How bright is your nursery when the lights are off? In the city, it can be hard to fall asleep - even when it is dark outside, city street lights mean it is never really dark, which is why we are such big fans of blackout curtains.
De rigueur in good hotels, blackout curtains block light and sound, and even a high-powered flashlight held directly against the fabric of these didn't shine through to the other side. If you have a light-sensitive baby, these might help.
But blackout curtains do more than block the light.
We have heavy brown velvet paisley drapes in our bedroom and I just love them. They do exactly what the blackout curtains you describe do. Block out drafts, make it dark enough for my shift worker husband to be able to sleep soundly no matter what time of the day and they also block out noise, which is also helpful.
Pricey but worth every dime.
Any suggestions for MIY/DIY blackout curtains. We bought our last pair from Pottery Barn (great recommend from AT:8step) but after a life change we don't have the budget for those. Thanks,
We bought blackout fabric from the fabric store and sewed them onto the back of our Pottery Barn curtains ourselves.
Birk, I extolled the virtues of a dark nursery in yesterday's discussion of absolute necessities. We too were facing some budget constraints and the PB ones were too pricey. While I can't offer a MIY suggestion, we found some inexpensive dark chenille curtains at JC Penny that have been perfect, but that's when they accompany closed venetian blinds. For a completely dark room without doubling up, I'd suggest these
http://tinyurl.com/9ycdn
Not super stylish, but touches can be added (a appealing piece of fabric sewn on as halfnhalf mentioned, stylish tiebacks like these http://tinyurl.com/34fsly ). Even without anything added, the utter darkness... good sleep can transcend design.
The problem with blackout curtains is that you don't get hints of light letting you know when the sun is rising. For me, I get really groggy in the morning if I don't get a little bit of sun early and also wake in the night afraid I've slept in. I prefer thick curtains that block much of the light but not too much. But for a nursury, I can see the advantage.
Ikea's Tupplur curtains claim to completely block out light. And $50-60 per pair is a lot better than PB. Anyone ever tried them?
We have the Tupplur curtains from Ikea. They're not the most beautiful things, but they do keep out the light. And they insulate well, too. We have a huge single pane window which is in the path of headlights and a street light, and the Tupplur (and a set of blinds) keep it dark and warm at night.
I just got blackout curtains from Overstock last month.
They are great! I wish I had gotten them years ago. I have them on a double rod, with a cheap pair of translucent Ikea printed curtains behind them. That way I get several options, plus a tiny bit of light to wake me up, since the blackout curtains are further away from the window.
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We began using blackout curtains in our nursery so my son would nap - we now have them in every bedroom in our home - they are fabulous!
You can order custom length blackout curtains at http://www.idreamofdrapery.com - you can order them using their fabric or mail in your own fabric and they will add the blackout lining which is a nice option if you have access to a fabric store.
Their are also differences in blackout lining. You will want to use a higher end lining that feels like fabric and not like a plastic bag. Unfortunately, most of the retail fabric stores carry the really cheap lining so you may have to contact a professional drapery workroom for the good stuff.
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