Question - Bath towels as graduation presents?

[Bambam]

 I have a bunch of graduation presents for next year. My sister gave me her old embroidery machine so I can monogram them. Assume decent quality because I will purchase some to use and wash/dry them until next summer! If you think this is a poor idea for a graduation present, please say that too! 

ETA: This would be for high school graduation - for the kids either going off to college or to live on their own. 

Hopefully the poll will work. 

[AK_Mom4]

If these are for kids leaving home for college, I would go with thinner towels because they take less time to dry.  For kids heading to an apartment situation, I think one medium and one thick towel might be nice since drying time is less of an issue.

And I think towels are a fine gift. A family friend gave oldest DD bed linens when she went off to college - they went to the store together and picked them out to be shipped to her school.  It was a lovely gift and lasted all four years of college and are still in good shape.

[StephanieZ]

If it's for a woman with long hair, definitely 4 towels. (I have really long, thick hair and always have . . . and I go though a LOT of towels, especially if I'm running/exercising regularly.)

For a guy, 2 towels is likely plenty.

[Kassia]

I think towels are a great gift.  

My kids love their bath sheets because they have so much more coverage than a regular towel but the ones we have are think and they do take a long time to dry.

[gardenmom5]

costco has great towels.

how many depends upon your budget.

I agree - long hair NEEDS its own towel.

[vonfirmath]

49 minutes ago, AK_Mom4 said:

If these are for kids leaving home for college, I would go with thinner towels because they take less time to dry.  For kids heading to an apartment situation, I think one medium and one thick towel might be nice since drying time is less of an issue.

And I think towels are a fine gift. A family friend gave oldest DD bed linens when she went off to college - they went to the store together and picked them out to be shipped to her school.  It was a lovely gift and lasted all four years of college and are still in good shape.

 

Do you have recommendations for places to get thinner towels? (that are good quality)?

[iamonlyone]

I agree that fast-drying towels would be best for those who are college bound. I bought some that were microfiber, skeptical I would like them, but they are actually soft, fluffy, fast drying, and absorbent. As for quantity, I would probably gift a set of one towel, one hand towel, and a wash cloth.

And I like towels for grad gifts—particularly for those moving away from home. It's all the better that you can personalize them!

[Carol in Cal.]

Bath sheets.  The big size is really nice.

But if this is for college graduation, don't do it.  Kids in college already have towels, by and large.

Also check with the parents about whether they are buying towel sets as part of an 'off to college' deal--some of those are very economical, and would make your gift entirely redundant. 

Re. personalization, putting names on something is kind of old-fashioned.  I would instead try to figure out a symbol that the receptee would like.

[Kassia]

16 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

 

But if this is for college graduation, don't do it.  Kids in college already have towels, by and large.

 

 

My kids did need new towels after graduating from college.  By then, the ones they received for using in college were pretty worn and also they wanted new colors for their new places.  

[Chris in VA]

We gave dd towels for high school graduation. I got her 4 bath, 2 hand and 2 washcloths (she uses a puff, but I figured she can use them to wipe things down, too). I got medium thick.

Just as an aside, ds had a horrible dryer available in college, one that took piles of money and didn't dry. He ended up using tee shirts to dry off. It was brilliant! He could hang them to dry and they worked great. 

[Pippen]

I voted not a great idea, at least for some kids. Going off to college was the first chance my daughter had to decorate all on her own and colors of towels was one of those important things for her. 

She opted for just 2 bath towels and 2 hand towels because her space was really limited. For washcloths I go with a 6 pack such as those you can buy at Walmart or Target. They're thin, which is ideal for drying quickly. 

She bought these Turbie Twisties for her thick long hair since they take up way less space then bath towels. She really likes them and the fact they are small and dry quickly. https://www.amazon.com/Turbie-Twist-Microfiber-Towel-Aqua-Purple/dp/B01LZ72VNB/ref=pd_sim_201_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01LZ72VNB&pd_rd_r=7TF5W2F65D6M436HHQCF&pd_rd_w=e6lCF&pd_rd_wg=lGyHY&psc=1&refRID=7TF5W2F65D6M436HHQCF&dpID=51-p3FU9PlL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail

If you go with the towel idea, consider colors that won't ruin clothes and linens when washed together, because I guarantee some will be washing towels with their jeans, shirts, etc! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XNB7EO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thinking only of college, I wouldn't worry about high quality.  They don't need to last forever, just 4 years. I don't know if these are available in colors, but I bought a 6 pack of these Martex towels and they held up well. (I don't remember what I paid for them but I think it was less). https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003XNB7EO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Frances]

I think there’s too much personal preference for this to be a good gift. Personally, I hate big or thick towels which I know many people prefer. And at that age, I wouldn’t have wanted anything monogrammed. When my son and niece were middle school aged and we were taking them to Hawaii, my mom did monogrammed beach towels for them, and that was a great gift that lasted many years. We now use our son’s for our dog. But personally, I wouldn’t do it for high school or college grads.

[Tap]

Unless I knew the persons living situation, supplies on hand already, and color/style preference, I wouldn't buy towels.

My color loving dd19 is buying pure white towels and bedding because of acne products which tend to bleach fabrics.  She will have a few fun colored beach towels and kitchen towels but otherwise only wants white linens.  She has also learned to appreciate not having huge, or overly thick towels.  They take wayyyy longer to dry (expensive in laundromats) and you can't wash many in a small washer.  

BTW. I know monogramming is very trendy in some parts of the country right now, but in our area, it isn't a big thing. I have older college, 1st year college/recent high school grad.....so I am around a lot of recent grads.

 

[Lori D.]

I think it is SUPER sweet that you want to make a special/personalized gift. : )

But I also have to say that I have boys, and neither would have thought that towels were a great gift. Sorry!

Also, much as embroidered designs or monograms look cool, they make a stiff spot on the towel that is not absorbent -- at least, that is the case with the set of hand towels given to me as a gift, with a holiday design embroidered on it, which makes the towel not very effective. Pretty, but ineffective. But perhaps this type of monogramming you'd be doing would not make the towel stiff?

ETA -- I now see you've added that this is for high school graduation: Esp. as a high school graduation gift. DSs were thrilled with receiving $$, which they could combine and put towards something big that they esp. wanted. Perhaps cash, plus some special commemorative / "milestone achieved gift? DSs liked special kinds of pocket knives. For boys, what about a special pocket watch with their name engraved, along with some sort of verse or motto like "use well the time given to you". For girls, a special and unique piece of jewelry might be meaningful.

Since you have an embroidery machine you'd like to use, what about making a cozy lap throw/blanket for curling up with at college, and embroider some special design, or their name, or some other way to personalize it? One year for Christmas I gave post-high school DSs each a soft fleecy blanket with the design from a favorite show or video game (Think Geek), and they loved those.

 

[AK_Mom4]

5 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

 

Do you have recommendations for places to get thinner towels? (that are good quality)?

I have picked up thin towels from Bed Bath and Beyond. These seem to last a long time. 

[elegantlion]

I voted bad idea unless you know the student very well. I also hate big fluffy towels. I've been using a turkish towel  for the last couple of years and love it. I have a couple of favorite towels for my hair (long, curly) that were found my trial and error. Everyone probably has different needs and preferences. 

[SquirrellyMama]

Personally, I think towels are an odd grad gift, but if I were to give towels I'd go with a bath sheet. 

Kelly

[regentrude]

I find bath towels a strange graduation gift. I'd assume most 18 y/os take the existence and availability of towels for granted and don't appreciate them as a gift. (I hated getting linens as a present when I was a teenager and thought it was lame. )

[Pen]

I’d ask potential recipients (or the parents if other than you) if this would be a gift that would be appreciated and used and if so get the type  ( cotton or synthetic; size  , thickness   ,color   , monogram or none) the recipient wants. 

[Sallie Mae]

My son graduated high school two years ago, and I had to consider what graduation gifts to give his friends. When I asked another mom of a large family who had several children in college what she would suggest, she said the best gift really was cash. I was disappointed at with the idea of giving cash. When I specifically asked about a monogramed towel set, she said her kids received several sets and were less than impressed. I think one child even ended up buying their own choice of towels! With that in mind, I went with gifts that were half what the student would want, half what I wanted to give by giving cash and personalized stationery. After going through the experience of my son receiving graduation gifts and seeing how he responded, I now just give cash. I do think it is a helpful gift for the student to receive, though it still doesn't feel like a very satisfactory gift to give. I would always prefer to give a monogrammed towel set or personalized stationery. ? 

[Bambam]

Thanks, everyone, for their input!

I was hoping it was a good idea because I could use that embroidery machine (it is just collecting dust right now!), but it seems the majority think this isn't a great idea. 

I hated the idea of cash because we have so many graduating and my youngest is one of them. I didn't want this to be a I-give-your-child-a-check-and-you-give-my-child-a-check, but I think I can combine checks and a small personal gift that hopefully will be suitable for each one. 

I'll save the towel idea for wedding showers and get the ones on their wish list.

At least my dd said she wants a set of pink towels for her dorm room! She probably isn't going to go for the monogramming though. ?

[Pippen]

Some graduation gifts that were used were by my kids going off to college were umbrellas, good water bottles, external phone chargers, and bluetooth trackers.

[Rockhopper]

I know you've closed the poll and made a decision, but I just wanted to add my pro-towel story. ?

My dh got a personalized bath sheet for his high school graduation over twenty years ago. "Bath sheet" is key here! He took it with him to summer Army Reserve drills. He took it with him skiing. He used it as a towel, he used it as a blanket, he used it for whatever life presented that needed a big piece of absorbent cloth. Twenty years after he got it, it went with him to Iraq for 15 months. It was big enough to use as a lap blanket on airplanes or car trips or skiing... So many events, so many memories!

It finally fell apart and he still misses it! For him, it was probably the most memorable and useful graduation gift he received. I'm not sure he knows *who* gave it to him, but he can tell you hours of stories of times he had that towel with him.