@IBviolamom , D is going to school 10 minutes from the beach but somehow “beach towel” escaped my list of things to pack. Obviously she’ll be packing a bathing suit, but on my own check off list, I hadn’t thought to put beach towel.
There was a thread here somewhere that was started several years ago that had loads and loads of responses of things to bring. I went through the whole thing and made a list of things that I might not have thought of myself but now I can’t find that thread. It looks like most of the things I have on the list I made using that thread have already been suggested here but here is the list I compiled (we are not necessarily bringing all this, nor does it include all we are bringing but is just things I might not have considered):
door stop
lock box
12’ surge protector strip
basic medical kit
bed bug mattress/pillow cover
laundry bag or collapsible basket
clorox wipes
scissors
stapler
bed topper
screwdriver
mirror
sewing kit
fan
ziplock bag of rice
electric teapot
extra long USB charging cords
bunk bed cell phone holder
desk lamp
beach towel
rain jacket
health insurance card
toilet paper
basic tool set
command strips/hooks
stain stick/detergent pods
tape measure
Anti-diarrhea medicine
Benadryl
sunscreen
bug spray
calamine lotion
sleeping bag (for camping or if someone visits)
batteries
Febreeze or something similar
Blanket to put on the bed for when people are visiting and sit on the bed - this is my son’s suggestion.
The rice is a great idea. My phone was saved by some just last week.
As my daughter said, they aren’t going to Siberia.
I have a subcompact car so lucky she had that attitude. (She also had a lot of pump and sensor supplies, insulin, syringes, glucose, lancets, strips and glucagon for type 1 diabetes that too up room in our car and our minds because being without was dangerous.)
Good quality mini-stapler. Many kids are printing remotely and go to pick up their printed paper right before class. Having a small stapler in their back pack can be a lifesaver.
My daughter has a few friends who had their backpack stolen and had nothing - they needed to borrow cash and they went through hell getting everything replaced (hard to replace stuff from the wrong state). Don’t have your child keep all their stuff on their person (in their backpack or wallet or purse) - have them divide the stuff up. My daughter only carried with her around campus an ID case (got one of those cool vera bradley ones) with just her college Id and a few bucks in it (the college id could be used to purchase stuff on campus). She had a purse she used when she left campus - where she kept her transit pass, cash, gift cards, and a credit card. She would only take her debit/ATM card out when she needed to get cash or deposit a check. The passport/SS card only left the room if needed for a job or a trip (otherwise lives in the expandable folder with the other important papers). She also always keeps an emergency $20 in her desk drawer. Keep at your home a copy of the cards your kid has (credit cards, ATM, etc.- don’t forget to get a picture of both sides) in case something is lost or stolen.
My son is only about it to start junior year, so I won’t need this for a while, but I’m bookmarking it. Very helpful! I especially like the idea of a bag of rice because when you need it, you need it NOW. Thanks everyone!
You might want to explicitly tell your kids that Command Strips make those hooks reusable. D threw all of the hooks away at the end of freshman year because… How would she know that?!
I may start a thread on things you assumed they knew…
Honestly, 90% of the stuff on here won’t be needed and if they are, you’ve got Amazon 2 day (or shorter) deliver), the campus store which will have a lot of these sundry items (doubt you’ll find that ceramic pineapple though but who knows maybe a trend has been started), and the campus health center will have bandaids and basic pharmaceuticals.
The mom whose kids have collectively lived in dorms for 14 years
You don’t have to anticipate any and every possible need. Most will see their kids for parents weekend and many will do the nifty bonding WalMart run, lol.
One of mine did get sick and didn’t have anything OTC. That matters. But her roommate went off to the bookstore and got what she needed. Some of this is part of letting go. I kept Xeroxes of important documents.
And many dorm rooms don’t have the space for extra buckets of “things” on the off chance.
Plus, you want to save some room so you get those “ask mom” phone calls. Good for the mama bear ego and helps keep some of the empty nest feelings at bay.
looking forward’s “Some of this is part of letting go” is an interesting idea. When our kids live at home we are used to providing things that they need. Once on campus, they become the ones to order or buy what they need, whether bandaids, cleaning supplies, paper, or rice!
Both of my kids left for college at 16. One also lived in a single all through college (and still now as a PhD student). Having basic medical supplies before you get sick is a really good idea. He didn’t need his printer or external monitor/tv (gave those to his younger brother, took less to campus each year), but a well stocked first aid kit and essential medications make life easier. Sick adults, sick kids, neither really want to go shopping. Not every campus has a convenient drug store. His didn’t. We couldn’t plan for his broken foot or his concussion, but we could plan for a fever, a cold, or an upset stomach.
I have stopped. We will get the drapes (roommate says there is a light that shines in their window, and a rug when we get there. Plus a grocery store run to get paper goods and laundry supplies. Then move him in. We leave in 2 1/2 hours, stop at a relatives tonight and then move in tomorrow evening. No 22 pillows or pineapple.
Freshman year my daughter’s window faced the neon light of a major police station. Sent her cheap darkening curtains and a tension rod from Target. It was funny watching on Skype as she tried to put them up (she was successful). They stayed up one semester and second semester were deemed a “fire hazard” by an RA. Moral of the story is to check about dorm rules before getting stuff like curtains!
Instead of a door stop, she wanted the opposite. Sent her a door draft stopper to keep out the hall light, sounds, and draft.
I think a lot depends on the situation. I provided a lot less for my D because she went to school in an area with a downtown and good transportation, she had everything under the sun accessible. My son goes in a rural area with nothing in walking distance and a campus store that doesn’t have very much. He also doesn’t have a car. I made sure he had extra of certain things and also opened an account with a local pharmacy that delivers - he takes daily medications that I don’t prefer run out. This year, I absolutely know I’m going to forget to send reeds because I’ve meant to do that multiple times and haven’t yet purchased them.
A large monitor can be a plus for certain students. Son is a CS major and plugs his laptop into his large screen when working from his dorm room. Two benefits. First, it provides him plenty of room to to have multiple windows open (including on the laptop). Secondly, he periodically hosts movie/game nights in his dorm room for a small group of friends. This makes his large monitor a multi-tasker.
Who wants to run out to get medicine when they have a fever or upset stomach? It’s amazing how many kids had to borrow from my kids well stocked first aid kits. What did they or their parents think would happen when they woke up sick at 3 am? That campus store would be open? That they’d feel like going even when it was? I guess they thought it would be ok because someone else would do the work for them.
Some of this reminds me of an older thread about clothes. What if a new friend invites her to the fancy family home. Or their vineyard. Or the parents invite her to a fancy dinner. Or what if it’s just lunch. Or someone has tickets or you get invited to a reception at the college president’s home or ad infinitum. Same with winter wear, lol. Listen to everyone else’s ideas and you can be overthinking. But after all, * what if? *
My daughter found that within her circle of friends there’s usually someone who, just because of who they are, has a stash of the important stuff you forgot or ran out of (sewing stuff, Benadryl, condoms, etc). Your kid might be that person or might count on that person being around or may just have a buddy whose mother is that person, but point out that this dynamic is universal and they should figure out who that person is and become friends as needed. If nothing else someone will have a Prime membership or might be willing to run to health services for you if you’re sick.
TL;DR: This is a community, so foster relationships. It’s a life skill that’ll pay off more than just remembering stuff this week.
