<p>I am thinking ahead (and killing time while I wait for the revisit days) and I wondered what you guys would want in a care package.</p>
<p>The flat rate boxes sent through the US postal service are cheap ($8.95 for a medium one, $12.95 for a large one). </p>
<p>I was thinking of including these items:</p>
<p>favorite snack food
DVDs
photos
interesting mail
magazines
needed toiletries (like toothpaste, deodorant)
unique t-shirts
interesting newspaper articles
Card or note from home
Holiday candy/items if it is close to a holiday</p>
<p>What else would you want to receive? How often would you like your parents to send you a care package?</p>
<p>I think it would be nice to receive one like once a month, or maybe once every month and a half. More than that..and your son may feel that you’re being overbearing. My mother is constantly sending my older brother care packages, and it’s come to the point where it’s not really special when he gets them. Also: I imagine they are nicest to receive after a long stretch of being away, right before a break, when you are really missing your family.</p>
<p>all those things sound great. exactly what would be needed. </p>
<p>Extra school supplies, pencils, hi-lighters, things that run out and are too expensive to buy in the school store. gift-cards to stores local to the school (CVS, starbucks, etc.)
Lots of funny emails are always good too!!!</p>
<p>Something useful you might not think of: 3M adhesive hooks. They are great for hanging up towels, shirts, etc. I have no less than a dozen in my room, and they don’t damage the walls so RAs dont mind.</p>
<p>I am also partial to bed clips for holding sheets on the mattress. </p>
<p>I’d suggest some cold medicine/tylenol/ibuprofen, kids in college get sick a lot.</p>
<p>Thanks – great ideas. I was thinking of sending one about once a month (maybe twice the first month, since he will have forgotten things). And I would send one if he had just been home or if we had just seen him (like right after parent’s weekend). You are right – I want it to be special.</p>
<p>At my daughter’s school the guy who mans the mailboxes put a piece of hard candy in mailboxes for students who do not get mail!
My daughter, even though we email several times a week, was upset that I did not send regular letters. So, I try to send off a note, every now and then!</p>
<p>During revisits or when you bring your child to school, you can find out which local stores or restaurants deliver to the school. That way, you can arrange for surprises. </p>
<p>If you ever order anything expensive from amazon, you might pay a little extra and get their super saver delivery. For one year, you don’t have to pay for shipping, and you get 2-day delivery. You can also include family members in the program, such as your boarder. Unfortunately, not all the businesses they represent participate in this program, so you might have to pay for shipping for some items.</p>
<p>I was just instant msg’ing my daughter so I posed the question to her. She said Gum (any type of candy is always good!), Jar of Peanut Butter, Socks & Underwear (I guess because she hates doing laundry :)), Posters or art work for her walls.</p>
<p>I have always done a lot of baking and my kids love it when I send homemade baked goods. I don’t generally send care packages to my son in bs, because I see him so often, but I always bring baked goods for the entire team when we go to his sporting events.</p>
<p>I always sent cookies to my D at bs and if I knew one of her friends had a breakup or some other drama, I’d send cookies to them. </p>
<p>Cash is always good. I’d buy a funny card and stick a $20 in now and then.</p>
<p>If D was at school on her birthday, I would have the chef make a cake and deliver it to her at the end of dinner. They would custom-make the cake to order ($30-ish). That went over BIG when the entire dining hall sang and then she got to share with all of her friends. It just screams, “I am loved!”</p>
<p>I think I’d like the concoction Laxtaxi describes in the s’mores vs. banana split thread. I had never heard of devil dogs and had to look them up on the internet. I found something called a devil dog cupcake, which a company called Crumbs sells by mail order. Anything from Crumbs looks good!</p>
<p>disposable razors, peanut m & ms, candy necklaces, bandaids, neosporin, gift certs to local movie theater, tootsie roll pops, emory boards, safety pins, poster sticky gummy, chapstick or carmex, facial moisturizer with sunscreen, box of blank notecards and stamps, vitamins, tea bags, socks, gloves. Clothes you find that you know they’ll love (or hate and give to someone else in the dorm!)</p>
I’d buy a funny card and stick a $20 in now and then.</p>