Playing for keeps

When I was preparing my son’s stuff for camp this summer, I was dismayed every time I had to write his name sloppily with a permanent marker into a brand new shirt or bathing suit. Luckily, for the start of the new school year, I have found a much neater — and fun! — solution, the Minestamp personalized label system. Inventor Paco Navarez bundles his self-inking stamp — akin to one you might use to put your return address on a letter — with tweezers and a set of letters and numbers that you use to customize up to three lines of text.

After you insert your text (such as your child’s name, phone number, classroom, e-mail address, or phone number) into the stamp, you’re ready to click it onto anything that might go missing: backpacks, hoodies, lunchboxes, books, and more. The wash-resistant textile ink leaves behind legible text, unlike my attempts with the marker. And if you need to label a dark-colored item, the kit includes a white ribbon which can be stamped and placed onto the dark fabric.

Minestamp personalized label stamp, $17, www.thegrommet.com.