New Boarders 2022 Thread

[DilettanteMum]

Haven't seen anyone start this so thought I would.

I have a daughter starting boarding Y7 in September and we are new to boarding so looking for tips etc

What to buy?
How to settle?
Etc...

I’ll join, my DD is boarding from September also. I didn’t board myself, so am a novice in terms of what they’ll need / what to expect.

Things I have gleaned so far:

• get smaller zipper mesh laundry bags for socks/bras/knickers in laundry

• mattress pad is essential

• don't get white duvet covers as they will turn grey

• to tuck box or not to tuck box

• LED strip lights still all the rage

• name tags as towel hooks

OP - most boarding schools supply small mesh bags for laundry. And tuck box or not may depend on the school - whilst some have these items on their uniform lists, others bar them due to lack of dorm space.

Take Hangers for clothing
Hot Water Bottle
Sliders / Slippers
Name everything and accept things will go missing anyway
Settling can be a challenge - talk with House Mistress / Master who will help
Bank Card to buy food in town when they can go out
iPad if possible so they can watch movies in their bedroom to have some down time - boarding is hectic and relentless = exhausting
Go visit as often as you can and take them out
DD full boarding school have been fantastic with pastoral support and coming home on weekends if she needs a break though this will depend on the school
Take favourite soft toys or whatever is a comfort to your daughter
Print off photos of family and friends for her wall
Pins to put up posters / photos / bedside light / fake plant / things to make her room feel personalised
Hope this helps.

Hugely helpful, thank you!

Any preferred suppliers for name labels? I have always used the stickers up to now, but understand these may not survive the school washing machines, so need to see them in, which I’m not looking forward to 🤣

Also, in terms of cases, what is allowed? Does anyone take a trunk nowadays or are cases ok? I’m concerned about her turning up with far too much. She just has so much stuff, when you take into account clothes, uniform, shoes, bedlinen, mattress topper, toiletries and skincare, and that’s before we get to any books or a teddy etc.

*sew not see

School will usually advise what sort of labels they require however we did sew a lot on which helps get them through the wash though also bought stick on labels from Easy2Name.
Our DD arrived with masses of bags, suitcase and tuckbox, school will have a cupboard for suitcases though they need a small bag for exeats. Tuck Box is great though took up too much space in shared rooms so its now at home and tuck is kept in a desk drawer!
DD takes lots of books as avid reader prefers her own to going to the library!
IT feels daunting but they eventually get bored with dragging suitcases up the stairs and slim it down a bit though there is all the clothing for socials at school that adds up term on term. Car will be filled to the brim in a few weeks with end of school year when everything comes home. Bedding, books etc can usually stay term on term though each school is different.

Well, I’ve started the buying today.

Bed linen done, apart from mattress topper.

I’ve also contacted the uniform supplier to make an appointment.

It’s a start at least. DD is finishing at her current school on Friday, so I need to get going with preparing for the new school.

I bought paper luggage labels and listed what was in each bag to help with unpacking. I bought a mix of bags from IKEA online as they are robust for mattress topper, duvet, favourite blankets, etc. Aldd see I include blue tack to hang photos and schedules.
Good luck

My advice:

Label EVERYTHING - sew in labels are best. They are time consuming but they survive the industrial washer/dryers.
Don't send really nice wool jumpers etc until you know more about the school laundry system.
Send some small games e.g. uno which can be used in dorms to break the ice.
If allowed send a nice blanket (quilt or similar) to go on the bed.
Buy some really nice slippers - those boot style ones are really popular (like ugg boots).
Make sure to send plenty of sanpro even if your DD doesn't need it yet.

Three mesh bags for undies. School doesn’t supply these where my schedule are . Towel hooks not needed as children won’t use them. Don’t use name tapes as hooks regardless. The stitching won’t hold the weight of wet towels.
bedside light for reading. Tumble dryer friendly clothes. Spare name tapes for matron to use. Our matron sells second hand clothes for a song. I’ve never bought new !
more undies than it says. Fewer “staid” items than the list says eg my dc never wear the school jumper, coat, bay, scarf and certain “required” items on the uniform list. Speak to other parents to see what’s really needed.

DD’s school does not allow blu tak. I’m ok with that as they’ll have their own cork board, but how to hang things like fairy lights?

There are hook's that stick on the walls which are removable - try WH Smith they have a good selection of different types - though a lot of school's now are stopping fairy lights due to 'fire risks' worthwhile asking the HM on their policy.

@vinoandbrie Tuck boxes really serve as a locker for keeping precious things safe or private- that might include but certainly not limited to tuck/grub/snacks. Loss of privacy and control over your personal space and belongings is one of the things boarders have to get used to and having a lockable box helps practically and psychologically. Add a combination padlock as tuck box keys invariably go astray. A good supplier is Mosman’s.
There’s no need for a traditional trunk, which is a leftover from a different age of travel involving ships’ holds and porters. A soft-sided hold-all that folds down when empty (Tatonka, Mountain Equipment etc) is much easier to manoeuvre and store- the school will thank you.
For name tapes I think Cash are still in business and do good traditional embroidered labels. Get big labels for bedding and towels. Your school uniform shop might have an adhesive version they use that will withstand the laundry. And you can pay someone else to sew labels- it’s a bit of an outlay but if you pay in the first year you can then stitch them yourself as you replace things in slower time. Otherwise you can tell a boarding Mum in early September by her bruised and punctured needle finger; within two years you’ll be content just to scrawl over everything with a sharpie.

Sorry, that’s Mossman, not Mosman for tuck boxes or trunks

Brilliant, thank you very much!