How to Make Your Student’s Dorm Room Bed More Comfortable

When your child comes home this holiday season, they’ll be so excited to tell you all about how their freshman year of college is going. What classes and teachers were the absolute best (or worst) and how good the omelet station is in the dining hall. They’ll have so much to talk to you about, but one thing that many college students can agree on when they return home is how awful their mattress is at school. 

While living in the dorms can have its perks like a floor full of potential friends, the mattresses can leave something to be desired. The bed that can be found in dorm rooms are okay, but don’t always help your student fall asleep with ease. Especially since so many people have previously used the mattress, they may not be as supportive as they once were. 

Before your child heads back to the dorm at the end of all the turkey and festivities, you may want to consider picking up the following.

Mattress Topper

The dorm mattresses are made for durability and are waterproof, so while having a mattress topper that’s water resistant couldn’t hurt, it’s probably not necessary. Instead you can focus on getting them a very nice mattress topper with comfort as its main design focus, which will make their bed feel like they’re sleeping on a cloud. 

The mattress topper will be thicker than a pad, but will be harder to clean. But they do both last for approximately 5 years so they can be with your student until even after they graduate. 

Stop by one of our Gardner showrooms and see our collection of pads and toppers to make a decision of what will work best for your student. 

A Better Sheet Set

Chances are while sifting through lists, advice columns, and the melancholy of a tearful goodbye to your little adult — it’s easy to forget some important things. In the rush to get your child ready for college, you may not have realized that the sheets you bought for their bed might be on the rougher side. While they can be very convenient, the dorm room package from the school might be full of items that are a bit low quality. 

If you bought any sheets in the whole rush, you might want to consider buying them a twin XL sheet set that will help them rest before a big exam. Trust us, they’ll appreciate it. 

The old sheets can be kept in storage as a second set to be used while the sheets with a nicer thread count are in the washing machine. 

A New Mattress

If your student’s dorm mattress isn’t working for them no matter what you do and their lack of sleep is hurting their ability to study, you might want to consider buying them a mattress for their dorm. 

But before buying a new mattress for them, you’ll want to check in with the dorm and the resident hall director to see if it’s possible to do this. Based on their policies, you may not be allowed to bring in a new mattress, but they will work with you and your student to find a solution. This could be even replacing their mattress which might be too worn down and unsupportive. 

Hopefully with a thick mattress topper from Gardner Mattress and new sheets, your student will be able to finally find comfort after a long night at the library.