Name Labels for Daycare & Kindy

Name labels are useful from the time children start daycare or early childhood education, which for many families in New Zealand is around two or three years old. This is often when belongings first leave the house regularly and encounter environments where many children have similar items.

At daycare, children may have spare clothes, comfort items, and bags that need identifying, and staff rely on labels to ensure everything goes home with the right family. Using labels for daycare helps establish good habits and reduces the likelihood of items being permanently lost. Even very young children can begin to recognise their own name label, which supports early literacy development.

Yes, we design name labels specifically for shoes, and they can be a practical solution for keeping track of footwear that often gets removed during daycare. These shoe labels are typically placed inside the shoe on the insole, heel area, or tongue, where they remain protected from the wear and friction of walking. Shoe labels are particularly useful for young children who may not recognise their own shoes among a pile of similar pairs.

When applying daycare labels on shoes, make sure the surface is clean and dry for optimal adhesion. Check out our application instructions for helpful surface preparation tips. Shoes are surprisingly common to lose, so having them clearly labelled increases the chance they'll be returned if they're left behind at daycare or kindy.

If your child has allergies, some parents choose to include allergy information for lunchboxes, bags, or other items as an additional safety reminder. These allergy labels provide a helpful visual prompt for caregivers, teachers, and other parents.

For example, including a nut allergy on a name label for daycare can remind adults supervising lunch or snack times to be aware. Our allergy labels offer specific icons for allergy alerts, making the information stand out. It’s important to ensure your child’s daycare has the full details of any allergies on file, and that an appropriate medical plan is in place.

The short answer—almost everything. For practical peace of mind, we recommend prioritising:

• Clothing (especially socks and hats)
• Shoes and gumboots
• Bags and backpacks
• Bottles, sippy cups, and lunchboxes
• Dummies and dummy clips
• Comfort toys or blankets brought from home

Iron-on options work best on fabric items, while stick-on daycare labels are ideal for hard surfaces like bottles and lunch containers.