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Do You Need Blackout Curtains for The Nursery?

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Do You Need Blackout Curtains for The Nursery?

Everyone, not just babies, tends to sleep better in a dark and silent room.

As such, you’ve probably thought of installing blackout curtains in your baby’s nursery.

So, Do You Need Blackout Curtains for The Nursery?

The answer to that question is “yes.” The function of blackout curtains is in the name – they are used to eliminate the bright moonlight and sunlight flooding into the room. Another seldom mentioned benefit of these curtains is their ability to assist in room temperature regulation. For these reasons, blackout curtains can be integral in putting the baby to sleep faster and keeping them asleep longer with minimal interruptions.

For Nurseries, Blackout Curtains Have 2 Functions

When it comes to setting up a nursery for your baby, there are two reasons to install the best quality blackout curtains you could find.

  1. Firstly, they will establish a conducive sleeping environment for your baby.
  2. Secondly – and most importantly as far as small children are concerned –they also help keep excess cold and heat at bay.

Darkness Is Great for Quality Sleep

Sleep experts recommend that you sleep in a partly or completely dark room if you want to get the most out of your sleep.

The same applies to babies – a dark nursery ensures the baby sleeps better and for longer.

Truth be said; the womb isn’t exactly sunny and bright.

When the room is completely dark, your baby will doze off into a deep sleep quite fast although there’s a good chance they’ll be terrified when they wake up in the dark.

Related: Is It Better To Leave Curtains Open Or Closed When Away From Home?

How does darkness promote better sleep, to begin with?

There is a scientific explanation behind it.

Melatonin, the sleep hormone, is secreted by the pineal glands in the brain to put a person to sleep as per the Circadian rhythm.

However, this hormone is secreted more readily in darkness than in presence of light.

That’s why you often find it hard to fall asleep in brightly lit rooms.

While adults can take synthetic melatonin, which can be even purchased online nowadays, small children shouldn’t be exposed to it – a darkly lit room and a nurturing mother is enough for them.

Blackout Curtains Can Regulate the Room Temperatures

Besides light regulation, a nursery needs to operate within certain temperature limits.

Anything between 61 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit would be great.

During the summertime when the outside temperatures are high, and you have lots of sunlight sneaking through your windows into the living space, these temperature limits can be near impossible to achieve.

Typical airy and light curtains may be beautiful with all sorts of design florals and pattern curtains, but they certainly can’t filter out the excess heat.

The cold air of wintertime can be an issue as well.

If your home still has the old energy-inefficient windows, drafts of cold air could end up in your baby’s nursery.

This doesn’t mean you should pile a bunch of blankets on your baby.

The best gamble for you would be blackout curtains.

They are made to be thick enough to reduce the amount of heat that gets indoors even when the windows are open.

As such, whether you wish to stop cold drafts or heat waves from reaching your baby’s nursery, blackout curtains are the most practical solution for you.

Blackout Curtains Are One Thing, Room Darkening Are Another

There are actually two different kinds of light-blocking curtains –

  1. room darkening curtains
  2. and blackout curtains.

While there’s a raging debate on the degree to which they block light, there’s a considerable difference in how they work.

The former simply reduces the amount of light reaching the room while the latter takes an extra step to create what you’d interpret as some sort of blackout or complete blockage.

Both of them, however, are great light inhibitors.

You are less likely to face a dilemma choosing between them if basic light inhibition is your primary goal.

Still, you will need to go through the description details on each product to ensure you are purchasing the correct type of curtain.

How to Buy the Correct Blackout Curtains for The Nursery

First things first, read the label on the curtain to know if dealing with the real thing.

If you are looking for blackout curtains that guarantee complete darkness, then look for the word “blackout” in the description.

The difference between blackout curtains and similar curtains is their ability to block 100% of all light entering the room from outside.

The label on these curtains normally reads “100%.”The absence of this clear assertion should tip you off that you are not dealing with genuine blackout curtains.

Just like anything else, blackout curtains are not without a few setbacks.

Firstly, they are heavy, meaning you must install sturdy hardware before you hang them on their rod.

The last thing you want is your newly installed curtains to snap the string and crash down in the dead of the night.

Secondly, this kind of curtains is remarkably expensive even compared to room darkening curtains.

Thirdly, and probably the most regrettable drawback as far as baby nurseries are concerned, is that they come in limited color and style choices.

Most of the blackout curtains you will find in the store are plain white, brown, or black. But we have your back.

We found a few blackout curtains that have color and style. They include:

Just How Good Are Room Darkening Curtains?

It is easy to mistake room darkening curtains with blackout curtains but these two are as different as a lily standing near a thorn, especially if you examine them more closely.

Apart from the “100%” wording which is only found in the description of blackout curtains, you will realize that room darkening curtains keep most of the light out, not all of it like in their blackout counterparts.

A typical room darkening curtain removes between 93 and 97% of outdoor light.

Also, they are less thick and more affordable compared to blackout curtains. Some of them can regulate the temperature of your baby’s nursery.

Their drawbacks are very much the same as those you’ll find in blackout curtains. For example, they are heavy compared to traditional curtains and will require special installation to work.

Here are a few products:

Conclusion

So, do you need blackout curtains for the nursery?

Absolutely.

Your baby needs to relax in a dark room to have quality sleep.

But because babies tend to start getting scared of complete darkness as they grow, you will need to be there to lull them to sleep because and only cover the windows when they fall asleep.

If you don’t like the idea of blackout curtains, you can opt for room darkening curtains.