Dorm Room 101

So here we are. One minute you’re picking out paint color for a nursery and the next…. well, you’re here. Planning and packing them up to head off to school. It can feel daunting. What if your most precious possession goes off to school without ALL the possessions they need? Well here’s the good news, they’ll be fine. They will figure it out, just like you and I did.

After moving my two oldest into dorms over the past year many of you asked me, “can you please post a list of things to buy for a dorm room?” because yes, there is your standard school list they will send you… but then there’s the real life list that as a Mom you will feel better sending your child off with, even if they bring it home unopened or unused at the end of the year.

When writing this list out I asked both my boys if there was anything they felt they were missing while gone, something cool they saw someone else with AND something I sent with them that they could gone without.

BEFORE YOU START GATHERING YOUR ITEMS, I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH AS YOUR FIRST STEP! Know what your childs room already has in it!

Rooms will be different at different schools and they will be different at the same school in different dorm buildings. Your school absolutely has a floor plan somewhere of the room you will be in, if you can’t find it, call the housing department and they’ll tell you where it is. Often a dorm will have it’s own facebook page which is also a great way to get a real life visual.

A closet is pretty much a given but is there a dresser with drawers? One of my sons rooms did not have a dresser so we had to bring a modular drawer unit for him to use like this one I got on Amazon…..

Or you could do a wooden one like this one from Dormify

Does it have built in shelving to keep snacks, things you need easy access too? Again, one of my sons room had built in shelving for each occupant which was a great way for him to store stuff, my other sons did not.

Does the room have tile floors or carpet – honestly, who cares, get an area rug! Dorm room carpet will house years of traffic, get an area rug regardless to cover it up and make the room feel cozy (don’t forget the rug pad).

Does it have a fridge? If not I’d recommend getting a mini one. One of my boys was able to store his fridge under his bed (elevating the bed to the highest height will give you tons of extra space to store stuff) My other son did have a fridge in the room but then they share with their roommate.

If you have a bathroom in your room or are sharing it with one other room the shower should come with a liner and rings but I would suggest you get a new liner and curtain – otherwise you’re using an used one – try and get the extra long ones as most dorm showers are tall.

Most rooms will come with a desk and chair – if not you’ll have to look for that as well.

If you have a single room you’ll have room for a single lounge chair, a larger double room too. Again, checking the layout and measurements will help. Also, as long as you keep the tags on you can always over-buy and return what you don’t use. Chances are there’s also a Target or Walmart close by for last minute purchases. I got this one from the PB Teen dorm collection and it’s so comfy and folds well if it needs to be out of the way!

I do think girls care more about room decor than boys BUT no matter who it’s for, everyone likes to feel comfortable and cozy when they’re away from home.

For a girls room, check our the website www.room422.com they have amazing dorm bed headboards and bedskirts that will really fancy your bed up ( I really wanted to do the headboard but my son has book shelves as the end of his bed so there wouldn’t have been a place to attach it )

Tupperware bins to move stuff there and keep extra and bulk items in under the bed are genius. Laundry, laundry soap, extra food, toiletries etc – you can get a bed skirt from to hide it all! Big storage chests look cute but they can be hard to find a place for if your room isn’t big.

Ok Let’s begin…..

THE BED – I’ve yet to seen one that isn’t the size TWIN XL, so this is what all you’re bedding should be fitted for

Mattress Pad – the thickest and most luxurious one you can find because the mattresses are like, well I’ve never been to prison but I imagine they would be comparable 😉

Sheet Set – a light weight cotton or jersey / t-shirt material. If you can, buy two sets for days they wash or if something spills etc.

Comforter – I personally wouldn’t recommend a duvet only because I can’t see my children making any sort of effort to arrange it back in place and over time envision them sleeping with a duvet insert all balled up into a corner in the cover. A comforter should come with a matching pillow case.

Pillows – Again, like the mattress pad I don’t think these are something to skimp on. Getting a good sleep will be so important for them, try and get pillows with support. Also remember to get the right size to match your bedding

Blanket – maybe it’s their favorite one from home. Maybe it’s a new one. Just something to keep warm with or even take down to the common area when watching tv.

Bed rest pillow – not a necessity but they are great for lounging back on their bed with, especially if there’s no headboard

THE ROOM – There are two ways this can go. Scenario 1, you have a single room. Well that’s pretty easy. Bring what you want and decorate how you want, right? Scenario 2, you have a roommate. This is when it’s helpful that your child and that child are talk beforehand. If they are already friends, great. With my one son I was able to talk to the other Mom prior because we were friends so we could figure out who was bringing what of things we only needed one of – shower curtain, rug, curtains etc. My other son did not know his roommate so I was relying on them to figure it out *well with some suggestions from me 😉 (The school will often not give out the roommates personal info because of privacy issues but they will know their name and where their from and can find them on social media and message them that way)

Again, know the layout. Know the measurements, all are available to you from the school. Take those measurements into hand when picking out items you have to bring with you.

Colors – let your child have the input here. Do they want their school colors? Do they care what color their bedding is? Girls, yes. Boys, maybe. I knew with my boys that going a light to charcoal grey would be a safe bet. Your walls will be white so the darker bedding will add some dimension and also hide any dirt. I did light grey sheets with a black comforter and then a light colored long body pillow for one and light grey sheets with a charcoal comforter for the other. One wanted a US and TN flag on his wall and we also did a Flag from their school. The other only wanted posters from home.

Rugs – both my boys have the same area rug from Target. It was $50 for a 5×7 and if it doesn’t survive 4 years I will not be broken hearted. Also make sure to get a roll of non slip rug pad that you can cut to size. Especially if you’re putting on tile floor, it’ll be slippery.

Fan – dorms have controlled thermostats and trust me, especially if you have a boy, it won’t get cold enough for them. This is an item that you only need one of so again, talk to the roommate and divide up the items. Invest in a good one, no point in a fan that just blows a bit of air. Get a tower floor fan that’s lightweight so they can leave it on the floor or stand it on top of a desk at night for better circulation.

Lamp – Bedside, Floor, desk, whatever! Your room will come with an obnoxious halogen light on the ceiling. Maybe helpful if you’re looking for something, but at night they will want a soft lamp next to their bed, on their desk for doing late night work or if room allows, a floor lamp to use always.

Plant – so when you have a boy, a plant in the room is considered fancy. I got a faux olive tree / planter from Target which he looked puzzled at it’s purpose, but i swear it helped soften the room and I imagine he is quite happy with the plant addition ;

Poster, Flag or Jersey for the wall

Alarm clock  – a great backup for a phone that accidentally died. Think of an alarm clock as a Mom yelling “you’re going to be late!”

So those are your big items, you’ve got your room and bed ready.

Now heres the “take to the store, print it off, check it off” LIST for everything else!

BEDDING – twin xl

Mattress Cover Sheet set with pillow case

Pillows, 2

Comforter

Blanket

Bed rest pillow

ROOM

Rug

Lamp – Bedside, Floor or Desk

Tupperware or modular drawers if dresser not provided

Flag or Posters or Jersey for wall

Faux green plant

Alarm Clock

Mini Fridge if not provided

Mini Keurig machine for coffee, tea or hot chocolate

Floor Fan

Curtains if you want to cozy it (the window will have venetian blinds)

Framed photos from home, family, friends etc

Power bar

Extension Cord

Batteries

Flashlight

Speaker for the room, alexa or a bluetooth

Broom & Dustpan or small cordless vacuum

Garbage Bags (room should come with the can)

SLIM hangers

Command hooks. Get an array of sizes and return what you don’t use. These are great for hanging posters, flags, keys etc.

Sticky putty is also great for hanging posters but not strong enough to hold more than that.

Laundry Hamper that’s light weight and compact

Laundry Pods & Dryer Sheets

Kleenex

Paper towels

Clorox Wipes

Scissors

Electronics chargers, one for each item.

Desk caddy to hold pens etc

BATHROOM

Toilet paper  

Shower caddy 

Clorox wipes 

Flip flops for shower if sharing

Shampoo, Conditioner, Body wash, razor

Quick dry towels 

Shower curtain and liner, check to find a long one

EXTRAS

Yeti cup or travel mug

First aid kit – bandaids, neosporin, A&D cream, pepto bismol, advil, tylenol, benadryl, allergy medicine, dramamine, melatonin, emergency vitamin c tablets

Pens, Pencils, Calculator, Printer (not necessary but nice to have) TV (not necessary but nice to have)

Umbrella

Waterproof shoes & backpack

ok!! that seems like a lot 😂 I promise it’s not once you start putting it all away.

Again, you can take anything back you don’t have room for once you start unloading.

I hope this has been helpful. I promise this list would be different than the one I would have made before I had two go to school this year!