I’m back with this month’s college prep gift for John – First Aid & Medicine Cabinet!
If you want to brush up on this little project, read this post. You’ll also find a ton of great ideas from other readers in the comments.
Class of 2024 – Gifts on the 24th
August: Packing & Moving
September: Laundry
October: First Aid & Medicine Cabinet
November: AirTags
December: Dorm Things Part 1
January: Backpacks and Bags
February: Tools
March: He’s Committed
April: Dorm Bedding
May: Graduation Day Keepsake
June: Dorm Bedroom
July: Dorm Living Room & Kitchenette
August: Dorm Bathroom
To put this together, I basically went through what we have and use at home and bought the same for John. I went primarily with store brands and small quantities, and checked expiration dates as I was buying. I am sure whatever you would put in yours would vary, but here is a (non-comprehensive) list. I didn’t write everything down and don’t want to take it out now. :-) And, I have a couple personal things I added that I don’t feel like sharing on the internet. I recommend starting a list and just adding to it over the course of a few weeks as you think of things. Inside, I also have a note saying that he can share the contents of this box as needed and I will replace any time.
- Bandaids
- Neosporin
- Cleaning wite/spray
- Gauze
- Rolled bandage
- Tylenol
- Advil
- Cold meds
- Cough drops (our favorite are Honees, if you’ve never tried them)
- Pepto
- Narcan (one of my closest friends is passionate about educating parents on this and I am so thankful she is. I do not in any way condone drug use but you NEVER KNOW when you might be in a position to save a life.)
- Thermometer
- Medical tape
- Scissors
- Tweezers
- Latex gloves
- Cold pack
- Hand sanitizer
- Cotton balls
- Masks
- Allergy meds
- Eye drops
- Hydrocortisone
- Petroleum jelly
I have a set of these clear, stackable storage bins for him. I also use them at home and love them.
John has been so appreciative for and excited about these gifts. He told me on receipt of this one that he was already thinking about how he would have to put something like this together and how much he feared it would cost. <3
This is starting to get hard – not knowing what kind of accommodations he might be in next year! Going to have to put my thinking cap on for November.
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All of these gifts have been great! I did a med box also and it was used and replenished many times.
Another box I did was a small “papers” box. May not work well with a male but it had simple personalized note cards, thank you notes, also blank paper and plain business envelopes, and stamps. The items were used more than I thought they would be and thank you notes came in handy when my daughter received care packages. The biggest surprise was the use of business envelopes. Even though she had the files on her computer, we added a print out of the spreadsheet with all of the names/addresses/phone numbers from her graduation announcement list for easy reference if needed.
I love this idea!! Thank you!
My suggestion is to load him up with a family tradition: A DADDY O collection of Zip-locks! 😄😄😄 Jane 🌴
For November do a picture album type of book filled with gifts cards and some cash, so he can come home for the holidays and eat out during finals and extra gas money – now keeping any kid out of that until he is actually gone to school might be a different story..HAHA
This!!!
Jennifer Gardner just shared this brilliant gift idea!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/tvshowbiz/video-3043041/Video-Jennifer-Garner-shares-book-gift-cards-need.html
I saw that and loved it!!
I have loved this idea. I started it a month late with my senior daughter. She loves it and so does my 9th grader. She has something to look forward to!
Great ideas as always from you!
My 9th grader is loving it too. A little sneak peek into their future. <3
It’s already starting to get hard in November? ;) Maybe you have a plan for doing these things later, but the very first things that come to mind for me for a dorm or college apartment are bedding and towels. He’ll need those wherever he lives, so those would be easy ones to check off the list for a couple of months! Another month could be desk supplies. . .a small desk lamp and things like a stapler, tape dispenser, pencil cup, some sort of charging station/dock/organizer, and whatever other desk supplies he might use. Even in this digital age my high school senior still sometimes needs to staple things. :)
I do have a list of ideas longer than 12 months, but some of them are hard not know where he will go and where he will live. Desk supplies and bedding are on there!!
I look forward to these posts each month. I am a college encourager for two college students from our church. I have been sending mini-boxes of similar things from your lists and they have been well-received~even encouraging a thank you note from one of the guys!
I love this!