I decided to trial Amazon Prime, but after reading reviews of the Kindle Fire (8 and 16 GB), decided against ordering one. I was thinking it would be good for Skyping with D16 and reading books/mags. But it sounded too problematic. Oh, well.
Student night at one of our local BB&B. I bought everything he picked out last week. Dorm mountain went from nothing last Friday to scary big. Got roommate assignments and room assignment this morning so now will wait for 4 18 y/o boys to make contact and coordinate on shared living room and kitchenette items.
So, bedbug mattress cases are for keeping bedbugs out?! Is there evidence a mattress case reduces the risk of infestation? If a bedbug winds up in one’s dorm room, I would think early detection and extermination measures are the only defense. How do colleges address bedbugs in a dorm? Off to hunt Google.
Good luck @gettingschooled . My son has 5 other suitemates, but it has been pretty seamless so far.
I liked this piece of bedbug/dorm info:
http://barnard.edu/reslife/policies/bed-bugs
The Google found a bedbug article from CC, which seemed a bit “off.” However, it did mention diatomaceous earth as a way to kill bedbugs. So, I’ll check more into that.
I’m definitely going to read a few more college bedbug policies, like the one from Barnard above. Now I’m paranoid about bedbugs.
It seems like endless vigilance is the approach I’ll urge D16 to use. I’ll skip the mattress cover, and keep fingers crossed.
This reminds me that I decided against an overnight at a motel for a coming trip with D16 because the Yelp reviews reported bedbugs (with photos). So, we converted the planned trip into a day-trip with no overnight. (At this point, we’ve now cancelled the whole trip, as D16’s desires for her final weeks at home keep morphing.)
Now, in addition to teaching D16 about stain removal, I’ll be adding “household pests management” to her life-skills training before school starts. 
Now I see this, from a uni: “Mattress Encasements: There are encasements made that can cover mattresses and box springs that both prevents bed bugs from infesting the original mattress and makes bed bug inspections much easier. Encased mattresses are also easier to clean if bed bugs are found.”
Know of any discounts on bedbug-proof mattress cases?
No joke, @dyiu13, I am itching in places right now.
This was icky to read: “Close your suitcase, travel bag, when you’re not using it. This way, during the night the bugs may move over top of your luggage with greater difficulty to get inside.”
Sheesh.
"So, bedbug mattress cases are for keeping bedbugs out?! Is there evidence a mattress case reduces the risk of infestation? "
My son’s pulmonologist told me that mattress cases suffocate any bedbugs which may be in a mattress, ensuring that there is no chance of a host of bed bugs finding permanent refuge in the mattress/bedspring. In line with that was the added protection of keeping any bedbugs from entering or returning to the mattress.
Additionally, keeping towels off of the bedding was a recommendation. I think he said the moist environment, replete with freshly washed and sloughed skin cells, are a draw for the little buggers.
I know a college student (living in an apartment) that had to deal with an infestation just this year. It involved her father driving 9 hours to help clean up and purchase her a brand new bed. Not fun.
My older kid had an encounter with bed bugs (not at school or associated with dorms or hotels at all) and told me to definitely get a bedbug mattress cover for D16. They are really not fun to deal with. They can hide even in books and can live a year without food. You can’t just spray pesticides and they’re gone. We had to educate ourselves while we tried to help her long distance, and learned more than we ever wanted to know. They aren’t dangerous but they are really not fun. Ironically, when older kid moved into dorm, the store was sold out of regular mattress covers and we got the bedbug kind. She hated it and got rid of it eventually. She’s a believer now. I think the primary purpose of the cover is to keep anything already in the mattress from escaping. I’ll suggest not taking chances. A twin xl bedbug mattress cover with pillow cover is under $30 at Target. And the best info for combatting the things is to start with the EPA website.
My son’s med/ first aid kit includes Guaifenesin (Mucinex), Pseudoephedrine, nail care items and tweezers in addition to things other people have mentioned.
D did request that I get “cute” bandaids because she is convinced that they work better. I plan to include most of what’s already been mentioned, along with store brand Midol, which seems more effective than Advil alone for her, and Aftabite or something similar. It works great on random bug bites or unexplained itchy patches.
Hey all, just popping in, and am picking a random spot in the very long list of messages to begin reading! Have been spending the summer mostly detoxing from the Year of the College Apps, lol. I get a little PTSD when I sign in to College Confidential 
Re: thank you notes, that’s a good rule, @4kids2graduate. My daughter’s got done at some point; she was one of the earliest grads here, I think, and did not receive a ton of gifts anyway.
@Midwest67, seems like she picked the ideal time to switch majors, before the year got underway! Sounds like a happy switch for her too, hooray!
Re: laundry and cooking, honestly I’m not doing much of either for anyone, which I guess is kind of pathetic considering my homemaker status. But so many schedules and varied preferences…eh, it’s easier to let people do it the way they want. I did talk the 12 year old through cooking a box of pasta this evening, which I believe she ate plain,lol
@gettingschooled , I have plans to majorly move things around this year. D13 is getting married and D16 won’t care so much where she sleeps when she returns. Turning the downstairs into a teen suite for the rising 7th grader, who will be around for a while yet!
@me29034, hooray for housing assignments! And @carolinamom2boys, 40 days…wow, it will FLY by! I know @sseamom leaves in 3 weeks!
Re: shopping, we have done nothing about that.
My husband has some professional expertise re: bedbugs and it is a real concern in college dorms (also hospitals, ack!!) I’m not sure how effective the mattress covers have proven to be, but if they are truly impervious, it could indeed make inspections easier. My husband actually removes attached headboards from the wall when we go into motel rooms to look for them there! 
Bed bugs seem to be a big issue on college campuses these days. D12 was offered a host at an ivy league medical school dorm when she went for admitted days recently and they had to retract the hosting because the dorm had to go through a clean up. The med school had to put a whole bunch of visiting admitted students at their cost in hotels.
For relief from bug bite itching we have found the blend in Burt’s Bees Herbal Blemish Stick, which is actually a small roll-on applicator of a liquid, to provide brief, instantaneous relief.
It is not scent-free, as it is infused with willow bark tea tree, we did not find it high in an unpleasant or overpowering smell. I think it kind of smells like a mild licorice.
We have not used it for bed bug bites, but for mosquito and flea bites.
@sseamom: I just saw Afterbite for the first time yesterday. Anyone here ever used it?
For bug bites the Benadryl stick works well and I got Benadryl itch stopping gel from Walmart and I like it. Mosquitoes love me for some reason.
@me29034, glad D got her roommate! Did she go to Pittstart yet?
Northeastern uses plastic encased mattresses - they are very vigilant about bed bugs - it’s one of the reasons you can’t bring any other furniture into the room (except a desk chair). Because of that I never bothered with the plastic zipped coverings.
I put together a first aid kit for my son. I was amazed at how much I spent - on generics! My D who will be a senior next year said she really liked having one of the hot/cold packs - you put it in the freezer for cold, microwave for hot - for aches and pains. She said hers got used. Also the thermometer was popular int he dorm.
Afterbite works well, though I got benadryl cream for the first aid kit. Didn’t even think of after bite - I probably didn’t see it at Target. Also, make sure your student knows what everything in the first aid kit is. Since I buy mostly generics, the names aren’t always the names people use regularly. We went over everything - I dont’ expect him to remember it, but at least it should all be familiar.
I bought those disposable thermometer covers too. And the hot/cold pack is a good idea.
Basically I wanted her to have the main OTC meds she might need for cold, fever, pain, etc.
Yes, buying all this stuff plus body and hair care items (for a girl, I guess for guys they make 1 in 3 products) was quite costly.
I need a “yuck” button for all those bug posts…
@Waiting2exhale I first encountered Aftabite in my dad’s drugstore, so I’ve been using it with success for a long time. Good old Witch Hazel works too, though it’s not portable like the stick kind. I wasn’t thinking for bedbug bites though. D reacts strongly to ANY bite, so I keep it around. We use generics here for most everything, but I will need to make sure D knows what is what.
For those who are not opposed to shopping at Walmart-they have generics of the most popular OTC stuff for only a dollar or so. The last time I got some first aid cream it was 88 cents. Also, for girls, those stick-on capsaicin patches can be a real help at certain times of the month. They last many hours and don’t need plugging in like a heating pad!