Dorm bedding

Parent Cafe
1

I’m looking for good dorm bedding (for a typical college bed) - what have you/your kids found that is pretty good? Such as…

  1. Egg crate pad or memory foam pad?
  2. I’m used to cotton sheets ('tis what my parents supply), but I don’t really know that I need cotton - what are your recommendations?
  3. Where do you suggest looking for sheets? My sister had a hard time finding them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond 3 yrs ago… my college links to Our Campus Market, but I don’t really need a lot of the items in their value paks (I have towels, etc. - all I’m looking for is bedding).
  4. Is there anything that you/your kid found to be a must-have?

I think my bedding budget is $100-$200.

Thanks!

2

The twin xl sheets from Target lasted all my kids and are still good. They should have their back to college line out soon.

3

My kids use the memory foam pads from Costco. They swear by them. I will second the twin XL sheets from Target. Get two sets so you can change them out and wash the dirty set when you can. Good firm pillows are a must if you like to sit and work on your bed.

4

I thought BBB had fabulous choices once they start their back to school. I believe investing in a great memory foam is the best thing you can do. Get one at BBB, use a 20% off coupon. The best part is that depending on where you go to college - you can order everything locally and pick up at your college town. We got XL sheets at Target and then BBB.

5

My daughter really appreciated her thick memory foam pad. The mattresses in her dorm were hard and encased in plastic, so it was nice to have a soft layer in between. She bought her sheets from Pottery Barn- the basic set is not expensive and they were really nice and soft. I also recommend a duvet/cover instead of a comforter. The cover alone is much easier to wash.

6

My kids used a featherbed or synthetic featherbed type mattress topper instead of egg crate or memory foam. Not fans of foam. Too hot!

Cotton sheets. If you can’t find a good supply now, don’t worry. They will be plentiful in the coming months as they are the standard for college dorms. Go for quality which doesn’t need to be expensive. Look at places like Marshall’s or sales at places like Macys, etc. Target can be decent quality and reasonable.

Here’s how my kids do bedding - the layers:

Protective mattress cover on top of the mattress.
Featherbed style mattress topper
Good quality fitted sheet - cotton
Good quality flat sheet - optional
Cotton blanket - optional
Comforter or duvet/duvet cover
Pillow and pillow case. Two is better. :slight_smile:

Cozy, comfy beds are important.

I’d get two sets of sheets. One for everything else.

A reading pillow can come in handy if you like studying/reading in bed.

7

@doschicos we did ours as follows:

protective allergen/bed bug zipped cover around the dorm supplied mattress. High quality. Who knows how long that mattress has been around!
Memory foam mattress topper
Mattress pad that covers the topper (most people have a standard mattress pad)
fitted sheet
flat sheet
blanket
comforter or duvet

I think you need to have a mattress pad!

8

Lots of package deals marketed towards college students have cheap polyester sheets. INSIST ON 100%, cotton sheets & pillow cases. Also, comforters with 100% cotton covers are preferable (or cotton duvet cover). Most students dorm rooms will have a variety of temperatures, & only 100% cotton is comfortable year round.

9

BBB or Target. If you pick one near the school, they often have lists of what the colleges suggest ( and what the college prohibits.)

10

we purchased a mattress pad/cover for the memory foam mattress topper, but I never thought to encase the dorm supplied mattress with something as well…that’s a great idea

11

Especially if you are used to sleeping on cotton, stick to cotton. Much nicer. As far as a duvet cover, I know in Europe sometimes that is used instead of a top sheet. That’s a pain, since you don’t want to wash the duvet cover as often as sheets. But if you’ve got a top sheet, the duvet cover makes lots of sense. Wash it once or twice a year unless you’re a real slob :slight_smile:

12

I agree with sticking to 100% cotton. My kids get heat and other rashes, so cotton works best for all of us and is worth it. A light comforter or blanket plus a pair of pillows, plus whatever you feel will help you sleep. Both my kids bought cheap eggcrate foam mattress toppers plus cotton mattress pads.

They had mattress on bottom, then eggcrate pad then mattress pad then bottom sheet. They tossed the pads when their apartments had more space and they got full-size beds.

13

We all love Target’s sheets!!! They’re soft, comfortable, and wash so well!

14

We got this memory foam mattress topper at the recommendation of posters on CC. Major pro was that it did not need airing out, so we were able to leave it in the box until we got to our sons dorm room. Son was very happy with it!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002NEG15E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

We went with amazon basics for the mattress protector and mattress pad.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KBKHYHA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KBKHQXC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cotton blanket and comforter from Walmart. I did order him a fleece blanket later in the fall from Amazon, but he never used it.

We got these sheets - tried to convince him cotton would be better, but he really liked how soft these were and that they had a storage pocket.
https://www.amazon.com/Byourbed-Bedside-Pocket-Twin-Sheet/dp/B072KL4C65/ref=sr_1_9?s=bedbath&srs=14129926011&ie=UTF8&qid=1527604082&sr=1-9

15

I have one tip for you: THIS mattress topper…in x-long so perfect for dorm beds. Last year it was sold out for months so best to order early (both my kids have them…both love them)…7000 positive reviews & counting! :slight_smile: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002DELZ7I/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

16

I was all set to purchase a foam mattress topper from BBB with my 20% off coupon and thought I’d check the reviews on Amazon - it was $100 cheeper on Amazon! Check both sites before you purchase anything! I was shocked and pretty disappointed in BBB…

17

For the extra $50-75 I would get the 3” or 4” gel memory foam pad from either Costco (Novaform $99 when on sale) or from Amazon (slightly cheaper for Lucid). Non-gel foam pads can retain a lot of heat and potentially make things uncomfortable.

18

Another vote for the Costco Novaform foam pad.

19

We just got the Casper layer at Target for D who is first year this Fall. Not cheap but great reviews and I figure she’ll use it for at least 4 years so not a bad investment. Plus it’s supposed to be natural – some of the cheaper foam toppers worry me with weird petrochemicals and such . .

We got sheets and pillow and mattress cover from The Company Store this weekend – on sale plus an extra 20% and free shipping! Also got Target towels.

Waiting on a comforter until she finds out her roommate so they can discuss colors. . . :slight_smile:

20

Another vote for the gel mattress pads. I bought my son an expensive one at BBB with a coupon for his freshman year. He said his old dorm mattress with this pad was far better than his mattress at home and my soon to be freshman daughter agreed when she visited him and sat on it. If he is not ready to part with it this fall and send it to Madison, WI, I will be obliged to get her the same.