All-Star College Care Packages

[fiercerando88]

first of all, the journal thing is amazing! i hope when i have kids, i remember that idea!!

my mom would always send me little care packages with all sorts of random things. they would usually include necessities, such as, tampons, deodorant, razors, etc. since she knew i'd always need that stuff. (in the winter that also included some tylenol/nyquil/tissues/things for colds since i am sick 24/7)

YES x1000 to the medicine. That was such a huge, huge help for me. My school was only 40 minutes away from my house, but receiving mail was always exciting, even if it was random little things. Don't just send things for special occasions, or when she calls either. Getting the random package on a day when you least expect it makes it that much better! And honestly, no matter what you send, I'm sure she'll appreciate it because she'll know you were thinking of her.

 

[jcheermom]

first of all, the journal thing is amazing! i hope when i have kids, i remember that idea!!

my mom would always send me little care packages with all sorts of random things. they would usually include necessities, such as, tampons, deodorant, razors, etc. since she knew i'd always need that stuff. (in the winter that also included some tylenol/nyquil/tissues/things for colds since i am sick 24/7)

she would include some of my favorite snacks and something baked from home - usually homemade rice krispy treats since i had no kitchen in the dorms and couldn't make them.

one time, she sent me homemade applesauce (which is one of my top 5 favorite foods.) she froze it before sending and purchased some dry ice at our local grocery and a small Styrofoam cooler and it kept perfectly.

i think my favorite care package was when i was starting to feel homesick... i am from a small beach town in nj. (from march to november, i literally spend every second on the beach tanning, swimming, kayaking, fishing, walking my dogs, etc. so the beach is very much a part of me.) i don't think i realized how much it was a part of me until this beach kid was stuck up high in the pocono mountains with no water in sight. so my mom went to the boardwalk and bought me some silly "jersey girl" tshirt that was for tourists and something i'd never in a million years wear (but i wore it to sleep most nights at school, don't tell ;)) she also included cotton candy and salt water taffy and my favorite part: a cute glass bottle filled with the beach's sand (and a message in the bottle) and a seashell she found that day. this care package meant the most to me and i'll always remember it.


yes, that was a long story but maybe it'll spark some ideas about your CP's hometown too, just in case she gets homesick :D

Ohhh, that's so sweet!! I love stories like that! Please do remember to make a journal for your child like I did for all of mine. I have an older son whom I didn't give his journal to when he left for college because I didn't think that he would appreciate the meaning as much, so he will get his when he is older. But CP will get hers and I think that she will cherish it. I will encourage her to write in it about what it meant to her to receive it.
I'm really excited to hear all of these ideas to include when doing her care packages. This helps me to come up with so many creative paths that I can take.

 

[BuegeSmalls]

I sure hope my parents do this for me when I go to school in August!
Things I would love to get in a care package
-books (I love reading)
-magazines (frugal college kid will not be buyin these herself and will new to keep up with the latest celebrity gossip!)
-Chapstick (my addiction)
-homemade cookies or sweets
-new products from bath & body works or Victoria's secret
-movies

That's all I can think of for now...

My aunts, mom, sisters and I put together one of these for my cousin when she left last year. We put in a lot of things that had to do with little inside jokes we had over the years (we had tons). We also gave her a picture book filled with pictures of all of us together, swarovski crystal covered pen (for looking stylish while taking notes of course), iTunes cards, chocolate covered Oreos (her favorite) and some other cute things

ETA: I think it would be cool if my parents sent me a cute bow or tshirt from my favorite gym as like a suprise gift. If she's cheering in college she will get a lot of use out of it!

 

[mommadonna]

I made a college basket for my niece and gave it to her for her HS graduation. I tried to think of all the things that nobody else would think of that she would actually need. Now, when she's getting ready to open a late night can of chicken soup and she realizes she needs a can opener, she'll have one, and hopefully she'll realize how much I love her and want her to be taken care of! I used a laundry basket...again, something practical that she can use. In it, I put things like a can opener, band aids, ibuprofen, neosporin ointment, laundry detergent, basic dishes, paper towels, trash bags, k-cups, a cool mug, pens, little pads of paper, batteries, scissors.... you know, all the stuff that you realize you need right when you need them. So now, it should go like, "Oh crap...I need a....oh wait! I have that in that basket my aunt gave me!" :kiss:

 

[retiredl5cheer]

My best friend's older sister gave her the ultimate college gift... a pink bedazzled flask. ;)

 

[cheerheart4life]

Thanks for the letter and little gift ideas! I'm going to make sure I send one to my sister each month(:

 

[jcheermom]

My best friend's older sister gave her the ultimate college gift... a pink bedazzled flask. ;)

Now that is the ultimate college gift, but she might need to wait til her 18th birthday since she is still 17, :D

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

I sure hope my parents do this for me when I go to school in August!
Things I would love to get in a care package
-books (I love reading)
-magazines (frugal college kid will not be buyin these herself and will new to keep up with the latest celebrity gossip!)
-Chapstick (my addiction)
-homemade cookies or sweets
-new products from bath & body works or Victoria's secret
-movies

That's all I can think of for now...

My aunts, mom, sisters and I put together one of these for my cousin when she left last year. We put in a lot of things that had to do with little inside jokes we had over the years (we had tons). We also gave her a picture book filled with pictures of all of us together, swarovski crystal covered pen (for looking stylish while taking notes of course), iTunes cards, chocolate covered Oreos (her favorite) and some other cute things

ETA: I think it would be cool if my parents sent me a cute bow or tshirt from my favorite gym as like a suprise gift. If she's cheering in college she will get a lot of use out of it!

While I really do LOVE to read, I would stay away from books. You really wont have time to read nor will you want to unless its like a before bed, light read thing, but I doubt you'll be needing any. They'll just take up space.

But the magazines are a great idea! My suite mates and I use magazines all the time to spice up our bland walls. You can even do cool things like cutting out letters and putting quotes on your wall or make collages.

If you wanna give her something really cool, get her a microwavable rice cooker from a place like Pampered Chef (e.g. The Pampered Chef, Ltd. ). Even though its a tad pricey for a piece of plastic, you will not regret getting it for her, she will love you for it. I have the one from the link and you can't imagine what you can cook in there in the microwave. I've made rice, pasta, max and cheese from the box, those rice side things andddd the best part is, you can make cake, brownies and cookies (kinda) in it in the microwave. Just make up the mix and follow the instructions on the box, put the lid on and pop it in the microwave for 9 minutes. The cake is the best. It comes out sooooo moist, it's probably some of the best cake I've ever had, which is crazy. I always get compliments on it when I make it for friends birthdays. My friends are borrowing it constantly!

My mom usually sends me care packages and some cool things she's sent me are window paint for peel and stick things, Crayola Window Markers: Crystal Effects (so cool), Washable Crayola Crayons (to write all over the wall with and then at the end of the year it washes right off, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works best for taking it off), home made rice krispy treats and chocolate covered pretzel sticks, newspapers from home (it's nice to know whats going on at home while you're away, plus I love comics), DVDs, a cheap Polariod camera which is pretty cool to use with friends (instant walls decorations!) and clothes. My mom sent me plain colored t-shirts once, never thought I'd use them but if you like Pinterest, you can find 1,001 things to do with them and used them up!

 

[BuegeSmalls]

For suprise gifts you can send her anything that remind you of her. So let's say you see some cute hair clips in her favorite color, send them to her. Or if you see a shirt with a smiley face send it to her and say something like "I miss your big smile" might sound cheesy but if my mom did that for me it would make my day.

 

[PullandPray23]

A gift card to ID Chief.com ;)

haha just kidding about that last part (its so much more practical to just use a credit card on there) But I love to get just goodies...candy, pictures, cards, gift cards, face clothes...they disappear like crazy...Tylenol, Advil...we appreciate the little stuff way more when your away from home :/

 

[laughAlittle]

Candy!

 

[Eyes On The Prize]

A gift card to ID Chief.com ;)

YOU ARE TERRIBLE :P

 

[SandeRae]

One of the best surprises I ever got my first year was a package in the mail with a dress I had my eye on! The dress was kind of pricey and I had sent the link to my mom along with my birthday list and, while I didn't get the dress for my birthday, it came in the mail about a month later with a personal note from my mom! It was awesome that she remembered and it was nice that it was random and such a surprise. Maybe just keep in mind some things that she has said that she wanted and randomly surprise her with them! Other good things to include are:
- Food that she can only get from home ( For example, I love Trader Joe's grocery store and there isnt one in Auburn :( )
- Magazines/Books
-Toiletry items
-Gift cards to local places
-Craft supplies ( you seriously need a ton at college and can never have enough, it seems weird but it comes in handy!)
-Movies
-A new blanket ( those no sew fleece ones you can make yourself are awesome!)
- Practical things like stain remover, laundry detergent, a sewing kit, a first aid kit, a small tool set, etc
And one other thing that was always awesome was the Holiday Care Packages I would get from my mom! A lot of the time I wasn't able to go home for smaller holidays like Halloween, St Nicholas Day ( were Norwegian so we celebrate it too!), and Easter so send her packages with things relating to the holiday! Its hard to celebrate them away from home for the first time so maybe just a small package with things or items relating to the holiday would help!

 

[njallday]

-Craft supplies ( you seriously need a ton at college and can never have enough, it seems weird but it comes in handy!)

forgot about this! another one of my favorites was a crayola 96 pack of crayons and lots of coloring books!! you'd be surprised how much being an "adult" reverts you back to being a small child :p

 

[Deleted member 584]

When my dad sent me care packages, he would always throw something completely random in them, once I got a light bulb and and other time he sent me a quarter he found on my bedroom floor... Little things but always made me laugh at my most stressed moments..