Should You Use Nursery Blackout Curtains? Everything You Need to Know

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As new parents, when you have a baby, you will find yourself stuck making many decisions and wading through a lot of advice and choices.

This is especially true when you are designing your little one’s nursery.

A popular trend that seems to be popping up everywhere is adding blackout curtains to your baby’s room windows. But is this a good option for you?

Using blackout curtains could actually be very beneficial in a nursery. It will help keep natural sunlight and movements out of your child’s vision, keeping them calm and relaxed throughout the night. It is also beneficial in keeping the temperature of the room perfect for a comfortable baby.

If you are debating whether you want to use a blackout curtain in your baby’s nursery, the below information will help you better understand how it could make bedtime easier for you and your child.

Should You Use Blackout Curtains in the Nursery?

There are no real negatives behind using blackout curtains in your baby’s nursery. It is not a permanent fixture that cannot be pulled back or removed if it doesn’t work for you.

However, after reading this article, you won’t want to live without them!

Adults have loved using blackout curtains for many years, especially those who work the night shift.

These make afternoon naps and long nights sleep comfortable and peaceful, helping you wake up refreshed.

Using these curtains in your baby’s nursery is going to provide these same benefits to your baby, making sleep better for you both. 

Pros of Blackout Curtains for Nurseries

Below are several benefits of using blackout curtains in your baby’s room: 

Keeps Outside Light Outside

Your child’s body creates melatonin from the moment they are born. This melatonin is produced when you have limited exposure to daylight, this telling your body it is time for bed. 

For many little children, there are moments when you want them to take a nap, or the sun has yet to set when it’s time for them to go to bed. Having blackout curtains will help trick your baby’s brain into thinking it is dark out, naturally producing melatonin and lulling your baby to sleep.

Having a room that is dark at the right time of day can really help to regulate your baby’s circadian rhythm and aide in healthy sleep routines.

Your baby’s sleep schedule will be a lot easier to follow if they can fall asleep easily. They’ll also be a lot more content if they get the right hours of sleep that they need.

Keeps the Nursery Room’s Temperature Adequate

Another great quality of blackout curtains is that it helps keep your nursery at its ideal and constant temperature.

These thick heavy curtains are made from a material that works great for keeping your child’s room cool on hot summer days and warm during cold winter nights, never letting the elements outside the window make their way into the room. 

Keeping your baby warm during cold nights has been a source of concern for many parents who fear overheating their child with too many blankets, or even worse, the baby suffocating on them.

Using blackout curtains to control the air temperature can save you the worry of adding another layer of clothing or an extra blanket to the crib.

Related: The Best Bassinet for Breastfeeding Moms: 3 Top Choices

Blackout Curtains Can Double as Sound-Proof Curtains

The things available for your child’s nursery today are incredible and extremely beneficial in making bedtime a breeze.

If blackout curtains weren’t exciting enough, there are blackout curtain brands that actually have the added bonus of being able to block outside noise as well.

Like blackout curtains, noise-canceling curtains are made from a thick and dense material that absorbs noise, making it seem much softer and less noticeable. 

When you use a blackout/noise-reducing curtain, your child will not be distracted from noises outside, which can not only help them fall asleep but will also help reduce their sleep disruption throughout the night.

Waking a baby up in the middle of their sleep cycle or even reducing the quality of those sleep cycles can be just as bad as a complete lack of sleep.

Noise reduction wasn’t a reason we chose to use blackout curtains, but it is a great added benefit.

Induces a Calming Feel

Simply being in a dark room can help a child and parent feel much calmer and less restless. This is because artificial indoor lighting can be distracting and can even lead to depression or negative feelings that can cause your child to become restless and unable to fall asleep. A lack of sleep, or proper sleep, can cause your child to be cranky and irritated and lead to other negative health-related problems. 

Having blackout curtains that you can simply pull closed when you want your child to feel calm and safe and unbothered from any light coming from outside is a great way to lull them to sleep.

Cons of Blackout Curtains for Nurseries

Blackout curtains could be a great addition to your nursery for all of the reasons listed above. However, like most other choices you will be making when choosing the right setup for your baby’s room, there are a few downfalls:

• Price: Because these curtains use up a lot of thick material, the cost will be much higher than the cost of regular curtains.
• Material: The materials used to make these curtains are much thicker than regular curtains, requiring heavy-duty curtain rods and a strong window frame to hold them up.
• Limited Choices: It’s a lot harder to maintain a nursery theme when using blackout curtains. Because of the material type used to make them, they are usually only available in the most basic colors like black, white, and tan.

But, although these curtains can be expensive, big, bulky, and bland, it doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t be “fixed up” and even used to enhance the look of your baby’s nursery with the right budget. Here are some tips for using your blackout shades to capture your baby’s room in a beautiful light:

• Make your own curtains. Purchase a thick material that you think would match your baby’s decor and sew away. This can help you avoid the cost of more expensive blackout curtain options. 
• Use a set of normal curtains. An easy solution to matching your curtains with your theme is by purchasing lighter curtains that can be draped in front of the blackout ones, giving you the best of both worlds.
• Buy lighter colors. Light colors like white and khaki can make the room appear bigger.
• If you hang your curtains higher on the wall above the window, it can make the room look larger and more spacious.
• Spice up basic blackout curtains with cute iron-on patches or designs. DIY projects can not only be an inexpensive and easier way to decorate your nursery, but it may also be a lot of fun.
• Have fun with the hardware. Buy fancy or unique hardware to help enhance the look of the window dressing. Try a golden curtain rod with a large faux-diamond on each end or a black rod with lace swiveled from one end to the other.

Blackout vs. Darkening Curtains for Nurseries 

One last thing to note: there are two types of “blackout” curtains: 100% blackout curtains and room darkening curtains. 

• Blackout Curtains: Blackout curtains will be labeled as 100% blackout; they will eliminate any light from coming into a room from the outside. 
• Darkening Curtains: These curtains will make the room much darker than basic curtains but not completely. The percentage of coverage from darkening curtains can be anywhere from 93% to 97%.

Even the smallest hint of light is going to cause a change in your baby’s activity level. While both of these options effectively help your baby sleep, it is best to purchase total blackout curtains to keep all hints of light, sound, and unwanted weather, out of your child’s room for a better night’s sleep.

The Best Blackout Curtains

If you do decide that adding blackout curtains to your baby’s nursery is what you want to do then you’ll want to know which the best ones are to pick.

Different colors can work better than others, so keep that in mind. For instance, it is can be tricky finding white blackout curtains that adequately block out the light.

Using a darker shade can simplify things, but you also want to go with the color palette of the room.

Color options aside, different window treatments also make a difference.

You can get complete blackout blind solutions where a runner is placed around the window sill and the blind slides into it so there are no gaps for natural light to come through. This results in complete darkness.

We have used a roller black out blind in our nursery along with blackout curtains overtop. The roller blind has a blackout liner on the back of it which does most of the work.

I like having blackout blinds with curtains as well because the windows still look pretty and soft with the addition of the curtains. It gives a nice, polished look.

For us, this was more to do with blocking out the hot summer sun and not just to create a dark environment. It doesn’t actually give total darkness but the room is very dark overall.

Thermal insulation helps with the temperature issue as well, so look for that option when doing your research.

Black out shades coupled with curtains can make for a great solution and they aren’t overly expensive. If you’re looking for a low price and an affordable way to do this, then using both treatments is my recommendation.

There are so many great blackout curtains available now. In order to make a great choice you just need to research and choose what you’re really after.

Finally, if you have a very small budget or can’t do anything permanent, then these are the blackout shades for you.

They have little suction cups on them and attach directly on the window. If you only have a small window or even just one that isn’t overly large, then these will work.

You can use them in the nursery room and take them with you when you travel. They’re a great option for small budgets and windows of different sizes.

Conclusion

Blackout curtains are a wonderful addition to your baby’s nursery. Using them over the windows to block out light and sound and maintain a safe and comfortable room temperature can instantly make any room relaxing and ideal for a great night’s sleep. 

If you are trying to set up the perfect nursery to help you and your baby get through many long nights, these curtains are a great place to start!