3 THINGS TO SEND WITH YOUR COLLEGE FRESHMAN!

Aug 8

Aug 8 3 THINGS TO SEND WITH YOUR COLLEGE FRESHMAN!

Blended Families, Blended Family Health Issues, Divorce, Kid's illness, Life as a Step-Mom, Step Families, Step-kids, Teenagers

Let’s talk sending your kid or step kid off to College this Fall!

You've probably been inundated with lists out there of what to send with your College bound kid. Having sent three kids off recently, I found three key things missing from any of the dozens of lists. Three things, that I consider an absolute MUST for parent sanity when sending our youngins' off to forage on their own.

3 Things To Send With Your College Freshman - Not On Any List! Check out my video on the three things I sent with all 3 of my College Freshmen. For a more detailed list, check out the blog: www.HersHisandOurs.com

As a warning, it won't take long to get THE call from your baby with "I'm dying from some rare disease and I don’t know what to do" aka Mom please take care of me some 2,000 miles away. Which leads me to the First Thing!

1st Thing: The Family Medicine Cabinet

Yep! From diagnosing the start of a simple cold to a low-grade fever to allergies. You’re going to need a medicine cabinet, much like the one you have at home for your kid to easily access when suggesting treatment.

Why?

Well they're sick Mom and on a limited budget. So asking them to go get your recommended remedy is just a bridge to far. Seriously, if you're feeling poorly do you really feel like walking or driving to the drugstore to get the necessary stuff to feel better? Not really.

And remember they're only 18 - putting a dish in the dishwasher is too much work!

Let alone the cash for products to feel better when you're sick. They're expensive. You could offer to put the cash in their account for said items, BUT they'll probably forgo the relief for an In and Out Burger if we're being honest. Limited budget?! They dragged themselves out of bed?!

When all is said and done that means creating a mobile family medicine cabinet with all the important basic medications you can think of. You know, the stuff our kids and us took for granted when they walked from one room of our home to another at home to access remedies for their sickness. Only now its ready to go in their dorm room.

They just need to remember where they stashed it! A good idea is to put in an airtight container that fits neatly in the bottom drawer of their desk - clearly marked. In case someone tries to accidentally borrow it!

A detailed list of our Family Medicine Cabinet is listed at the bottom of this post.

2nd Thing: Hot/Cold Water Bottle

Your kid fell putting their laundry away - had to run all the way to class because they “accidentally” slept through their alarm again and twisted their ankle or the stomach pains from eating late at night. A Hot/Cold Water bottle.

For those of you wondering what the Hell this is well – this is what we used back in the olden days, way before electric heating pads. It's safe – no cords – no on/of switch – no need to worry about causing a short circuit and fire in the bed of your College baby! Nope!

Just fill up with hot or cold tap water and your College baby can safely sleep or lounge with warm or cool heat. It reduces swelling, eases aches and pains depending on the water temp.

Again, this is something your kid will not travel to get and if they did would probably have a melt down in aisle 3 of the drugstore trying to find one! "They JUST don’t make them anymore Mom!"

3rd Thing: Hand Sanitizer and lots of it!

Even if your kids are part of the “I never get sick club," or they're a hypochondriac - they're living with hundreds of kids, attending classes with as many kids! The germs circulating on a College Campus are at DEFCON 3!

Let alone when reality hits that when they're sick - no one will cater to their every need - they'll be looking toward prevention. Which leads to Thing #3 - Travel-size hand sanitizer and lots of it!

Lots of hand sanitizer, means they can carry one in their backpack, have one by their bedside – you name it. AND lots of them because – have you seen their room at home – its hard to find the floor let alone a hand sanitizer when you need one! So numerous sanitizers are a must and in the long run will help lessen the calls of “I’m dying Mom!”

Bottom line: This is all about Parent sanity when you send your kid off to College. Reducing the number of "I'm dying Mom" calls is sweet. And for the ones you still get, you'll have all the stuff in your medicine cabinet to take care of your College baby! Peace of mind Mama's!