If you are looking for blackout curtains for a nursery so that that they will block the sun rays and darken the nap room then you are in the right place. We will go over the blackout and other qualities that good curtain panels for nursery should have to allow children to sleep well.
Well rested children will have good nursery experience which will make their parents happy too. After all, it’s the parents who are writing you checks, right?
Children Under 6 Sleep Up To 12 Hours Or Longer
Children tend to sleep long hours when they are under 6 years old, as much as 12 hours total, according to the WebMD site.
I still remember how my father drove me to a nursery every day when I was 4 years old. Us children would get there quite early in the morning, as early as 6 AM. Then we would play in the playroom. Then we would eat a meal, and when the weather was nice, go out in the nature for a walk.
Nap Time! When Blackout Curtains For A Nursery Become Essential!
After we got back to the nursery from the trip, or after several hours of play, drawing pictures or just having fun time together, there would always be a scheduled time for the afternoon nap. The toys would have to be put away. The collapsible beds would be spread all across the floor. Then, of course, the room darkening curtains would be closed. They would allow us kids to get some rest and preferably fall asleep.
Sometimes I could not sleep even though I was tired. My eyes would wander across the room, and I was watching the two nursery wardens pace around the room, whispering to each other, watching over kids. I noticed some of other kids also couldn’t sleep. Definitely, the room wasn’t as dark as it could be!
What To Look For In Blackout Curtains For A Nursery
But your nursery can do better. Today, there is a good selection of blackout curtains for nurseries. Such as curtains with blackout lining. Be sure to also look for good thermal insulation and noise reduction in blackout panels for nursery. As for accessories, a wrap-around rod will be beneficial. Let’s look into more details on what to look to improve the children’s experience.
Blackout
What should you look for in blackout curtains for a nursery? You should look for the curtains that have a label “Blackout” on them. Often, these curtains will be heavier than normal, and will have special blackout or thermal lining in the back. Pay attention to the color. Given the same materials, a darker curtain will still take out more light than a light curtain. So go for darker blackout curtain colors and you will allow even the most sensitive child in the nursery to sleep well.
Thermal Insulation
Sometimes you see a label “Thermal” or “Insulating” on the curtain. This means that the special lining on the back will also reduce the heat going in and out of the room through the curtain. This will save energy in the winter and keep the room cooler in the summer. In addition, in a nursery, thermal insulation plays another important role. Thermal insulating curtains will keep the temperature in the room more steady. This is important during the kids sleep. You want to prevent excessive temperature variations during the kids sleep. And by the way, that is true with or without air conditioning, and even when you allow fresh air to come in through the window.
Noise Reduction
Not all curtains will reduce the noise equally. Is your nursery windows are facing a busy street? Then clearly the rush hour traffic can disturb the kids’ sleep. The good news is that, we have found blackout curtains that stop noise the most, see recommendations below.
With any curtain that stops some of the noise, you can achieve even more noise reduction. Do that by installing more panels, so that the curtain is fuller even when closed. We recommend purchasing total width of the curtain panels to be 2.5x – 3x wider than the window width. This means that you should buy 3-4 panels for your window instead of just 2 panels! By doing so, you can double or triple noise reduction when compared to the curtains that are stretched flat when closed.
The length of the curtains should allow them to extend at least 10-20 inches above and below the window edge.
You can read more about how heavy curtains (like heavy velvet and suede curtains) can dramatically reduce noise. Check out this article: Best Heavy Curtains For Soundproofing Home. Such curtains work best when they are “full” or “pleated” even when closed.
Colors
Surely, in nurseries, vivid shades of pink, purple, yellow or blue are preferred curtain colors. However, as we mentioned earlier, lighter colors may let in more light. Choose darker colors for maximum blackout. In addition, the types of curtains that block the most noise (velvet or suede) may not be available in vivid colors. Just something to consider if sound reduction and complete blackout is important for your kids.
Accessories
If you are getting curtain rods together with the curtains, look into “wraparound” rods. These allow the curtain to wrap into the wall. The curtains will be able to close the gap between the curtain and the wall on both sides. That way, neither the sound nor the light or heat will be able to escape through the air gap on each side of the window.
Reviews Of Best Blackout Curtains For A Nursery We Found
We have searched the largest stores on the internet and found that Eclipse Blackout Curtains (for kids and adults) have good blackout properties. They have good thermal insulation and decent noise reduction as reported by many buyers.
Some Eclipse Blackout Curtains are available in vivid kids colors, take a look at Eclipse Kendall Kids Blackout Curtains review.
When you are really concerned about noise reduction in addition to blackout, but are willing to settle for less vivid color choices. You should look at our review of the curtain model we found has the better blackout, thermal AND sound reduction properties: Eclipse Suede Energy Efficient Curtains review. Even better, and our favorite for sound absorption, are Absolute Zero Velvet Curtains.
