What are your DCs packing for college/uni

[KatyMac]

So far we have.....

Bedding
Towels (& tea towels)
Bedside light
bin
Torch
some small cooking bits(the kitchen is equipped)
Bucket with a lid for soaking pink tights
Song books (I haven't bought the monologue books yet)
Notebooks
Uniform
Vanish & handwash liquid
Nail brush
Lots of food (Her BF brought a crate of fun food - small boxes of cereal, noodles, chocolate, nice tea bags etc oh & 6 tins of custard she bought about 9 months ago)
Dustpan & brush
Extension lead, chargers & surge protector

I feel I'm missing loads of stuff - but I'm not too worried about clothes, toiletries. make-up or electricals

Secret, dh arrives tomorrow, so poor old ds will be up early and off to the shops, although I'm not entirely confident that Dh will be much better.
We do however have a stock of bags from idea that you suck the air out of. That should help with getting stuff in the hire car. in theory. I'm flying the week after next with the last of the stuff ds wants delivering, so that will be the ps and the boxed set of a James Bond movies, plus all the books he hasn't got so far. I can see me wearing 2 outfits for the week.
Two mums at the school I work in have already been and are back after dropping off their DC, the long wait as all the others disappear is becoming tiring. Sometimes I wish it was over and then the thought of the hell that is Freshers comes upon me and I just think, ok two weeks to go is fab, the longer the better. No pleasing me at the moment I think.

One week to go for us! Why will Freshers be hell? Is this something new to worry about?

Her room is ready!!

Littleham, I'm thinking all the excitement, plus all the alcohol, plus late nights plus spending plus compulsory uni events might, reasonably, equate to no answering of phone whilst I interrogate him about everything, so I suppose what I am saying is I'm not sure if it will be my hell or his.
I realise they are really really ready for this, I'm just overthinking that with everything going on they will get over tired possibly ill and then homesick and then step up for hard work when they don't feel up to it might lead to homesickness.
If only it was everything in moderation. Still I do think I'm probably overthinking things. He is normally very sensible. Hey ho, what will be will be.

My DD is going to uni 4 hours from home, so we want to take everything in one go. However, she's going self-catered and nothing is provided kitchen-wise. Even trying to be very minimal (i.e. just a steamer to double up as a saucepan, 3 pieces of crockery, 3 glasses etc) there is so much stuff including duvet, bedding, towels, clothing etc! We're seriously thinking of driving up in 2 cars now, is that utterly ridiculous?? Do you think it will be ok to arrive at the drop-off with 2 cars (there won't be that much stuff in the second car). DH and I would both like to go to drop her at uni and I can't see 3 of us and all her stuff fitting in one car. We plan to help her unpack a bit, (so we can take suitcase and packing bags away) and then let her get on with it.

Anybody else considering 2 cars or are we mad? (her accommodation is quite a generous size room, so everything should fit in) Thanks!

Do you have a roof box fairy woods? Ours takes so much stuff, so if you invest in one it might pay off over4 years (saves taking two cars).

KatyMac - The room is lovely!

Isthiscorrect - I'm sure he will be fine. I'm not so worried about this stage, as my dd1 spent some time in Germany (staying with a German family / catching buses across a strange town etc & she wasn't homesick at all). She can't wait. My only worry is that she will get up in time for lectures as she is an owl. Do they always start at 9am?

This talk of taking two cars makes me think I must have missed something off my list......

Oh and Freshers, DS went online to buy his freshers pass yesterday and they had sold out within hours of going on sale. Seems a bit unfair. Instead he has just bought tickets to a few events he liked the look of.
Isthiscorrect It's a worry isn't it? He is ready I know that but he does find new situations and meeting new people extremely hard and he is ill now with some fluey bug.

Littleham thanks, roof box is a great idea! Yes, secret I really don't know why there seems to be so much stuff. I keep looking at it and trying to figure out what can be left, but so little is supplied at her accom other than bed, wardrobe. She has ensuite, which means things like bathroom bin, loo brush, cleaning kit. Also, she's taking a printer as her course is pretty much 9-5pm, so needs to be able to print in the evenings. By the time there is duvet, pillows, cushions & throw to make the bed cosy, plus a 'few' clothes & shoes, there is tons.

Secret just looked upthread and I see you have a DS. That could be the reason why you don't have so much stuff, girls seem to need so much more. My DS can go on holiday for 2 weeks with a small gym bag!

fairywoods You must be right. He is also self catering and so taking kitchen equipment as well as bedding and towels. He has a bathroom shared between 2 so I presume will need cleaning stuff. Yes to printer as well. In fact I have one box just full of office stuff , laptop and security cable, ethernet cable etc.
I don't think the clothes will take up too much room though.Having said that, the disadvantage of being 6'2 with size 11 feet is that 2 pairs of shoes almost fills a suitcase .

Must be all her make-up, hairstuff, straightners, hairdryer and kitchen sink then that makes the boy-girl divide, unless you have a tardis for a car

Katy mac, I am being nosy, what is your dd studying?

Littleham Thanks, you have saved the day! I found a company that will hire me a roofbox for £32 (they cost £400 to buy!). Cheaper than petrol for a second car and lovely we can all go together. Got the large size....... hopefully an extra 460 litres of space will be enough

Great! We couldn't exist without one.

You could also look at one of these companies in the future if your dd wants to take a train / bus.

www.sendmybag.com/student-removals

www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/accommodation/studentaccommodation/usefulinfo/storage/

She is doing a pre-vocational course in musical theatre/dance & is very excited but it mucks up the clothes as she needs all her uniform (& hundreds of shoes, ballet, tap, character etc) plus day clothes to arrive at college in and come home in.

Plus half a dozen text books (well musical scores) and some monologues - but today she realised she didn't have a pen.....so we bought some!!!

She is aonly taking a tablet & no printer as we don't 'think' she will need more - but we might be wrong

Thanks again Littleham will make note of those for future years.

Definitely collapsible clothes airer

• both my DCs used them all the time, especially for damp towels and important bits of handwashing, also for hanging wet coats.

Loo Rolls!!

Collapsible/stackable crates

• brilliant for storing under bed, but usable for sorting and organising while they are away. Means they don't have to unpack all before you leave them on first day, also they can pack up ready for when you pick them up at holiday time.

And medical stuff: plasters, paracetamol, antiseptic cream, whatever they need (was migraine tablets for DD and antihistamine for DS)

It helped that mine were both seasoned scouts, so already knew what emergency kit they wanted, just cost a bomb to stock them up!

Re kitchen kit: DD had 'nice' pans pinched in first week, DS said not to bother and bought really cheap 'student pack' of cooking pots once he got there.

University towns will have shops brimming with 'student' kits of various types. DS ruined posh Jonelle duvet and cover with fake blood at first Halloween, he dumped it and replaced it with Primark set costing almost zilch. I was gutted, would have been willing to get duvet dry cleaned, but wasn't told til too late

RE: Cheap kitchen stuff is definitely recommended, as the students will be sharing kitchens we just buy them from somewhere like Wilkinsons rather than more expensive pans etc.

Mind you, with two DSs, I'm still smiling at the idea of sending them off with cleaning stuff. In fairness DS2 is much better at it, the house DS1 shared last year (with four girls it must be said) should have been condemned on health grounds as none of them cleaned.

I had to leave DD to pack up the car while I was at work today. Having said she didn't have any clothes and had a crisis about it, she has completely filled 3 suitcases. I got her a plastic box to put food essentials in and this has been filled it up with a collection of chickflicks and Dr Who DVDs......

New idea of homesickness, anybody - Skysickness?

Skysickness Skygo
DS has our login and we have used it on holiday. You don't get the planner but all the catchup and on demand works.

we are starting the packing in readiness for next week's journey; it hit me last night when checking what was still needed that hes actually going

cricketballs Yes I am starting to feel incredibly sad. Only 18 years and he is going. He was away for a week and the three of us (DH,DS2 and me) looked at each other one night and said how quiet it seemed..

Is it bad to feel really happy about dd1 going? We plan to use Skype if she has any questions.

It must be much harder if you are going to have an empty nest, but my nest is still crammed with loud chicks.

Oh I am happy as well Littleham, happy that he is ready and excited about his new life, but I have never been happy about the prospect of an empty nest.