Survival Parcel for DN

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My DN is heading off to uni this week. I want to put together a box of stuff he'll appreciate and send it when he's a couple of weeks in, and then send them at various points throughout the year. It's been several a few years since I was at uni however, so can any parents of current students help me with ideas? His parents will keep him in money/food so these are for treats really. So far I have:

Alcohol
Sweets
Chocolate brownies (his fave)
Gift vouchers for Nandos/cinema etc
Condoms

To be honest a starter pack/gift, fine, but thereafter - they aren't off to recover some lost land - they will be home again at Christmas - or before in most cases!!

Chances are if you keep sending it will be stuff he doesn't want or already has. Most students are going to towns or cities bigger than at home so they can just buy stuff they need when they want it. I would say give him some cash or gift vouchers if you know he goes there.

The best things my daughter gets is gift vouchers for Primark, New Look and Superdrug. Then she can buy stuff she "likes" as a treat rather than only buy stuff she needs (which is what she tends to do with her student loan).

a young man who is going to be almost literally spoonfed every step of the way, and will emerge with zero idea of how to manage money as he's never had to go without A in order to have B.

Again, there is absolutely no evidence of that in the OP - you are just making huge assumptions.

I think it's a nice idea, minus the condoms. When I went to uni my parents paid the fees and nothing else. Alone in a different country at 17 with no money, nowhere to live, had to organise myself and find a job, and parents in a different country sob! sob!. I had a flatmate whose parents sent her boxes of treats and I was so, so envious. I would have been so pleased to be sent some practical things, if not some actual cash. I was in Scotland and freezing and I remember my mum did once order me a duvet out of the Sunday Times and I was delighted when it arrived out of the blue.

I see what cactus is saying, kind of, but there's a happy medium somewhere between spoon-feeding & molly-coddling and throwing 17/18 year olds to the wolves. They are not fully fledged adults yet and surely it's ok for there to be a gradual transition and some reminders that people love and care about you along the way. I used to call my flatmate a spoilt brat but actually I was really jealous - not of the stuff so much but the care and attention from her parents.

Ha ha Cactus, are you always so prickly?

I have no strong feelings either way about gift packages. I left one for mine when I dropped him off and I might send another during this term, or I might not. Depends how I feel really.

Just because he's gone to Uni doesn't mean he stops being a member of this family. I quite often buy little treats (bar of choc etc) for ALL the people in my immediate family so imo it's no different to that.

It's nice to love someone and be loved in return - you should try it some time.

I think it sounds like a lovely idea and so does DD who's off to uni in ten days.
She is very independent and frankly would be fine without any gift packages but she'd appreciate and enjoy them if they came!

She also sad she wouldn't find the condoms/booze weird and controlling, just funny and having a bottle in your room is useful if friends are around.

No need for the condoms as they are generally handed out anyway by the Students Union during freshers week!