<p>It's a lot easier if kids buy their own toiletries and things at school. However, the savvy ones realize that if they do it that way, it comes out of their allowance or earnings, but if they buy the stuff at home, parents usually end up paying for it.</p>
<p>There is no such thing as too many power strips or extension cords. </p>
<p>In many parts of the country, a fan (or better, yet, two -- one that fitx in the window and one inside the room) is an absolute necessity for the first few weeks of school. And if your kid has ever shown even the slightest sign of hay fever, send some antihistamines (Benadryl for night, the non-drowsy stuff for daytime). College is probably the first time when your kid has spent most of the day in a non-air-conditioned environment. He's either outdoors walking from one building to another, or he's in a dorm room with fans going in the windows. In other words, he's spending most of his time breathing outdoor pollen-filled air. He's going to need those antihistamines, and he isn't going to want to buy them himself because they're expensive.</p>
<p>Almost forgot, son used the Lysol spray I sent-roomates were not fond of cleaning or drying clothes. </p>
<p>I should have sent safety pins-he stripped the plastic off a twist tie, used the wire to thread the button/tear and duct taped everything to "fix" his tux.</p>
<p>I envy all the moms who have kids who wanted to shop.</p>
<p>A TUX???? am I missing another "basic must have"? I was hoping he'd use his dark slacks & sports jacket for anything dressier than jeans & tee shirts!</p>
<p>We found that it was easier to pack DD's clothes into sturdy shopping bags. We had to climb 4 flights of stairs (the elevators were for those who lived on the 6th floor and up). The shopping bags were easy to carry, and could be tossed when they were unpacked. She had 2 suitcases, but the shopping bags were great to carry up the stairs. She put sweaters in one, t-shirts in another, shorts in another. It made unpacking easy because she had all of the same types of clothing together.</p>
<p>I know from hearing my nieces experience, I can't second the meds enough. She said at 2am, you have a bad headache or bout of the runs, nausea, etc. you are SO happy to have a box of pepto, immodium, advil and so on. And although you shouldn't give all you stuff away, it helps in conncecting with other students if you have something they need. The store isn't open all night and it charges much more than you will pay at CVS. I also included Lysol, hand disinfecant and vitamins which can't hurt (if he uses them)</p>
<p>We live a couple of blocks from a large university and bedbugs are a big problem in our neighborhood. These critters thrive in transient populated
areas and are very difficult to eradicate. Son will be going off to college with a
vinyl mattress protector which is a first line of defense against infestation we use here. The protector encases the mattress and a pad or foam can be put directly above it. Had a hard lime finding twin XL in bedding stores, but Amazon came through. It's the dura vinyl mattress protector, runs around $15 plus shipping. Trust me, it's worth it, you don't want your child dealing with bedbugs!</p>
<p>--Extra printer ink cartridge(s). You never know when one may go dry at 2 AM on the morning before the "Big Paper" is due.</p>
<p>--Alarm clock with a 9volt battery back-up as dorms experience power failures too.</p>
<p>--Also, on that note a flashlight with one of those shake charging systems that do not need batteries. These are designed to last a long time and they have come down in price.</p>
<p>-- Egg crate foam pad for the bed--but a good one...however, please note that the good ones are considered to be very comfortable and yoru student's bed may turn into the defacto dorm couch.</p>