Best Nursery Blinds Black Out
Is darkness good for a baby?
Absolutely, YES. It is truly amazing for your baby and in fact is a number one essential component for an excellent night’s sleep.
Why?
Darkness encourages your baby to release the sleep hormone - melatonin
Melatonin is a signal to your baby’s brain that’s time to sleep
The release of this hormone decreases the chance of your baby waking up frequently during the night
And promotes a deeper and more restorative sleep
Babies are not scared of the dark and don’t need any kind of night light.
In fact, any lights will simply distract them and stop them from falling asleep.
As part of the Ideal Sleep Environment your baby’s room should be:
Dark
Cool
Silent
Safe
When you think dark, you should be thinking pitch black. Make it your mission to find any tiny rays of light and block them out.
Because especially after three months your baby will be distracted so easily.
Any kind of light is a major distraction as it is a signal to your baby’s brain that it is in fact morning.
When nooooo it’s four in the morning! Not time to wake up at all.
Black out blinds will honestly be your total saviour and by purchasing on the go black out blinds you will never once have to sacrifice this all important rule.
As well as being dark, your baby’s room should also be cool, silent and safe. Cool means 20 degrees Celsius (68 Farenheit) or lower.
Any hotter and your baby will be more likely to wake up. Heat has been proven to stimulate the body and brain leading to a lighter sleep overall with more chance of frequent wakings.
Silent can be challenging in a busy household but the most important thing to achieve is a constant sound. When there are no sudden noises your baby will not be disturbed.
This is why people use white noise.
However, the jury is still out on white noise and the potential negative impact on a baby’s brain so I switched to soothing classical music. Try Brian Eno’s apollo soundtrack.
We came across it by accident and never went back.
Finally, check your government’s guidelines to ensure your baby’s room is safe and if you need any further information on the ideal sleep environment click here to read an extended blog post.
What to do if your toddler is afraid of the dark
The good news is a baby under two years of age is unlikely to be scared of the dark so you can use your nursery blinds black out as much as you like!
However, sometimes after two years of age your toddler may develop a fear of darkness.
You can solve this by listening fully and acknowledging your toddler’s emotions but not encouraging the fear.
Speak honestly to your child about why darkness is good.
You’ll be surprised how much they can understand.
And most importantly, their newfound aversion will not last.
I left the door open so the room was lighter for a few months while my toddler learnt that darkness is good.
I didn’t rush her. I told her that I understood why she was scared but that darkness is a safe and beautiful place for her to rest and relax.
After two years of age, a toddler’s brain develops rapidly and their imagination is far more complex. It’s important for them to know that everything is OK and that in reality everything is safe.
Darkness is good.
Investing in the best nursery blinds black out will be a purchase of a lifetime because it allows you to control the light in the room and not have disturbed sleep due to early morning sunshine or bright evenings.
They are a must have component of The Abundant Baby Sleep Course which teaches your baby to sleep for 12 hours at night and 2-3 hours during the day.
This kind of consistent and restorative sleep is essential to the growth, happiness and health of your baby.
In order to create complete darkness, you’ll need to find nursery blinds black out which work for your room.
Some windows have more of a gap around the frame and some are more challenging to block out all light.
Also, there are WAY too many black out blinds available.
It’s gets confusing!
How do you know which one is best?
Well, I’ve tried a few!! And one of my favourite baby black out blinds is the GRO Anywhere Black-Out Blind because you can take it on holiday, attach it to pretty much any window (by adjusting the size with the velcro) and it actually makes the room dark.
It’s the kind of darkness where you can’t see your hand in front of your face.
You’re asleep for a full eight hours without waking up once.
Remember when sleep used to be like that?
And that’s the aim for your baby, but not eight hours of sleep, twelve hours!
A totally dark and peaceful environment will be key to helping your baby get there.
GRO Anywhere Nursery Black Out Blinds
PROS
You can adjust the size easily to fit most windows
It blocks out all the light including early morning 5am sunshine!!
Perfect for holidays and at home use
Nursery black out blinds are easy to fold and pack away
CONS
Make sure your window is clean or the black out blind will not stick to the glass
More expensive than other nursery black out blinds but totally worth it due to it’s quality (I’ve had mine for five years)
OVERVIEW
While the GRO Anywhere blind is a more expensive option out of all nursery black out blinds on offer on Amazon, it makes up for the extra price with an easy to use, easy to fold away design that blocks out light for a pitch black room and an excellent night’s sleep for your baby.
Click here to understand what to do if your baby gets overtired. It can be a tough cycle to break!
And if you’re interested in 12 hours of sleep at night and 2 -3 hours during the day click to access my baby led and science backed sleep course from newborn babies to toddlers aged 4 years and over.
