When it comes to getting great shuteye, most sleep experts agree that a cool and—most importantly—dark environment is ideal. Assuming baby isn’t already sleeping in a windowless closet (#nojudgement), you’ll likely need blackout shades or blackout drapes to transform baby’s nursery—no matter how beautifully lit by natural light during the day time—into a perfect sleep den for your little. Here's what you need to do:
1. Measure. Make sure to measure the width, length, and also the depth of the interior trim. These last two measurements are especially important if you’re planning to use inset blackout shades rather than full length drapes.
2. Choose a style (and a price point). Window treatments easily scale from $30 to $3000+ depending on the size of your window and the quality of your window treatment’s fabric and styling. These are the most popular styles:
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- Full Length Blackout Drapes – Full length blackout drapes can be gorgeous and add a bit of drama to many spaces, especially ones with higher ceilings. This is often the priciest option, since it requires the most fabric and hardware.
- Blackout Roman Shades – Blackout roman shades can often have similar price points to blackout drapes, but depending on the size and style of your windows and interior, they may suit your room best.
- Blackout Roller Shades – For a clean, modern look, blackout roller shades can be an excellent (and less expensive) option than Roman shades or drapes.
- Blackout Cellular / Honeycomb Shades – These are the workhorses of modern blackout shades. They are neither attractive nor unattractive, but they get the job done inoffensively.
- Light-Filtering Shades – You can add a second light-filtering solar shade to any of these options to help block light (and heat) during the brightest parts of the day without blacking out the entire room.
Full Length Drapes
Roman Shades
Roller Shades
Honeycomb Shades
3. Choose a fabric (and hardware). Once you choose your style, choose a few fabrics/colors you think you might love in baby’s nursery. If you can, order a few fabric swatches so you can test them out in the actual room and make sure you love them before you buy a custom (often non-returnable) window treatment.
Best Custom and Semi-Custom Window Treatments:
Best Off-the-Rack Window Treatments (for standard-sized windows):
4. Then order! If you’re choosing custom window treatments, expect a lead time of at least 4-8 weeks. If you’re desperate for a solution in the meantime, you can always hang some super classy black trash bags until your window treatments arrive.
Featured photo from Stefani Stein.