First child off to uni accommodation - what do we need?

[minerva7]

Just that. First time ever settling an 18 year old into uni accommodation. Furnished room. Shared toilet, shower and kitchen.

Do we label all their stuff in that goes into the kitchen cabinets? Do they keep their toothbrush etc in their bedroom? So many questions!

I would really appreciate experiences/opinions thank you 🙏🏻

You don’t really need to name things. They will have their own cupboard/draw/shelf in the fridge to keep their stuff. I told dd just to wash up and pack her things away after cooking so they are not left around for others to use/take.

Keep toothbrush and wash things in their room…luckily my dd has her own bathroom. 2 sets of bedding, I would recommend getting a mattress topper. My dd is just about to come home from her 2nd year and hasn’t used half the stuff I sent her with, just remember Amazon does next day delivery so they can get things as they need them.

I could quote every post this is all so helpful.

Please keep me them coming! As much as they are independent and will organise most of this by themselves it does help to know what is needed

My top tip....a door wedge. Helps with meeting friends.
Seriously though, Dc got by with just 2 of everything - cups, glasses, plates etc. The more stand out the better.
We also bought two massive plastic storage tubs on wheels. One contains all soft stuff, bedding, clothes etc, and one for the kitchen / tech. We load the tubs up every September, slide them into the back of the car and slide them out the other end. Unpack and bring them home until May when the room has to be emptied. It saves 20 odd trips to the car and gives us somewhere to store his belongings during the long summer hols.

It was you @tennissquare thank you

Other things:

Sliders if it's a communal bathroom. The kitchen floor will probably be filthy so handy for that as well.

Where are the plug sockets? We ended up buying a massive extension lead as there wasn't a plug socket next to the bed.

We ended up shipping a water bottle and travel cup to take into lectures.

A door stop if it's allowed.

Also, a lot of people will go to Ikea to buy crockery etc but unless it's named it could get mixed up in a communal kitchen. We ended up buying coloured plates etc from a supermarket. Nobody else in the flat had the same ones.

A Keyring is useful, DS was given two loose keys for his halls and it’s surprisingly hard to just go to a shop and buy a keyring 🤔 (also means they don’t get muddled up with anyone else’s)

I would also 100% recommend the Ikea tool kit although they probably won’t need anything other than a screwdriver if they are in halls for the first year. Mine is still going strong several decades later and I bought them for the DC when they moved into houseshares in the second year.

My children are all out of uni now ( just ) but I found a really helpful list on ‘ The student room ‘ website

Other than the obvious, handy things were...
A student cookbook, everything contained about 4 ingredients.
Slim over the door hooks for both sides of the door (slim enough so the door can still close). Bathroom didn't have a hook on the inside for towels etc. The other side of the hook had a big pocket organiser for bin bags, keys, lanyards, sun cream etc.
A strong battery powered light in case of power cuts.

Magnetic whiteboard with magnetic clips for photos, tickets,

Patterned plates and cutlery so easy to identify (no more than 2 of anything)
Baking tray for pizzas and chips
Wooden spoon
Lots of tea towels
Towels/sheets that can all go in the same wash
Mattress topper
Power board/extension cable
Overdoor drying rack
Sliders or flipflops for shower

Homebaking and wine/beer for when you arrive to help break the ice

https://www.ucas.com/money-and-student-life/student-life/starting-university-or-college/list-absolutely-everything-you-need-take-university-or-college
lots of checklists on line- one good tip, take charity shop crockery etc- lots will have the same ikea set.
places like dunelm etc have special student promotions late summer.

The best, thickest mattress protector that you can afford.

Ikea stuff will generally match everyone else's so go Asda or dunelm or something so everything is different and more recognisably theirs.

Send cheap or second hand pans, keep toothbrush in room (usually you get a sink). Duvet plus couple of covers, check inventory to see if they provide pillows, lamp and bin, some do some don't.

My biggest piece of advice is not to pack too much, most students take things they never used

Door wedge
Clothes Airer
Extension cord / lead
Mattress topper
More teatowels / washing up sponges than you'll think you'll need

When do they hear about accommodation? I’d assumed it was around result day but someone earlier said they expected to hear this month.

Bucket, paracetamol, cleaning stuff and a sleeping bag.
I think both DC used this the most in year 1 of their adventures.

Make them pack for themselves, when in halls we mainly used IKEA bags, and graduated to large plastic boxes once they were in student flats. Drop off day for both in Year 1, was turn up, told where to park, car unloaded (with help from a team of students) move car to car park. And then in reverse at the end of the year, although by then it was more throw it in bin bags and get it home!

My other tip would be less stuff is better, the rooms aren't that big and having loads of stuff can be overwhelming.

Over the door hanging hook things
zippy underbed storage bags
hot water bottle
spare toothbrushes, deodorant etc
might need a bedside lamp - check the photos of the rooms
fairy lights
lots of beer
pack of cards and simple games

There is lots of good advice here already, but I'll add: cutlery with bright/patterned handles so they are super identifiable. Virtually everyone in my DD's first halls had the cheapest ikea cutlery and it kept going missing.
She has a collapsible washing up bowl, so she could empty the kitchen sink and do her own washing up at least when her flat mates were slobs. She ended up keeping her crockery in her room in the end to stop it getting used and not washed up.
She had a small clothes horse for drying her towels after showers.
A good quality memory foam mattress topper was a good purchase.

My other top tip is to wear incredibly light and breathable clothing for moving in and out day. Don’t underestimate the number of trips up and down stairs lugging loads of stuff!

nosh for students, very good cook book
blu tack - they may want photos up of loved ones, friends, pets etc.,
sewing kit

A lot of halls won't even allow blu tak. They usually have a pinbard or something similar for putting up photos etc.

oh then drawing pins

Laundry bag - DIMPA bags from IKEA costs £3 they are large and very strong

So get a couple - maybe one to put the dirty washing in to take to launderette and then another one to put the clean washing in to take back to the room

DIMPA BAG for 3 pounds

Green food dye to put a drop into your milk carton if you have your milk nicked OR wash out and old carton with best before date from a month earlier so it doesn't get nicked

Yes to a bucket. I got camping ones that go flat.

I bought a little tin containing small tools and filled it with small essentials like ibuprofen, safety pins, condoms, plasters, £20.
Scissors.
sleeping bag for pals to stay.
A few bags for life are handy for laundry, storage and shopping trips.
Day 1 - a box of chocolate biscuits and a bottle of vodka to break the ice with flatmates. Pack of soft drinks to offer around if they don’t like alcohol.

If you want to identify your cutlery write initials on it with NAIL VARNISH.

Or do what my DS used to keep it all in his room in halls so didn't have to identify his own stuff

He had his own en suite so no sharing the shower room so only sharing the kitchen

I would say get 2 of each thing so if they do as my DS did and meet his now wife at university they have a set of cutlery & crockery etc to cook for each other with (he still has the plates/bowls/mugs he left home with)