Bedding?

[hopskipjump]

I'm assuming that dd will need/want a thick mattress topper (although - that's an enormous, heavy thing to lug around when she moves in/out... are those always necessary? I'm assuming, from recent explorations of college dorms, that the dorm mattresses are going to be crap...).

 

If the beds are Twin XL - does she need a Twin XL down comforter/quilt or would a full size work better? Seems that I remember reading somewhere that full sized was best, but can't find that information now that I'm ready for it.

 

Any good websites to order college dorm bedding etc from?

 

And - is it considered normal protocol to talk to the roommate first before buying bedding - or just throw caution to the wind and splurge on a black, teal, and orange duvet cover?  :p 

Edited April 1, 2016 by hopskipjump

[Laura Corin]

Calvin just has a quilted mattress cover, not a mattress topper.  We could not have fitted the latter in the car.  It's been fine.

[hopskipjump]

Calvin just has a quilted mattress cover, not a mattress topper.  We could not have fitted the latter in the car.  It's been fine.

 

That is a relief. I think we'll plan on something similar and if, once she's settled in, the mattress is truly a nightmare, we can order one and have it sent to her. Those things are so gigantic!

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

That is a relief. I think we'll plan on something similar and if, once she's settled in, the mattress is truly a nightmare, we can order one and have it sent to her. Those things are so gigantic!

 

I think if a place like amazon/walmart/bedbathbeyond had it on their website I'd have it sent to the kiddo rather than pack if space is a concern.  Bed, Bath & Beyond also has a pick up service-order your items ahead and pick them up at the store location nearest the school.

 

I will say the dorm mattresses I saw on tours were not so great but testing first is a reasonable solution (unless you have the kid who will be sleepless and uncomfortable for weeks before they unmake the bed and put it on).

[Arch at Home]

What about a pillow? DD is doing a 4 week sleep away on a college campus that we have never seen on the coast. I am not relishing the thought of schlepping bedding half way across the continent.

[Arch at Home]

What about a pillow? DD is doing a 4 week sleep away on a college campus that we have never seen on the coast. I am not relishing the thought of schlepping bedding half way across the continent.

[Laura Corin]

What about a pillow? DD is doing a 4 week sleep away on a college campus that we have never seen on the coast. I am not relishing the thought of schlepping bedding half way across the continent.

 

If the cost is not too much of an issue, I would order a pillow to be delivered to her and that she can donate at the end.

 

[Arch at Home]

Part of me is thinking that donating all of her bedding at the end of the session may be the way to go. The key will be timing and logistics. Most likely she will be flying in and out by herself, arriving on a Sunday and departing on Saturday. The college won't take deliveries prior to arrival.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Arch at Home

[Lori D.]

Lucky here -- both years at DS's university his dorm was just 1 year old, so virtually new furnishings, including beds. So the mattress was absolutely fine with no mattress topper.

 

DS was fine with a regular twin comforter and a couple of smaller fleecy blankets for curling up on a couch and watching TV -- but he also was not located at a northern/cold climate university. ;)

 

You can often find "heading to college" sales on linens and comforters (plus all kinds of dorm items) at your local Target/Walmart/et.al. in May or early summer if you want to buy local, but as mentioned above, you can order through Bed Bath & Beyond or Walmart or other, and specify delivery date and pick up at the store near the student's dorm when you get there. Be sure to check now what the university's policy is on packages -- DS's university has switched over to no campus bookstore, so everyone's books are every e-books or must be ordered and shipped -- he said the first 2 weeks at the campus mail center are horrific with lines that are many hours long to pick up packages. Also, how will your student wrestle/carry a large box of bedding across campus?? So you might do better to fly out with your student, rent a car, and pick up the items at the local store and help your student move in, and take your student out for a nice last special dinner before you fly home again -- just a thought.

 

And to not have to lug things home again, many colleges offer summer storage of larger items for a rental fee.

 

Just an FYI: donating may be very difficult, unless there is local Good Will or Salvation Army (or other) that is willing to come pick up -- and even then, they may not be allowed on campus. It might have just been our DS's campus, but the end of the school year is a madhouse of students all trying to move out and pack up at the same time. The dumpsters at our DS's university were overflowing with perfectly usable furniture, bedding, etc. because students didn't have room for it in their luggage or vehicles, were not allowed to leave anything in the dorm rooms, and had no way of donating. :(

 

 

PS

You'll also want to think about things like a way of securing valuables and medications, and what, if any, appliances are allowed in the dorm rooms that your student might want. Halogen desk lamps are often NOT allowed (heat up and if something falls against it, potential fire hazard) -- often hot plates and coffee makers are not allowed for the same reasons. You might also find these past threads (linked in post #5 of the big pinned thread "Transcripts, Credits…First Time at College… past threads linked here!" at the top of the high school board) to be helpful:

 

Before sending a student off to college (to do list)

Gwen's complete college supply list
Freshman move-in day

Edited April 1, 2016 by Lori D.

[J-rap]

We got a quilted mattress pad on Amazon.  This one:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Rio-Home-Fashions-Overfilled-Microplush/dp/B005JILGCO?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

 

And sheets on Amazon too.  However, I learned that the school partners with a company that sells XL twin sheets for prices comparable to Amazon's.  She just uses quilts and blankets from home that are standard size.  

[clementine]

We bought dd a 3 inch thick mattress topper from Kohls - combine coupon codes for best deals.  She loves it & says her bed at college is comfier than her bed at home.  We also bought her a full/queen duvet cover & down comforter from Homegoods.  It's nice to have more than a foot of comforter hanging over each side of the bed or tucked under the mattress.  

 

One of her best purchases was a bed pocket that goes over her bedpost that holds her phone/ipod - it has a slot at the bottom for the charging cord.  It was found at DormCo.com & is very inexpensive.  We also purchased a fabric covered 10 foot long charging cord and a clip on fan for her bed from them too.  

 

A storage cube that can be stepped on is really handy to get up into her partially lofted bed.  

 

Our dd did not talk to her roommate about bedding or decorations.  They only talked about fridge, microwave, and tv.  

[Pawz4me]

I did get DS a good memory foam topper and he said his bed is a lot more comfy than the beds w/o them.  And I went with a full/queen sized comforter.  It's big but not too big on the twin XL mattress and can be used later on a normal sized bed.

[Mom22ns]

We got a quilted mattress pad on Amazon.  This one:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Rio-Home-Fashions-Overfilled-Microplush/dp/B005JILGCO?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

 

And sheets on Amazon too.  However, I learned that the school partners with a company that sells XL twin sheets for prices comparable to Amazon's.  She just uses quilts and blankets from home that are standard size.  

 

I bought the same one. We did buy ds a memory foam mattress topper to go under this (he was used to a memory foam mattress). It came in a reasonably small package and we did not open it and let it expand until we got there. For dd, we will probably just go with the mattress pad. She's not a fan of memory foam.