickup. An unlabeled shirt in that bag is an unlabeled shirt that won't necessarily find its way back to your child.
Label every single piece of the spare outfit. Not just the bag. Every garment: shirt, trousers, underwear, socks. The clothing label goes on the care tag inside every piece. The bag gets a waterproof label on the exterior. This takes ten minutes to do before the first day of school and it's the ten minutes most families skip.
When you replace the spare outfit mid-year — because they've grown, because it was used, because you found something newer — label the replacement before it goes into the bag. Unlabeled items from spare kits are the most common thing in any school's lost-and-found.
How to Run the Labeling Session So It's Done in One Evening
The labeling session sounds bigger than it is. Here's how to get it done before school starts without it taking over your weekend:
- Order labels in July. Labels ship in 1–2 business days. Order as soon as school shopping is done so you have labels in hand before August.
- Gather everything to be labeled into one place. Every bottle, container, garment, and supply. One pile, one session. Doing it in batches means you'll miss things.
- Do waterproof labels first. Bottles, containers, supplies — wipe with alcohol, apply, press firmly. Set everything aside to cure for 24 hours before using or washing.
- Do iron-on clothing labels second. Set up the iron, work through cotton garments one at a time. Cotton setting, no steam, 60–90 seconds each.
- Do stick-on clothing labels last. The care tags. Press firmly, every edge, 24 hours before first wash.
- Label the spare outfit before bed. It's an afterthought every parent forgets. Put it at the end of the session so you can't forget it.
One evening. Done. Every label applied with proper cure time before the first day. That's the back-to-school labeling session done right.
For the full guide on which waterproof labels go on which surfaces and why the prep step matters, see our waterproof labels guide.
Which Label Pack Covers What
Ultimate School Label Pack — 134 Waterproof Labels
The pack for kindergarten through grade 8. 134 labels across 7 sizes covering every hard surface in the school bag: water bottle body and lid, lunchbox, every container, ice packs, backpack, pencil case, calculator, headphones case, and every pencil and pen your child owns. Pencil labels are included. Clothing labels are ordered separately.
Best for: Complete K–8 school setup. Everything in the school bag in one order.
School Essentials Label Pack — 67 Waterproof Labels
The pack for grade 5 through high school. Older students carry fewer items to school but the items are more expensive — calculators, headphones, laptops, water bottles. 67 labels in the sizes that cover the gear without over-ordering for items they've grown out of needing.
Best for: Middle school and high school. The right coverage without the elementary-sized quantities.
Browse both packs and our complete back to school labeling range at Sticky Monkey Labels. Questions about which pack covers your specific school setup? Call us at 1-888-780-7734.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I label for back to school?
Everything your child takes to school that could end up in a lost-and-found or in the wrong bag. Water bottle body and lid separately, lunchbox exterior, every container inside the lunchbox individually, ice packs, backpack (tag and interior lining), pencil case, calculator, headphones case, every pencil and pen, and all clothing including outerwear and the spare outfit stored at school. The items most families miss: water bottle lids, individual lunchbox containers, and the spare outfit.
What are the best labels for school supplies?
Waterproof adhesive labels for all hard surfaces (bottles, containers, cases, electronics), pencil labels for narrow barrels, iron-on clothing labels for cotton school uniforms, and stick-on clothing labels for outerwear and non-iron-safe garments. Our school label packs include the right sizes for every hard surface in one order. Clothing labels are ordered separately and available in iron-on and stick-on (Peel 'n Stix®).
How do I make school labels last all year?
The prep step. Wipe every surface with isopropyl alcohol before applying the label, let dry 30 seconds, apply with firm pressure from center outward with a thumbnail along every edge, wait 24 hours before the first dishwasher cycle. Skipping the alcohol prep step is the most common reason school labels peel by October. Do this step on every surface, every time, and labels applied in July last through June without re-labeling.
What are personalized labels for kids school supplies?
Personalized labels for kids school supplies are made-to-order adhesive labels printed with your child's name and chosen design — not generic blank labels to write on. At Sticky Monkey Labels, every label is personalized: your child's full name, their design choice from our full range, and the right size for each surface. These are the labels that come home on the items because staff and classmates can identify them at a glance, not just the parents who recognize the unlabeled red water bottle.
When should I order back to school labels?
July. School shopping typically happens in late July and early August, and labels need 24 hours to cure on hard surfaces before first dishwasher use and 24 hours to cure on clothing before first wash. Ordering in July means everything is labeled, cured, and ready before the first day — not rushed the night before. Labels ship in 1–2 business days so the practical window is open all summer.
Which school label pack do I need?
For kindergarten through grade 8: our Ultimate School Label Pack (134 labels in 7 sizes) covers every hard surface in the school bag in one order, including pencil labels. For grade 5 through high school: our School Essentials Label Pack (67 labels) covers the gear older students carry. Clothing labels for both are ordered separately in iron-on or stick-on format.