Dorm room gifts?

[tvguy]

Interesting ideas, lots of ideas unique to individual tastes and Colleges. Which kind of makes OP's question tougher to answer.

Several mentions of foam mattress toppers. For my kids (and for me 40+ years ago) a piece of plywood was needed to firm up the marshmallowy too soft mattresses. My son's school even had a supply of plywood cut to size that they would lend you for the year with a $25 deposit, so a common issue at THAT college. So I guess if you do a tour of the dorms (and you should), check out the mattresses.

All the cooking/food cooking suggestions also were a little out of my experience too. My kids ( and my dorm) required a meal plan, so food and drink weren't a big issue. A weekend Taco Bell run wasn't unheard of (Jack In the Box in my day), but basically there is a reason the term "Freshman 15" exists, because College kids seem to get plenty to eat in the dining hall.

But as they say, your mileage may vary.

 

[barkley]

After that exam week, I was proactive: I went up to see her the weekend before exams, and I brought her (and her roommate) half a dozen mason jars full of vegetable soup ... and cut-up fruit and cheese cubes in ziplock baggies, which they could carry with them to class. That little bit of extra nutritious food seemed to help them ... during a week that is usually filled with fast food.

you reminded me-i also put in one can of chicken noodle soup, some individually wrapped saltines (thanks Wendys) and a couple of those airline sized cans of ginger ale.

If my own children and my friends' children are any indication, about half of all new college students seem to get some sort of illness within their first two months of school -- nothing big: ear infection level stuff. They need to understand that a part of their tuition is paying for the health center, and they SHOULD use it.

absolutely-it's just like when they are young and start school for the first time, they are getting exposed to all kinds of new people and new germs. using the health center and getting something checked out can mean the difference between an easily treated 'bug' and something that toggles into something much more serious resulting in having to take incompletes for an entire quarter of classes

 

[LovesTimone]

Lots of great ideas on here. Definitely needed mattress topper for DD bed. This year she wanted flannel sheets and she was thrilled after putting them on she did not wake up at 2 am freezing. She has a lonnnnggg winter ahead
This year we stopped at TJ Maxx when we picked her up for a weekend and we got her a long, to below the knees, coat which she also already wore.
For her closest we got the thin hangers.
Her room request wants push pins to decorate not command hooks so we got extra long ones from Amazon.
Our friend told us 2 towels but DD wanted four, I had found the lush 25$ Vera wang funky purple ones on clearance for $4 she claimed them.
She had a floor lamp her first year with her room confirmation, this year she had a normal square room and she picked a lamp from Amazon that could clip on to her desk. She wanted a min fridge with a freezer, her aunt help get one with her store discount. She got some quarter size wall stick on that you run your phone cord through when your in bed and leave the cord saves in place and then you can plug your phone back in without crawling back under the bed to get the cord.
This year daddy will be getting her jimmy John gift card, they deliver and she likes that when its - 5 degrees and dark out.
She wanted curtains her first year due to the heat in her room and light. And she wants a good umbrella.

As a suggestion to add to the umbrella, a good waterproof rain jacket or coat with a hood that you can draw up, rain and/or snow boots.

 

[barkley]

rain and/or snow boots.

if she's going somewhere w/snow or thick ice check out yak trax-dd tried snow boots her first year but her feet would be sweltering in class so we opted for yak trax that she can slip over an existing pair of her shoes.

 

[stsomewhere]

flashlight and extra batteries, small tool kit, scissors, hand warmers, a good umbrella, warm hat, gloves and coat. tissues My son likes to take our good toilet pare back up to school.

 

[Katy Belle]

Not a stocking stuffer... but a coat tree! Great for bags, backpacks, hoodies, etc!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

A thermometer .

This is the phone call you will get from college!

Child: mom, I think I’m sick. I don’t feel good.

Mom: do you have a fever?

Child: I don’t know. I don’t have a thermometer

 

[LovesTimone]

if she's going somewhere w/snow or thick ice check out yak trax-dd tried snow boots her first year but her feet would be sweltering in class so we opted for yak trax that she can slip over an existing pair of her shoes.

I'm going to forward this suggestion to my friend 2 kids in college ... this sound like the solution she needs...

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Both my kids loved having a counter top ice maker in their dorm rooms. Those mini fridges don’t make ice, so drinks are never ice cold. The ice maker solved that problem!