<p>Please feel free to start a separate girl list of course!</p>
<p>We're going to start the shopping soon and I'm looking to experienced parents to tell me what things their boys really needed in college. Anything that you realized later was important and had to ship down?</p>
<p>Thank you!!</p>
<p>Condominiums, er, something like that.</p>
<p>(Sorry…couldn’t resist)</p>
<p>Seriously, the things that boys don’t buy on their own but would be helpful:</p>
<ul>
<li>A very small stapler they can have in their backpack to staple assignments together</li>
<li>Advil or tylenol</li>
</ul>
<p>You don’t really need much on campus and most everything can be purchased on campus or nearby.</p>
<p>Extra long twin size sheets and comforters. That’s the standard bed size.</p>
<p>Computer. Guitar. Lots of underwear & socks. Deodorant. LOTS of cleaning supplies if he has a bathroom he/roommates have to clean (encourage good habits & hope for the best here!). More than one set of sheets (to encourage changing them every so often :)).</p>
<p>Before buying sheets, you may check and see if the dorm has a weekly linen exchange. In that case, he wouldn’t want to own his own sheets.</p>
<p>It’s a good idea to send a bottle of shampoo that he can buy at the local store and is cheap. I used Suave in college because it was cheap but remember the first time I had to buy shampoo it was mighty difficult trying to pick among all the brands. I wanted a masculine one that didn’t smell and had no idea which one was a good one.</p>
<p>If he is in a dorm, a tray to put soap in when he goes to the shower is good. One with a lid makes the soap more secure while walking back and forth.</p>
<p>The absolute favorite thing my oldest son brought to college after freshman year was a pair of hair clippers. Freshman year he’d gotten a haircut before he left for college and never cut it again 'til Christmas…got it cut then…never cut it again til Summer. His hair grows really fast and he had that typical shaggy boy/college look. You make many friends when you have hair clippers. S2 has demanded that I purchase a kit to send with him in August.</p>
<p>I also send a big 32 oz bottle of Dr. Bronners (you can wash your hair, your body…heck you could probably wash your clothes with that stuff.</p>
<p>Batteries and cell phone chargers so they can’t say, “My phone died so I couldn’t call you.” Boys will be boys.</p>
<p>For toiletries, should they have some kind of caddy to schlepp it to the bathroom in?</p>
<p>I’m glad to see this thread started, that way I can get some answers instead of asking S and having him roll his eyes at me :)</p>
<p>All he’s concerned about are technology things - checking out netbooks, etc.</p>
<p>A good office chair for his desk (the only good piece of furniture he needed). A laptop size safe with touchpad lock (to stash cash, emergency credit card, and laptop if he goes away for the weekend, but the dorm room stays open). A cellphone that gets reception in his dorm. His ukulele…</p>
<p>Two of the pop-up laundry hampers, one for darks and one for whites (you can always hope…and they are good for stuffing pillows and blankets in on moving day.)
Decent set of headphones
XL bedding, including that hard-to-find XL foam mattress pad
A collapsing chair, like a canvas camp chair, that doesn’t take up much room. Nice to have an extra seat.
Hangers. Everyone always forgets them.
A plastic over the door hook for coats or towels
A couple of bins or boxes that fit under the bed
Flip flops for the shower
Plastic soap dish
A reusable bowl and cup
A small first aid kit - easy to put together from your cabinet at home</p>
<p>They don’t need much. You’ll find out when you bring him home and the “necessary” stuff Mom left is still unopened. Apparently, they never use those shower caddies.</p>
<p>What do guys use to tote their shampoo, soap, etc. to the shower, if they live in a dorm with community-type bathrooms? My son has scoffed at the notion of the typical shower tote/bucket like the kind Bed Bath and Beyond sells. I’m willing to let him figure it out on his own but if there are any suggestions I will gladly pass them along to him.</p>
<p>I recommend the Purex all-in-one detergent and softener sheets. Very convenient.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Wouldn’t they just steal the safe?</p>
<p>Guys only have shampoo, soap, and towel that they take to the shower and perhaps not the shampoo all the time. A box/tray/container to put the soap in is handy. It’s not too hard to carry soap, shampoo, and towel without a fancy device.</p>
<p>Two bath towels are plenty! Send the old ones and treat yourself to new ones.</p>
<p>Bath towels work great to keep paint off your stuff when you are repainting your room.</p>
<p>The number of pair of socks or underwear he goes to college with will likely dictate his laundry schedule. 7 pair = laundry once a week. 30 pair = laundry once a month. 112 pair = laundry once a semester.</p>
<p>This is S1’s list from his freshman year</p>
<p>screwdrivers
Slotted – large, small
Phillips – large, small, jewelers
plastic zip ties – WHITE AND BLUE
wrench set pick out right sizes
air pump
a towel</p>
<p>That was his complete list. I still can’t figure out what he was planning to do when he got to college.</p>
<p>lololu, that is an unusual list!</p>
<p>Most of it had to do with fixing his bike, but he didn’t put his bike on the list! I guess the towel was to wipe up the grease.</p>