<p>D is going off to college across country where it is cold. We live in the desert so none of her clothes are sufficient. Should we buy her warm clothes and dorm room stuff now and ship it? Or wait, and buy it all there. Obviously, it will still be summer and the winter clothing isn't out in the stores yet... The should's and shouldn't's of packing a daughter off to college...All Mama's out there, your advice is greatly appreciated:)</p>
<p>Buy it there. She’ll have a better selection, time to see what other people are wearing, you won’t have to ship and she won’t have to store anything before she needs it.</p>
<p>Been there, done that! You may not have any idea how much closet space there will be in the dorm. It is likely your D will not have room for her whole wardrobe. I sent my D with summery/fallish things and then shipped her heavy sweaters, boots and coats in October…I’m in Texas but our part does get snow and cold weather, and she had some pretty warm things. The plan was she would turn around and ship back the summery/fallish things but it turned out she had the hugest closets on campus so we did not have to do that. AND she ended up needing a heavier coat then her wool-lined London Fog, plus more sweaters to layer with, but she was able to buy them there for less than having me buy plus ship. My best advice is don’t send it all with her because if she is sharing one small closet you will have a problem.</p>
<p>If you have any other questions don’t hesitate. The move for D from Texas to NYC was pretty intimidating, for me at least! Good luck!</p>
<p>Will dad’s advice do? We did the same writestuff54, shipped heavier, winter wardrobe in October. My D purchased a few long sleeve knits on-line at Land’s End beforehand and “borrowed” mom’s winter coat until she was able to shop on her own, after winter inventory started arriving in the stores or became available on-line. We got off rather inexpensively because my sister (same size as D) gave her a couple of coats. My D doesn’t like the usual puffy, quilted, and/or non-tailored “ski” coats so it was more challenging to find suitable coats for her. I’m glad my sister came to our rescue. So much of the shopping can be done on-line these days. Many sites offer free shipping both ways for those inevitable returns.</p>
<p>Don’t buy anything, other than maybe warm socks. My mission at Parents Weekend was to buy a jacket that could have gotten her through a winter at the South Pole. She never used it, because no one actually wears that kind of jacket in the Northeast. I also bought her great shoes that also went unused. She figured it out, buying wool coats, scarves, etc. as she needed them. One winter was so cold, she said her face hurt. I suggested a ski mask. You can imagine how well that suggestion went over. There will be lots of kids from cold climates who will be happy to help your daughter.</p>
<p>Depending on where she is going to, be careful sending too many “summer” clothes. Even though my D went to Washington DC in August - she only had about 3-4 weeks of “summery” weather. And she comes home on May 1 and its still in the 60s there. She hasn’t worn her summer clothes at all since Sept. In retrospect, she should have brought them home for Spring break and kept them here. We just didn’t know that DC doesn’t have warm temps in the spring.</p>
<p>She bought most of her winter clothes up at school, although we did do some shopping at Christmas. And purchase some rain boots!!! Living in a dry climate, we had no idea how much it rains in the Northeast.</p>
<p>Another dad’s advice:</p>
<p>Buy it there. We live in SoCal and DD is at college in Massachusetts. Limited selection in SoCal and you’re out of season anyways. School started in mid-August and we went back for parent’s weekend in late September. Winter clothes were just coming out and we had a good selection. Also gave DD time to quiz her roommates as to what styles to get and where the discounts were.</p>
<p>I grew up in a cold climate and know the importance of layering. Temperatures will change throughout the day and layers make it so that you can adjust to the current temperature. Also allows you to leave a layer behind for those spring and fall days. You also don’t want to be way over dressed when you go inside. A big thick winter jacket isn’t really that usefull, you’re hot with it on and cold with it off. Buy a lighter weight waterproof outer layer (allowing room for layers under it) and use the layers underneath for warmth.</p>
<p>Another secret, buy good boots. No matter how you are dressed otherwise, if your feet are cold, you will feel cold. They need to be waterproof but able to wick the moisture away from your feet. Two pair isn’t unreasonable as one pair may get soaked and need to dry and you need to go out again. A play pair and a dressier pair works well. DD’s play pair is some kind of waterproof hiking boot type (not really hiking boots, but more like a tall walking shoe type, good for sledding and other outdoor winter fun stuff).</p>
<p>Some schools will have storage facilities, for a fee, for over the summer. My DD and some of her friends have rented an apartment for next year. Leases are typically for 12 months even though you only need it for 9. At least it becomes a place to store stuff over the summer. UPS otherwise is cheaper than baggage fees to the airlines (and you can get a tracking number).</p>
<p>Send rain boots, umbrella and lightweight rain jacket or rain coat with her. Buy the rest later!</p>
<p>Ditto the rain boots and umbrella. We rarely ever get rain and when we do, it’s a treat to be out in it! D’s paisley high top galoshes have been a godsend this year in NY, especially when the snow gets slushy and she does not want her UGGs to get yucky. </p>
<p>And yes to the person who said they don’t need many summery things. My D, however, had no air conditioning in her dorm…so the first few weeks those lightweight things were essential. It really depends on the kid, the climate, the dorm…</p>
<p>A dad here. Take as little stuff as possible. She’ll be able to see what other folks are wearing, and what makes sense in the culture of the school. We packed way too much for my older one. With the younger, we sent off two boxes, and she flew there herself, bought what she needed and liked with the help of a family friend, and roommate’s mom.</p>
<p>There are also differences school-to-school. My d. at American U. needed an entirely different type of wardrobe than my d. at Smith.</p>
<p>I"m neither a mother or a father, but I am a daughter who’s been through this before. Have her buy her stuff there. Remember when you first arrive it’s going to probably be pretty hot and humid, so she won’t need winter stuff right away. Depending on where she goes she may not need hardcore stuff until after Thanksgiving or even after Christmas break, so you could give her outdoor store giftcards for Christmas. Definitely send her with a few things to start off the fall (or buy there): a sweatshirt, a fall coat (thicker than a rain coat, lighter than a down coat). </p>
<p>As for her dorm room stuff, the best is usually to buy it there, once she’s had a chance to actually be in her room and evaluate what she might need. I do recommend bringing a set of sheets and at least one towel just so she has somewhere to sleep the first night and something to use for a quick shower (you get sweaty bringing in all those suitcases). </p>
<p>Some people buy things at Bed, Bath and Beyond because you can reserve them for pickup at a local store, that’s a very smart idea and it will save you from the dreaded “other college students cleaned out all hte good stock of stuff already” crisis facing malls near colleges in August/September. </p>
<p>And I definitely agree: buy good boots. And not just Uggs (which are not always waterproof). My advice would be to go to a real outdoor store and look for a pair of lightweight, warm, waterproof snow boots that she doesn’t think are too ugly (no one will care when it’s snowing, believe me). If you can find some made of Thinsulate, that’s the best, it will keep her warm without sweating your feet off. Merill makes several good models.</p>
<p>“One winter was so cold, she said her face hurt. I suggested a ski mask. You can imagine how well that suggestion went over.”</p>
<p>LOL! Sounds like a suggestion I would make.</p>
<p>Back in the day, my mom and I went shopping (I grew up in SoCal, BTW) for a coat since I was going to college in Europe in Winter (!) I tried on everything and settled on a really warm 
100% wool coat. When I stepped off of the plane in Europe, I felt as if I were wearing a piece of paper. Now that I myself am a mother, I can only imagine how concerned my mom must have been when I called to tell her that I was freezing to death!</p>
<p>My recommendation: Definitely shop online and/or wait until your daughter gets there before making any substantial purchases. Let the locals tell you what she really needs. My D refuses to wear thick clothing (Michelin Man anyone?), so if she decides to attend college in the east, I expect to be shelling out extra money on a thin, but warm jacket. </p>
<p>When I lived abroad, I found great coats/ jackets with removable inserts and hoods that could be added based on just how cold or wet it is. Some of the jackets will actually tell you what temperature it is appropriate for (like sleeping bags do).</p>
<p>But, try not to worry. I was 18 when I saw snow (and cold weather) for the first time. After a month or so, you really do get used to it… At least, I did.</p>
<p>I opened this thread ready to offer advice; but I cannot.
Our DD went the other way; she left the DC area for southern California ;)</p>
<p>Me too, mominva. Although every once in a while, it’s warmer here in the Midwest than at my daughter’s socal college.</p>
<p>Regarding boots, besides the normal type, she will want rain boots for the rainy/snow/slushy days. They come in every imaginable color, pattern, and with or without fur lining. She can save her leather boots for dryer cold days. Since you say she doesn’t want a poofy ski type jacket, start looking for a classic pea coat, they are very popular with college students.</p>
<p>^^Agree about the boots. D2 got her rain boots from Target. They were cheap and very cute. Leather boots plus salted slush=very bad news. Not all ski jackets are poofy. D2 has a classic wool peacoat and she has a very warm but trim-fitting down jacket. Nothing like the Michelin Man jackets I used to wear in college. (Northface down jackets and coats comes in variety of bright and subdued colors, some shiny, most matte.)</p>
<p>One suggestion–help your D learn to layer her clothes. D2 says while it may be -3 degrees outside, the classrooms are often sweltering hot. (Sometimes the dorms are too.) </p>
<p>Sweaters are practical and very useful. Tights to wear with skirts. </p>
<p>D2 has survived her 3rd winter in upstate NY–she hasn’t frozen yet!</p>
<p>Mine went from NoCal to Indiana. She thought she knew what cold was having gone skiing much of her life. Boy was she wrong. Like others, I’d highly recommend you wait to buy most stuff until she’s been there awhile. No matter how many times I suggested that Uggs might not be the boot of choice for snow and ice, she had to discover that for herself. Same with the suggestion that perhaps a Northface fleece might not be quite enough come December. I’m not sure she ever wore a heavier coat that that to school in her life here at home (totally uncool), so she couldn’t quite fathom it. She learned fast though!</p>
<p>We did however order as much dorm room stuff as we could from BB&Beyond at our local store, and then picked it up at the store near her campus. That worked like a charm and saved us all kinds of money vs. shipping it. We managed to move her across the country with 4 checked bags/boxes and a few carry ons. And then we paid for summer storage and she left it all there when she came home for the break. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Oh, regarding the rain boots. You can also buy fleece liners for them (I bought D’s online for Xmas). Makes them a little warmer in the snow and slush. And I agree about the tights to wear with skirts. It took D a little while to realize that bare legs with mini skirts were not that comfy in winter.</p>
<p>We had stuff go back and forth across this continent that they alone qualify for frequent flier points. It burned a lot of kerosene. </p>
<p>Goodness, If DW let me I’d buy there and then mostly at garage sales or Goodwill. Gotta do my part. Buy Local :)</p>
<p>Lol – I don’t think I have ever seen so much agreement on one thread on CC! :)</p>