Everything Your Kid Needs Before Moving Away For College

Sage Anderson
·8 min read

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Whether your kid is an incoming freshman, or changing living accommodations for the new school year, it’s important for them to start life in their dorm room on the right foot. With all of the ups, downs, and curveballs that come with college, the last thing they want to do is forget an essential item that makes life on campus easy.

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Long gone are the days of Bed Bath & Beyond’s paper checklists of college essentials (which I personally dragged around the store with my own mother) and one-stop, in-store shopping for everything they need. While things like bedding, trash bags, and other cleaning supplies might seem like no-brainers, there are those items they just won’t know you’re missing until they realize it.

They may also have lofty plans for their dorm room decor (courtesy of plenty of suggestions from TikTok), but every college student needs to strike a balance between the fun (lighting strips! sun lamps!) and the unsexy (printers! storage containers!). It might also be their first foray into solo-living independence, or they might have to learn how to cohabitate with strangers for the first time, in which case something like noise-cancelling headphones might want to be added to their list.

But we’ve got you covered with back-to-school basics you can find at affordable prices from Amazon, Walmart, Target and more. Check out our list below to ensure you get all of the best college essentials to make life in their dorm as comfortable as possible. Move in day is coming up fast!

Back to College Essentials Checklist

From mattress toppers to the right reading pillow, don’t let them start the semester without these back-to-school essentials.

College Living Essentials

Caroeas 22" Rolling Slim Laundry Basket
Caroeas 22" Rolling Slim Laundry Basket

Depending on how their particular dorm room and/or building is designed, doing their laundry can be a more complicated task if the laundry units are on a different floor, or in a different building. This rolling laundry basket eliminates the need to lift and carry their laundry all the way to the washer; simply grab the handle and let it roll behind you.

Caroeas Rolling Slim Laundry Basket

Price: $24.99 $17.98

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College Tech Essentials

Apple AirPods Max Headphones
Apple AirPods Max Headphones

Choosing the right tech gear will make your kid’s college life a whole lot easier, even if it’s not immediately noticeable. Invest in a printer for saving time printing papers or assignments (don’t trust the library printer), a new tablet (which can be more portable and versatile than a laptop), or one of our favorite noise-cancelling headphones, the Apple AirPods Max. They get 20 hours of listening, and memory foam cushions make them comfortable to wear for their longest studying sesh.

Apple AirPods Max

Price: $549.00 $477.00

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College Dorm Bedding Essentials

Sleepyhead Gel Topper
Sleepyhead Gel Topper

While you’re picking out things like sheets, blankets, and pillows, a bedding item you don’t want to forget is a mattress topper. This 100% gel-infused memory foam mattress topper helps regulate temperature while easing pressure points and help with spine alignment. This will help give you a little peace of mind as your kid sleeps on the mattress provided to you by the school (which might as well be a slab of concrete sometimes).

Sleepyhead Gel Mattress Topper (Twin XL)

Price: $269

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College Dorm Storage Essentials

Knowing that space in a dorm room is a hot commodity, trust us when we say that their space will feel a whole lot bigger when they make use of some under-utilized space under the bed or in their closet. These under-bed organizers keep their shape without being filled up, and can fit a ton. With durable handles and wheels, you can pull them out from under the bed easier than chunky plastic boxes.

StorageLAB Under Bed Storage Containers

Price: $64.99

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College Dorm Cleaning Essentials

BISSELL Featherweight Stick Lightweight Vacuum
BISSELL Featherweight Stick Lightweight Vacuum

Your kid doesn’t need to live in squalor (aka surrounded by chip crumbs and dust bunnies) just because it’s college — to keep some semblance of tidiness in their dorm, this cult-favorite Bissell Featherweight Stick Vacuum is lightweight, compact, and especially great for off-campus first apartments. You don’t need a fancy Dyson to get the job done for such a small space, and this no-frills stick vacuum still delivers powerful suction for quick pick ups (bonus: it can convert into a handle vacuum and stair vacuum, too).

Bissell Featherweight Stick Lightweight Vacuum

Price: $33.98

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College Dorm Decor Essentials

Jillche Bed Fluffy Fur Reading Pillow
Jillche Bed Fluffy Fur Reading Pillow

Depending on your dorm, room to decorate (and therefore, seating) might be scarce. Workstations or desks are typically provided even for solo dorms, but if you don’t have a kitchen or common area, your only other option might be to accessorize around your bed. A reading pillow, like this one from Amazon, can provide a pop of color to the space and much needed support to your back as you lounge in your bed, whether you’re taking a break from schoolwork to binge the latest show, or studying for an upcoming exam.

Fluffy Fur Reading Pillow

Price: $29.99

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College Dorm Bathroom Essentials

BRONAX-Cloud-Slides-for-Women-and-Men-Amazon
BRONAX-Cloud-Slides-for-Women-and-Men-Amazon

From the gym to the dorm, your kid will need to have a pair of shower shoes, and these sandals are designed for ease; just slide your feet in for a snug fit. The thick sole not only provides a comfortable barrier between your feet and the floor, but offers support as well (and they’re available in a variety of colors).

Bronax Slides

Price: $35.99 $23.99

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College Kitchen Essentials

Frigidaire Mini Fridge
Frigidaire Mini Fridge

Depending on the size of their school’s campus and their particular schedule, remembering to break for meals might be easier said than done. In the event they can’t make it back to the cafeteria to grab something to eat, it’s not a bad idea for them to stash some bites or drinks in their room so they can fuel their body until you can get that next meal in. This retro cooler from Frigidaire is compact enough to comfortably fit several drinks (including a can dispenser) and three shelves of small snacks like yogurt or fruit.

Frigidaire Retro Mini-Fridge

Price: $328.95 $286.22

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College School Supplies

Ban.do WEEKLY UNDATED PLANNER
Ban.do WEEKLY UNDATED PLANNER

Sure, we’ve all got digital calendar notifications and planners and reminders on our phones — but they’ll still need good ‘ol fashion school supplies to get their schedule straightened out and their studying done. For jotting down notes, keeping track of assignment, or even goal-setting, Ban.do have the best planners in the bizz. We like this undated one, full of weekly notes pages, to-do lists, and spaces for reflection, which allows more flexibility with their planning needs.

ban.do Weekly Undated Planner

Price: $24.95

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