Testing, testing.... tinyme school labels

tinyme school label offer - save over 50% on labels

I was one of the lucky bloggers invited to test tinyme labels. I was offered tinyme's basic mixed pack, which has three label options with a mind-boggling choice of 90 different design and colours. The pack contains 48 Standard Vinyl Name Labels (51.5mm x 24mm);  48 Iron-On Clothing Labels (51.5mm x 24mm) and 24 Large Vinyl Name Labels (104mm x 24mm). Basically you stick the vinyl labels and iron on the others. The result was pretty cute  (I won't upload a photo as it has my daughter's full name).

Michela chose the label's design and went for pink/purple with a butterfly and dragonfly motifs. The labels arrived pretty quickly, before the mentioned 10 working days. As I ordered them quite late, I thought they wouldn't arrive in time for the first day of school but they did! The labels are made to order, so this is pretty good service.

I ordered my sample before the massive promotion you can see in the photo above, but the value of my order was already discounted from £41.97 to £25.99. This didn't include postage and handling, which are charged per order value. So if the order value is up to £24.99 you pay £2.99, £5.99 for higher orders.

Sticking the labels
With my iron in my right hand and a piece of baking paper on the iron-on label, I pressed down for the indicated time and nearly melt the first label. The instructions specify hot iron, but I don't advise using the max setting. I reduced the heat and doubled up the baking paper, which meant it took a tiny bit longer but the label was OK and stuck to the fabric.

I used vinyl labels for shoes, book bag and Michela's rucksack. She is in reception so she doesn't have as much kit as older children.


Durability
One week on and one machine load for uniforms, I can say the iron-on labels washed well (I wash at 30 or 40 degrees). The label inside a pair of sock was slightly wrinkly but it could have the spin cycle, I use a powerful one to minimise drying time. The vinyl labels really stuck well to the inside of her shoes, sweat didn't dislodge them. I will update this post later in the school year to let you know what happens.

Value for money - you get what you pay for!
I am a school label virgin because I used my partner's old sewing-on labels at preschool (by some coincidence, they share the same initials and obviously the surname). This old-fashioned type is still on sale but made with more modern materials. The design is pretty basic, you have a white label with the name in a colour or you have a background colour with the name in white. The cheapest deal online was £11.99 for 30 regular vinyl labels, 30 small vinyl labels and 30 Navy iron-on labels. Iron-on labels only come in white with navy print. Shipping delivery for this order would be £1.99.

Aside the basic design, which won't be a hit for a little girl who loves colours and patterns, the limit of 19 characters and space means I would have had to chop her name. I suppose I could have used her initials, but then her dad's old labels could have done well for another year. Also you get less labels numberwise - this makes a difference for iron-on labels as you use more of those.

STOP PRESS There is a great promotion running at tinyme, which means that if you haven't got your school labels sorted yet, you get a great deal - 150 premium labels for £23.99. If you want to find out more, just click here! Browse this site for other cute kids products such as height charts, wall decor, personalised books... and much more.

Are organic products really worth paying more for?

This question pops up in consumer surveys, magazine features, TV programmes... Most people answer yes, especially parents who want to give their children the healthiest start in life.

All parents get worried about nasty chemicals from the very beginning – which is pregnancy for most mums, if not the conceiving stage! That's when a mum-to-be finds out that she can't eat anything she fancies or use products she thought perfectly harmless until an antenatal midwife or an article in a parenting magazine told her otherwise.

I usually review baby/toddler gear for a parenting website, so it was lovely to be able to test two toiletry items from Green People, an award-winning company that specialises in organic bodycare products. 

On my bedside table...
...I have two deliciously scented, organic products: a Mandarin-flavoured toothpaste for Michela and a zesty moisturising cream for me.

The toothpaste is SLS and flouride free. SLS stands for Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, which is a harsh and irritating foaming agent not only present in most toothpastes but - prepared to be horrified - also in shampoos and shower gels. On top of this there is no aluminium contamination (the tube is lined with lacquer used in food packaging). This toothpaste's 100% organic ingredients include soothing Aloe Vera oil, Mandarin, Orange and Myrrh antiseptic oils.

The fragrant moisturising cream is a limited edition Day/night cream, with orange, rosehip and mandarin, plus several other soothing ingredients. Its organic formula aims to revive face and neck, while promoting a youthful complexion. As I'm no spring chicken, this is welcome news! The cream is free from lanolin, petrochemicals, perfume and parabens. Parabens, commonly used as preservatives in the cosmetic industry, are becoming increasingly controversial. Weight gain, certain types of cancers and skin aging are some of the suspected side effects.

Testing, testing

• Toothy frutti: Michela didn’t take to the toothpaste straightaway. I wondered why, so I tried it myself. The texture is certainly different; this toothpaste doesn’t foam in the mouth and is less sweet than other brands. I checked her usual toothpaste and the answer was sodium saccharin, which is used in artificial sweeteners. This makes toothpaste really sweet, so obviously Michela was addicted to a 'sugary' toothpaste. However, after a few days, she started enjoying the Mandarin toothpaste more and more. As she doesn’t understand about spitting the toothpaste out, it's reassuring to know that she is not swallowing nasty chemicals. The Mandarin toothpaste, also available in Spearmint, retails at £3.30. It might sound a bit expensive, but as a young child needs a pea-sized amount of toothpaste twice a day, the 50ml tube is bound to last for a long while.

• Sweet cream: Most women have dramatic skin changes after having a child and three years down the line I'm still struggling to find a good moisturiser for my 'new' dry skin (I used to have quite oily complexion before). I have been trying various potions and lotions, some with antiageing properties, but my skin has become very sensitive and antiageing ingredients are often quite harsh. The Green People moisturiser sinks in easily, makes the skin soft without irritating it and smells delicious, like homemade lemon curd (lemon oil is among the ingredients). A little goes a long way and the price (£11.95 for 50ml tube) is quite competitive considering the prices of moisturisers. The cheapest branded moisturiser starts at £7 and the ones I have tried are greasy, irritate the skin and make it look shiny. Looking like a red, waxy apple is not a good look! So I just hope that this limited edition becomes a regular product - I'd hate not being able to buy it when this tube runs out.

  
If you'd like to pop a product on my bedside table, please get in touch!