Child going off to uni? A thread for lists of what they will need

[Thekormachameleon]

My son is off to uni September

Can I have all of your ideas, lists, essentials of what he'll need please. He's in a self contained studio apartment with cooking facilitates

So far I've got :
Duvet/pillows/bedding
Pots/pans/trays/utensils
Towels - bath and tea towels
Cups/plates/cutlery/glasses

Cork screw
Blu tack
Bottle opener
Extension lead
Condoms

Medicine kit
Plasters, adhesive dressings, paracetamol, electrolytes, Imodium, condoms, wound spray/wash, cold/flu stuff and any usual medication

Large cushion or v shaped pillow for lounging on the bed/ gaming.
Mattress topper. The beds are often very hard!
Check the size of the bed before you buy bottom sheets. They are often small double rather than standard.
Photos etc to personalise the room. They can look very bare!
The uni should send you a list of what’s in the room so you know whether to buy things like a waste bin or bedside lamp.

Just a reminder... whatever he takes with him, or buys when there has to come home in summer breaks.

(I have 2 at uni and we are bursting at the seams with all their "stuff", cant move, and one is going on a year abroad and leaving it all here!)

Cleaning equipment - cloths/dusters/loo brush/shower squeegee and your usual cleaning products. (Plus a thorough demo if he doesn’t already clean bathrooms at home). Check beforehand if a mop, sweeping brush or hoover is supplied. Washing up liquid and pan scrubbers.

I took a folding clothes airer to uni - we had washers and dryers in a big room downstairs, but not all my stuff was tumble dry safe.

Clothes hangers and some of those cedar blocks to deter moths.

Things DD found useful,
cushion for sitting in bed
stick on shelves for the bathroom
clothes horse
George Forman grill
A fan because her halls were boiling
Command hooks

Oh and a mattress topper as the mattress she had was awful

Yeah, I bought mine far far too much kitchen stuff. His other flat mates all had the same stuff and they had no storage space in the halls flats, so it went under his bed and he never used most it it!

X posted with similar ideas sorry!

Loads of paracetamol ibuprofen and lemsips. It's hard the first time you're I'll without your mum and dad to look after you! They're bound to get freshers flu never mind covid.

I wouldn't buy kettles / toasters etc as they might be in a flat with 8 other kettles to use!

I'd see what's there when you arrive and then go to big Tesco to stock up on food and any other bits they need before you leave.

Also maybe some cosmetic supplies like tooth brushes tooth paste shampoo conditioner lotion razors and stuff. These things can really add up when you're a student. Obv this all depends on your budget

A door stop!! You can't say hi behind a closed door

We found it helpful to look at what he uses now in his bedroom and then look at the bathroom and the kitchen, his desk and medicine cabinet. So far no one has mentioned nail clippers or tweezers. We also packed him a thermometer because of covid.

This also comes down to how big is your car and how many of you are moving him in ie both parents? A sibling? What can you fit in the car? There are plenty of YouTube moving to uni videos that show the sheer volume of stuff people take.

I’d honestly say don’t buy too much stuff. Just the big first night things. Had a blast going to Wilko with my new flat mates xxx

Thank you, lots of things here I hadn't thought of. Keep em coming

www.studentbeans.com/blog/uk/student-essentials-list-university-checklist/ 🙂

I’d agree with this and add a tin of homemade cookies to share with your floor or flat mates. They really help that awkward first hello.

Ds1 had just started his list:

1)cup, bowl, cutlery
2)bedding and mattress protector
3)clothes airer
Laundry basket
Extension cable
Doorstop
Under bed storage boxes
Charging cables
Laptop
Headphones
Gym gear
Towel
Toiletries
Blanket
Clothes hangers
Tea towel
Sliders
Chess set

Winter clothing. I made the mistake of not bringing a woolly hat, scarf, gloves and a big coat. I had to get my parents to send me them!

I wouldn't bring too much if possible. I lived in halls and we had a kettle and toaster.

Tupperware / similar. I had lectures that finished at 6.30pm. I didn't want to come home and cook. Much easier to cook something the day before (or weekend) and just put it in the fridge.

Washing up gloves.

Photos, etc to make it feel a bit more homely.

Watching closely.

Due to builders delays we will be moving into our new house in September, as well as dispatching DS to uni, and working full time. I've tried to impress upon DH and DS how useful it would be if things were organised for both life changing events in plenty of time.

So far my desperate entreaties are falling on deaf ears 🙄

Squashy holdalls rather than suitcases which you have to find somewhere to store once they’ve unpacked

Tupperware for leftovers
Folding airer to dry clothes on
Extension lead
Cleaning cloths and products

Check before buying any electricals - in my DS' halls they can't bring toasters, kettles etc.

Money!!
oh, mine had doorstop taken away…… fire risk

A big IKEA bag for taking dirty clothes to the laundry room.

Hook over the door full length mirror. First aid kit with all the medicines they take for granted are always available at home eg paracetamol , cold remedies, antiseptic cream and plasters, multivitamins. Scissors, selotape, blank cards and postage stamps.A trip to B&M should cover everything.
We bought light coloured curtains and shower curtain from Dunelm to replace the navy blue horrors supplied by the halls. Made the room look much bigger and brighter.