Getting dorm ready, a quick guide into what you need for a dorm room and what you don’t.

So the time has come, your child is ready to fly the coop and start on the next chapter, college!  If your student is heading off to the dorms, then this post is for you. As a parent, we tend to think that our kids are certainly going to need all the all the things however let’s remember we’re shipping them off to a shared box of a room and a communal bathroom. They are in for the change of lifestyle and we just need to make sure they have the essentials in an easy and organized fashion.

I do have an Instagram page dedicated strictly to this topic, you can check it out on Instagram at @organizedforcollege

So here’s the breakdown of what your child is going to need to move into their dorm room :

The bed set up:

• A mattress cover. Who knows where this bed has been so make sure you purchase a mattress cover plus a good night. Sleep is crucial in college.

• Extra large twin sheets, as well as a comforter and pillow

◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ A headboard. Is this essential? Being that your student is going to do most of their work from the laptop of their bed, I would argue that having a headboard is padded and more comfortable rather than a hard block wall is a nice feature to have. They are not very expensive on Amazon, and this is the one that I have purchased

Storage:

• Under bed dresser or drawers. We have used the Rubbermaid three drawer system. It’s not gorgeous, but it’s practical and allows for some clothing organization. Remember, this isn’t permanent housing and you will need to move these items in and out and fit them in the car. Don’t buy furniture.

• Extra storage for seasonal items. Personally, we’d love these cube organizers from IKEA. This allows your student if they are in a cold weather climate to have their snow gear and extra clothing packed under their bed so they can use it in the winter. These cubes are very inexpensive and work very well. Once you have your seasonal stuff packed in it, you simply can put it behind their Drawers under their bed as they won’t need to access them all the time.

• Hangers. Do yourself a favor and just buy a 50 pack of velvet hangers from Costco. These hold so much more than the inexpensive plastic hangers as they are thin.

• A shoe rack

• A long mirror

Bathroom supplies

• A caddy for caring their items back-and-forth to the bathroom

• Slippers/ shower shoes

• At least two towels And washcloths

• A bathrobe

Laundry

• A hamper that doubles as a good laundry bag

• Detergent and bleach tablets. I do love these tablets for a college kid. You can put a pouch of tablets at the bottom of their hamper and have them keep them in there so that when they go to do laundry, they have dirty detergent and they have not forgotten it. Also have a change pouch if their laundry station is coin operated

General

• A good reusable water bottle and a Britta pitcher. Also have them bring a couple of filters.

• Most dorms come with a small mini fridge. in our daughter’s dorm, you were not allowed to have a microwave or anything to actually cook items.

• A fork, a spoon, a mug, a plate, one bowl

• A plug-in water kettle. Having one of these your college student can make some pepper soup noodles in their room, hot, chocolate,  Hot oatmeal or whatever quick item they can make with hot water.

• Tape or Velcro picture hangers. you will not be able to put holes in the wall, however, these work great at holding up your decor

• A few framed photos

• Some additional lighting. there’s nothing that feels more cold and uninviting than fluorescent lighting. Bring a table lamp that is small or I found these great lights that we were able to stick on the wall from Amazon. Just changing the lighting in the room will change the mood of the room.

• A little toolbox. Make sure this is small again not much storage room. This should have aflashlight, some tape, scissors, safety pin, a screwdriver.

• USB adapter

• Power cord

• A footstool. Typically the beds are a pie, so you will need a way to get into bed. This one that we purchased doubled as a footstool, chair, and step ladder:

Another thing I would absolutely recommend is googling your college dorm name to find out if someone has taken the time to post online the measurements of the dorm. You would be surprised this does actually exist. This is what I found for our particular dorm.

You make it lucky and have your college students dorm listed as well. Check Pinterest too so you can prepare before you get there.

We made it a family affair to help our oldest make this move. It not only gave us extra hands to carry, but it allowed the whole family to participate in this special time and it allowed the younger sisters that glimpse of what they are working towards.

There you have it. This quick guide gives you an idea of what you’re college student is going to need for their dorm. Of course if you want to add a little area rag or a couple other items to spruce it up, that’s nice too. In my experience, the essentials are key to bring with you as if you rely on making a big target run once you arrive, chances are they will be already sold out of everything. The more you can bring with you and not rely on buying once you get there, the better. There is always Amazon deliveries for forgotten items, however, it does feel good as a parent when you leave with them all set up knowing that they’re ready to go and starting this new journey. It’s an emotional time for parents, but be so proud of your college kid for this next chapter. The motto of being a parent that comes to mind is “ We give our kids two things, Roots and Wings”. You’ve done a great job of establishing their roots, and now it’s their time to spread those wings and fly. Pack the tissue, and be proud, oh so proud of where they’re at. I might’ve been there and I do know that.

Xo,

Mama