How Many Name Stickers Does a School Kid Need? A Count by Class (Nursery to Class 5)

How we worked out the count

We didn't start from a sticker pack and work backwards. We started from the things a child carries, because that's what gets lost. Every school's list is different, so treat these as a planning count, not a rule: a typical Indian school list for each stage, sorted into the three kinds of label that actually do different jobs.

• Books and notebooks take a paper label on the cover. Our book labels are 7 x 5 cm, 12 to a sheet.
• Bottles, tiffins and stationery get washed or handled all day, so they need a waterproof sticker. Our waterproof name slips are 7 x 2 cm, 40 to a pack.
• Uniforms, sweaters and socks need an iron-on label, because a sticker on fabric comes off in the first wash. Our clothes stickers come 40 to a sheet.

Our view: the single most useful thing you can do before ordering is count each of these three groups separately. A family that buys one big pack of "name stickers" for everything usually ends up with sixty stickers that suit the bottle and none that survive the laundry.

How many name stickers for Nursery and KG?

About 45, and most of them go on clothes. Little children lose sweaters, socks and caps, not books. A Nursery or KG list usually has only four to six books and a few notebooks, and many schools keep those in the classroom.

That's why we'd point a Nursery parent to the Starting the School Combo at Rs 899: 12 book labels, 40 iron-on clothes labels, 8 transparent labels for the bottle and tiffin, and a silicone bag tag, all with one name. It covers the whole count with a few clothes labels left for the spare set of clothes many pre-schools ask for.

How many name stickers for Class 1 and Class 2?

About 55 to 65. This is where the book list jumps. A Class 1 child can bring home six to eight textbooks and eight to ten notebooks, and the school note usually says every one must be labelled before the first day.

Here's how we'd think it through. The Back to School Combo (Rs 899) gives you 24 book labels, 8 transparent labels and a bag tag, so the books are done. If the uniform is new this year, add one sheet of 40 clothes stickers at Rs 349. If last year's clothes labels are still holding, skip that and add a pack of 40 waterproof name slips (Rs 329) for the pencils, crayons and art kit instead.

Count the three groups separately. One big pack of stickers for everything is how you end up with sixty that suit the bottle and none that survive the wash.

How many name stickers for Class 3 to Class 5?

About 60 to 75, and now the books lead. By Class 4 or 5 there are more subjects, separate notebooks for classwork and homework, a geometry box and often an atlas or a dictionary. Clothes losses drop a little, since older children keep track of their sweater most days.

The Back to School Combo still makes sense here for the 24 book labels. For anything above 24 books, we'd use the thinner 7 x 2 cm name slips on notebooks rather than a second sheet of book labels: they're 40 to a pack, they fit a notebook cover or spine, and the leftovers go on the geometry box and colours.

Swipe through the four packs that cover almost every list.

What should you buy for each class?

Putting the counts against our pack sizes, this is the order we'd place. Prices are from our store today.

If you'd rather pick each label on its own, the name stickers and labels page has every type in one place, and our guide to which name sticker goes on which item explains the surfaces. To compare the two combos side by side, read what's inside each back to school combo.

The spare stickers we almost forgot

Almost missed this The count above is for the first day. It doesn't cover what happens in July and again after the winter break: a bottle gets replaced, the school asks for two new notebooks, a sweater goes missing and the new one needs a label. Keep 10 to 15 per cent of the pack aside in an envelope with the school papers. That's six to ten stickers, and it saves you a fresh order for one notebook.

Two more things change the count. Siblings first: if a younger child will inherit the uniform, put the surname on clothes labels and the first name on books, so the clothes still work next year. Then the school itself: some schools collect all notebooks on day one and keep them in class, which halves what goes home but not what needs a label. Our list of school items parents forget to label is worth a look before you finalise.

When should you order school name stickers?

Every pack is printed with your child's name after you order and takes 8 to 12 working days to reach you anywhere in India. So order once the book list is in hand and at least two and a half weeks before the first day. Orders above Rs 399 ship free, which any combo already crosses. Before you pay, read the name out letter by letter, because every sticker is printed exactly as typed. For the step-by-step on labelling the book pile, see our guide to name slips for school books.