Tips for darkening the bedroom

A lot of babies sleep better in a very dark room.  Scientifically light interferes with melatonin levels, which is why often you wake when the sun starts to come up and it is getting lighter.  So an easy fix for early morning wakings is to make sure the room is pitch black.  (Some people even believe things like nightlights can interfere with melatonin so I don't even have nightlights).  

Our nursery had 3 bay windows and they were floor to ceiling in length.  And in the middle there was a half-moon windo.  The nursery was so cute with sage green chiffon swag valances and ivory miniblinds.  BUT I realized how extremely bright it was! It was very bright in the day for naps.  And even the night didn't get that dark, plus the issue of the early morning light.  So I sacrificed aesthetics for functionality and got some room darkening curtains.  I had trouble finding 3 of the same color and originally had ivory but noticed that the dark brown cut the light a lot more.  An added bonus was it really helped keep the room cooler in the hot Texas summers!  Someone said that Target sells room darkening liners that you can put under any curtains and I would think that would allow you to have a real cute looking nursery and functionality.  I just learned about this so I will look into it for my third.  I missed the original look of the nursery but the benefits definitely outweighed the cons.

So here are some tips from moms on how they darkened their rooms:

• Tin foil taped to the inside of the window works very well.  It may look a bit odd to the neighbors, but they will get over it.    And probably copy the idea for their own kids.

• Tagboard or cardboard can do the same thing.  A bonus: Have your older kids decorate both sides with crayons/markers.  Or have a colouring party with your spouse.

• You can buy special blackout shades and curtains. Some brands are Eclipse (and I have found that the darker the color the better they filter out light).  Target has some liners that you can put under any curtain you have, which is a nice aesthetic option and still allows you to have a real cute looking nursery.

• Hanging blankets or towels over the curtain rod, in front of the curtains.  Watch out for too much weight.  You don't want a middle of the night crash scaring the daylights out of everyone. 

• Buy a twin or double flat sheet.  Cut it in half lengthwise and fasten to the inside of the curtains with safety pins.    

• Black trashbags-this is a good temporary thing when you travel and need to quickly darken a room (One mom even clipped these on skirt hangers and hung on the window)
• Black felt. (We are currently in a rental and I have this over the blinds now for a temporary fix...I just have then pinned up.  This is a quick cheap option and you can just go to a fabric store and buy several yards)

So here's to a dark room!:)