I just ordered some blackout shades in hopes of helping my 18 month old sleep better. He wakes up in the morning right when the sun comes up and he is sooo grumpy and miserable the rest of the day. As a result of being so overly tired, he will not take a nap either (if he does, it's after an hour long battle and then he'll sleep for 30 minutes only). So we put him to bed extra early on days when he doesn't get a good nap, and then it's impossible to get him to sleep because it's still bright and sunshiny outside. It is very bright in his room, closing the blinds doesn't cut it this summer-- it doesn't get dark til close to 9 and the sun rises around 5:45 and he's used to sleeping from 7-7. Have any of you had success with blackout shades? Thanks ladies!
Sooo buying these $30 blackout shades has been the best purchase i've made since becoming a parent! Now my boy sleeps like a dream--I always thought that he just didn't need as much sleep as all the sleep charts claimed he needed, but since we bought these he's been sleeping 14 hours a day (naps and nighttime) and it's been amazing! he's so much happier, and wakes up giggling and smiling. Our next baby is due in 9 weeks and once we get into our new house that's the first thing i'm putting up in the kids' room and ours! Thanks for all the helpful answers, you guys rock!
We got blackout shades for my daughter's room when she was about a year and they helped SO much! She feel asleep easier and stayed asleep.
I bought black-out curtains for my son's room. Love them! It's so dark that he sleeps with his nightlight during naptime! He was always able to sleep with the light, though, so I can't tell you if he sleeps better. But I bought the curtains to help keep his room cooler (all the sunlight heats the room right up!) and they have helped with that, too! I hope yours work as well as mine do.
My daughter is 19 months old. She still wakes up early, but it's no longer at 5 a.m., now it's closer to 6:30, which is much more manageable. And nap times are a lot easier. I doesn't take her as long to settle down. We just installed ours three weeks ago and it has definitely improved things.
best thing ever! you may need a curtain or something for the light coming in around the edges if it isnt a great fit. that plus something humming in his room (air conditioner/air cleaner depending on the season) makes a huge difference, especially in the summer when the neighborhood stays outside later. got them for my own room too, love them.
I've had blackout curtains in both mine and my sons room and he's had them since birth (3yrs old) they are GREAT. He usually will lay down at night about 8-8:30 depends on the night and he will get up between 7-8 in the morning (sometimes he goes to bed later). At nap time they are even more wonderful, because they think its bedtime not as much of a fight. Sometimes he does sleep longer than I want him to but I just open the shades and with in 10 mins he's awake...they are a life saver!
we got a blackout curtain on Sunday, and already it's kept my 3 year old from coming in before my alarm goes off in the morning.
Yes...Yes...Yes. It IS the only way my daughter will sleep. SHe see's light in the morning and thinks it's time to get up!
We have ours in the master bedroom. There is a definite difference. Love them! For our son, we just found some double fabric cafe curtains that hand just below the sill, at Target for around $24. They work well for his room.
My 5 month old DD was waking up in the morning because of the light and not napping either...I bought some blackout curtains and was disappointed that they were not 100% blackout, but I was relieved that even the shade that they provided was enough for my LO to sleep better! I think they will work for you too - good luck!!
I ordered blackout curtains for my 5-month-old when she wouldn't nap, and they worked beautifully. She is 2 1/2 now and we are still using them. Her room isn't totally dark -- we use a nightlight and there are little lights on her humidifier and monitor that glow in the room, but the blackout curtains block most of the sun. I had to put pillows against the bottom of the curtains and I have the sides of the curtains inconspicuously taped to the wall because I felt that too much sunlight was getting in around the perimeter, wherever the curtains weren't "sealed" against the wall or window. This set-up still works for us so I plan to stay with it. Good luck with yours!
YES, YES, YES!
At about the same age as your son, my son started getting up as soon as daylight came into the room. And as soon as he'd see light, he'd want to get up. SO, I actually tried just putting a brown throw blanket over the window, and like magic, he slept longer. If he'd wake, and see it was still dark, he would let himself go back to sleep. I think on one hand, they helped to keep him from waking so early all the time by keeping the light out, but on the other hand, even when he did wake early, he thought it was still nighttime, and he'd go back to sleep.
I know it doesn't work for everyone, but it sure worked wonders for us!! In fact, I just took ours down, because my son is 4 1/2 and I want him to start to get up a little earlier in preparation for school...
I bought blackout curtains at Target. I think they were $13 each. He is almost 2 and I got them when he was maybe 6 months. They have DEFINITELY helped with naps and summer when it stays light so late into the night.
We moved into our house when my son was 6 months old and his room had the darkening shades (these really heavy duty nice ones) so we were excited. They block out ALL light and are WONDERFUL! Great for his sleeping as an infant and especially great for nap times during the day. He just turned 4 and he still naps 2 hours a day and I really think the blinds help with that! :)
