I’m struggling to get DS ready to move into his dorm in a few short weeks. There are lists available, but I need specifics. Can anyone recommend specific:
laptops?
shower caddies?
bed-rest cushions? (those wedge-shaped bolsters that allow one to sit comfortably on a bed)
laundry bags?
desk organizers?
desk lamps?
underbed storage units?
locking storage units?
mattress pads?
sheets?
anything else?
check your college website for minimum requirements. Then choice is personal preference.
waste of money. We got one for DS. He never used it. WhenDD was ready to go to college, she didn’t want it. They both said…it’s not hard to carry what you need to the bathroom.
DD had one…DS didn’t. We got ours on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond.
my kids had canvas laundry bags from summer camp.
if your kid uses one at home…let your kid take that one to college. Otherwise…not necessary.
got a small lamp at Target.
DS lived a car ride away. We got one with a hinged lid at Walmart (I’ve never seen them since) with wheels. We packed it with things that weren’t used every day.
DD didn’t have them at all. Not missed. But her dorm had terrific storage.
. What do you mean? Like a foot locker or safe? Our kids had neither
you need to plan for the worst and hope for the best. DS had lousy dorm mattresses. We got him an egg crate topper, and a really decent padded mattress pad. DD had a brand spa king new, and very comfortable mattress. She got only a nice thick mattress pad.
check you kid’s school for size. Many take X long twin size sheets. We had some from summer camp…maybe TJ Maxx? But they sell them in lots of places about now.
ETA…one of our kids took a computer we had at home here. It was just fine. Both took towels from our linen closet. If anyone was going to get new towels, it was going to be the parents! Both kids took the comforters off their twin beds from their bedrooms. Neither got xlong comforters. They were fine.
You can find most of this at Target, or if you want to pay more, at Bed Bath and Beyond.
Also, I am not sure you really need stuff like “underbed storage units”. The suitcase or cardboard box he brought some of his stuff in will probably work fine for that. Remember, he will be moving twice a year. Less is more.
locking storage units?
My son brought a combination lock; one of the drawers on his desk was designed so that a lock could be used on it. It’s a good idea for laptops and other electronic valuables but whether he actually used it, I can’t say.
Of what u mentioned, we ordered the laptop thru the school store. The sheets were used, and the pop up laundry basket. The mattress cover was a loss, as was the shower caddy and everything else on your list.
When I come for parents weekend, I had a rental car. We shopped for what he really wanted, like a large monitor (a CS major), better desk chair, window a/c. He had no need for a fridge, as the kitchen had several. Coffee shop was close by. Luggage was stored in basement. He never used underfed storage units.
Quite different for a minimalist person.
The only thing my kids would say is a ‘must’ is a foam mattress pad, and that a nice one is worth the money (2"-3"). They do use the laundry baskets that are mesh and ‘pop up’ but that’s what they used in their rooms in high school. One (bath in the hall) used a shower caddy, the other had a bathroom in her suite so no need.
Sheets? Yep, he’ll need those. Probably Twin XL. All the rest, just bring from home - towels, storage boxes,
We got most everything D needed at either Target ot Walmart, with a few things from Ross-all in the same shopping center. We did get D one of those hinged rolling storage things at Walmart, as H has one at home and finds it very useful. I think ours was $16 and it holds a LOT of clothes without taking up much room. When we moved D in, we flew cross-country and brought only clothes, shoes and a few other things with us, buying almost everything on location. The night before moving in, I packed her under bed bins with things we’d bought-one smaller not rolling but flat bin held school supplies, one held toiletries and stuff like laundry soap, one held other random items. She put all of those away and filled the bins with storage such as towels, sheets, cool weather clothing, etc.
Some of the things you mention are a matter of taste. D really wanted a soft-sided shower caddy because she uses several different hair products and body wash, etc. She’s found it very useful. We knew she had a real mattress and she didn’t want a thick, expensive memoriy foam pad, so we went with just a $10 "egg crate special and nice mattress pad. My son would sleep on the floor if need be. Everyone is different.
I just need to add…I’m the one upstream whose son had the under bed bins. They held extras.
Fast forward to second semester. He calls and says…“I need to get some socks. Where should I go to buy some”. I politely responded “look in the box under your bed. There are six new pairs of extra socks, oh…and toothpaste too”.
He forgot the under bed box was there.
A few things missing from your list. A umbrella, zip lock bags, plastic plates/bowls & silverware, can opener, extension cords/power strips and a small tool box.
@thumper1 my D is too much of an organizer type to forget where her clothes are. My son, on the other hand, would have just worm the same socks dirty until they fell apart. kidding. Sort of.
I would add Tums or Pepto (whatever is normally taken for upset stomach), Tylenol or Advil, allergy meds, or any other “routine” over-the-counter type stuff because if you have an upset stomach or a bad headache – or allergies! – the last thing you want to do is traipse to a store to buy something. Maybe a handful of band-aids too.
Laptop choice may be influenced by your kid’s major (e.g. CS vs English), and whether he/she is a “gamer.” My D chose a MacBook Pro Retina, a popular choice among students. S wasn’t a Mac user and had an Asus.
Storage depends on space availability, whether your student needs clothes for different seasons and will be able to switch out things during the year, and how much stuff the kid is bringing to school. My S is a minimalist and had no need for an underbed storage system. D loves her set of heavy duty Sterlite stacking drawers. Each used a small rolling storage cart and standard BB&B shower caddy.
Bedding: bed bug protector (in an abundance of caution), memory foam topper, mattress pad (deep with strong elastic to hold topper in place), sheets, comforter or quilt, blanket and/or throw blanket, pillows.
Neither of my kids used the bed rest thing. S studied at his desk. D uses her pillows if she’s reading in bed.
Don’t forget towels, laundry supplies, basic first aid/medicine kit, and a flashlight. Fridges, microwaves and coffee makers are popular items (and my kids found them useful), but they’re not necessary.
S had a printer, D does not. They have free printing at D’s school.
Alternative view on the bathroom caddy - D’s dorms have built in cubbies in the bathroom and everyone leaves their caddy in the cubby. So she definitely used it. She had a rigid plastic one, some I saw were mesh - whatever you want there, IMO.
A few extras that I included:
-A small pack of over the counter medicines all in pill/chewable forms so they won’t spill (ex, advil, band-aids, dayquil, nyquil, pepto).
-Flashlight and extra batteries (my D was at college for an extended blackout).
-For my D who had a lot of clothing, we found a closet doubler to be invaluable.
-Electric hot pot was well used for both kids
Some other comments:
-My kids did use shower caddies with a hall bathroom as they preferred to leave their toiletries in their room (some “borrowing” went on with things left in the cubbies in the common bathroom.
-My kids never wanted the big wedge pillows (although I had one in my bed at college back in the day and liked it)
Check school about laptop. Microsoft had super deals through bookstore for students when he first started.
We used some fold down crates for underbed storage.
We used big shopping bags (from Sams and BJ’s) for hauling everything. They doubled for underbed storage and as laundry bags.
If the room will not have AC, a fan would be a good idea. I got one of the Vornado fans for my S last year, based on recommendations from elsewhere on CC at that time.
Thank you, everyone, for the advice.
Overtheedge, I’ve been obsessing about bedding. I’ve ordered a nice 3" mattress topper. With the 6" mattress that comes to 9", and I ordered a 9" allergy control mattress encaser. Should I get a mattress pad as well?
I’m having trouble finding sheets. Most of them are made for deep mattresses and I’m afraid of them being loose and baggy.
I wanted to order a laptop through the campus bookstore because of the extensive support and on site repairs, but they were so incredibly overpriced that we just couldn’t. We bought one through Amazon.
I found a nontoxic, non-flammable mattress topper made by Nature’s Sleep. It was available through Amazon at less than half the price that they charge on their website.
NYMom–just remember you are buying things for son’s dorm room not your own home. Lucky if the sheets get washed and a comforter thrown over the top in a sad attempt to make the bed.
You’re only finding sheets for deep mattresses? Are you looking at long twin?
I’m only looking at twin XL, 80" long.