Essentials list for DS starting university and moving into halls

[stripeypoodle]

Hello,

My DS is off to university in September and staying in the student halls of residence. I’m trying to make a list of items that I will need to buy for him if anyone can help with this please?

Duvet/mattress protector/ duvet cover/ fitted sheets/ laundry basket/desk light. Some decorative items for bedroom.

Bathroom bin/ toiletries holder/ toothbrush cup/towels/shower mat.

Cutlery/plates/bowls/utensils/ grater/meat thermometer/ storage tubs.

Laptop which will be his birthday present in August.

Am I missing anything?

Thanks

Many university halls now ban Command strips as well as blu tac

A sharpie to write your name on your Tupperware

Food for the first night / morning

Plates, cutlery, bowls and mugs x 2. Bottle opener. Breville sandwich maker. Large white loaf. 6 x half cans of baked beans. A packet of sliced cheese. Pot noodles. Cereal and uht milk. That should do them for the first few weeks. After that they will know what they need 😀.

flipflops if not en-suite for use in the shower/bathroom

Bath mat

Extra lamp

if you need a bedside table a short plastic set of drawers is better than something wood - easier to transport/move between flats.

clips from Ikea for food packets

if you get dark bedding make sure you wash it a few times before you go as all the washing will be shoved into one machine together and you don’t want the colour to run. Laundry nets might also be helpful for this depending how domesticated they are.

map pins for their notice board

cuddly toy - something comfortable and familiar from home.

Assume hob will be induction so buy pans accordingly.

Don’t go buying an airfryer. Might not be allowed or find every student in shared kitchen has bought one! Also in second and third year airfryer came with accommodation

Space is limited. DS ended up with half a drawer in the freezer as 10 students sharing kitchen with 3 fridge freezers with only 3 drawers in each freezer

We decanted some herbs and spices in small bags so didn’t take up much space.

Washing up bowl, also useful for carrying things between room and kitchen and in an emergency as a sick bowl!

Small lockable tin to put documents etc in

Only need 2 of each for plates etc. DS just took spare from home so didn’t have the same student set as everyone else.

Thanks very much for great suggestions and tips. I’m so glad I posted this now.

I would have never thought about a mattress topper or coloured cutlery. I love a charity shop visit so will keep an eye out but there is no university close by to where we live so might not be as plentiful in student stuff here.

IKEA blue bags are great for storing things, using as laundry bag. Vacuum pack bags are great transporting stuff from home to halls and home again

The meat thermometer might be a weird thing but I’m trying to teach him to cook meat safely and I use one myself! £14 from Amazon so not too expensive.

Keep alcohol and snack type food in your room not the shared kitchen.

Got DS Nosh for students cook book. Must admit he didn’t use it much in first year but used it more going forward

If you have a pet get a cushion with photo of pet on it as something from home. We hid this in the car until we dropped DS off, he was very touched and was his favourite item

Try and find out what is provided in advance.

Make sure you bring toilet roll and soap somewhere easily accessible for when you arrive and need the toilet.
A well stocked medicine cabinet. When ds1 got his first cold at university he really didn't want to trek down to the shops for sudafed.
If you can, go down to visit after a couple of weeks or do an amazon/supermarket delivery when they have worked out what they will actually use. Ds1 found that he needed more tea towels than he thought and he wanted a baking dish as well.

Dishmatic washing up sponge

If you suspect your teen might not care for washing up very often then consider sending more than one or two plates/bowls/mugs.
Both my DC who’ve been through Uni fell foul of lazy flatmates who would just use anyone else’s stuff once theirs was dirty. Both ended up buying paper plates for the culprits.

I'm doing ds' list now. Both his university options are car free so he'll be taking bike, lock, helmet, puncture repair kit, pump.

2 x Sheets, towels, duvet, mattress cover and 2 x duvet sets. A few coat hangers.

Clothes, toiletries, shaving kit, toothbrush. Battery charger and spare battteries for toothbrush. Nail clippers (he's not pinching mine). First aid kit. Medical thermometer.

Basic cutlery, crockery, glasses. Large plastic tub to store dried food, tins etc 1 sharp knife. Peeler. Food for the first 3 days. Laundry detergent. Laundry bag. Water bottle.

Laptop, Switch, phone, chargers, ear buds.
Books - he should get his reading list in August.

Anything else, he can buy when he is there.

Has anyone heard anything about the MenB vaccine yet? I know they are supposed to be vaccinating all of them in August but that's about 800,000 of them and I haven't seen any appointments or logistics yet.

Bedding, old crocs/"cutlery from home, extension lead. Mine found there were shops in their uni towns where they could buy what was needed.

Re Books - it seems text books are a thing of the past for many courses with information all online. Gone are the days when all lecturers made a side profit from writing text books they then required all their students to buy.

My son said most useful thing was flip flops for the communal shower / bathroom areas .

My DS did his own lists and shopping.

Adding my agreement that a medical thermometer is helpful.

During the time when meningitis was a particular concern DS called me feeling very unwell. He wasn’t sure what to do and felt sure he had a raging temperature. I Reminded him that he’d taken a thermometer which helped calm us all down as it showed he didn’t have a temperature after all.

N.B. He still called GP for phone advice but I think being able to give informed info about his temperature was helpful all round.

I come onto these threads every year to say please get your teenager to do a basic first aid course, or at least a one day save a life course before they go to university. Then if their friend has too much to drink, or gets spiked, they will know what to do. Before anybody comes on to roll their eyes, (somebody always does) it is 10 years since my son died. If his friend had put him in the recovery position he would not have died. But friend didn't know that.

Check what’s on halls banned list. Extensions had to be under so many sockets. Door stops were banned.

Glasgow uni had a post on this week with drop in sessions at all the Glasgow area universities. Unfortunately only for new intake not existing students.

Scrub daddy sponge.
Best thing I bought was a cushion shaped like the dog from dogsy. She used to cuddle it.
Coat hangers - the shops near uni were out of stock.

Red plastic drink cups from Homebargains for pres.