There’s simply nothing more important than your baby’s sleep in those first few years of raising your kids.
After all, helping your child get a full night of optimal sleep and a restful nap time is not only good for their health, but it also goes a long way towards maintaining your sanity and balance as a parent.
However, many parents have a hard time getting their child to sleep through the night or take a good long nap during the day.
Here’s the truth.
When direct sunlight is filtering through the window treatments, it signals to your child that it’s time to wake up.
Simply put, when it comes to blackout curtains for your baby’s nursery, “room darkening” just isn’t enough. Those beautifully designed baby nurseries that you see on Pinterest, with plenty of natural light flooding into the room, are sometimes just not realistic.
For parents who are looking for cave-like, total darkness in the nursery room, this article is for you. You need a pitch black, 100% dark room when the baby is trying to sleep.
You are literally trying to re-create the night time at any time of day, am I right?
(By the way, sleep consultants tell us that the ideal level of darkness in a room is one in which you can’t even see your hand in front of you!)
To make it easy for you, we scoured the internet for the absolute best blackout curtains that will actually deliver on complete darkness, keeping the light out of your baby’s room, so you can all sleep well when you need to.
Here are the best options. We included some affiliate links to Amazon.
Let’s dive in!
1. Best Overall: Nicetown Curtains
These blackout curtain panels are the real deal. Nicetown curtains boast tens of thousands of hearty, consistent, positive customer reviews on Amazon, making them a great option for someone who likes fully-vetted products. They are made of 100% polyester, and have a sew-in blackout lining that makes the drapes extra thick, keeping out the sunlight and UV rays.
They come in a pair of two panels, measuring 52 inches x 95 inches each. The grommets have a 1.6 inch inner diameter, and they curtains are quite heavy so you’ll want a strong curtain rod to support them.
Reviewers say they are heavy like hotel curtains, keep the room extremely dark, and even block outside noise from getting in. If you live on a busy street, this could be key to getting better sleep.
Some reviewers have even tracked their sleep before and after using their drapes and found that their sleep quality improved by 30%. They are machine washable and come in ten different colors, including white blackout curtains which are a popular option.
Other reviewers said it is tough to get the wrinkles out of the heavy fabric, but said that some time in the dryer and a gentle ironing did the trick.
2. Best High-End Blackout Curtains: Pottery Barn Kids ($99)
Pottery Barn Kids sets the bar for high quality, stylish black out nursery curtains that get great reviews.
There are tons of options of colors and patterns to go with any nursery theme or child’s bedroom. The blackout lining on the back of the curtains block outside light and keep sound out while your baby is sleeping.
The curtains are made of 70% cotton and 30% linen, and the blackout lining is made of 100% polyester. The soft inverted pleats are aesthetically pleasing. There are a variety of options of top treatments so you can hang them multiple ways, and they are available in four lengths.
You should be aware that these curtains are dry clean only, so if there is a mess or an accident, you can’t just throw them in the washing machine.
3. Best Sheer Blackout Curtain: Pony Dance White Blackout Curtain ($55.95 on Amazon)
If you want a blackout curtain that does not look as heavy or cumbersome, the Pony Dance White Blackout Curtains offer distinctive, versatile design.
The crushed sheer layer gives a dreamy look to your child’s nursery. It comes with two blackout tiebacks and two crushed voile tiebacks so you can style them differently as you please. You can adjust how much light gets through by adjusting the hanging method.
The blackout fabric is made of triple-woven fabric which blocks about 60-75% of light and harmful UV rays. It also protects your furniture from sun damage, and can muffle outside noise.
These curtains have thousands of positive reviews, especially recently. One reviewer put lights behind the sheer curtain for a magical, romantic effect.
These curtains are machine washable and you can steam the wrinkles out as needed.
4. Best Shiny Curtains: Sebastian Rod Pocket Insulated 100% Blackout Window Curtain Panel ($39.99 per panel at Bed Bath & Beyond)
These 100% light blocking curtains are probably designed more for a living room with their shiny finish and traditional style, but some parents might like them in their kid’s room, too. One thing is for sure – they’ll keep the room dark.
Like the other curtains on our list, they will also keep harmful UV rays out of your child’s room, help with noise reduction and block any drafts from the window, providing thermal insulation and regulating the room temperature throughout the year. This can be key in cold months or even to keep the summer heat out, depending on where you live.
These curtains are also 100% polyester, machine washable, and measure 50 inches wide. The rod pocket is 3 inches in diameter.
These are sold in packages of one panel, and come in nine different color options. The color options they offer are good for someone who is looking for a darker color curtain.
Some reviewers describe them as “thick and beautiful” while others say they are not interested in the style, just the opacity, which they deliver on. They definitely have a shiny sheen to them that some people will like and others may not.
Reviewers also said that they hang well right out of the package.
5. Best Value: BGment Thermal Insulated 100% Blackout Curtains ($18.76 on Amazon)
These no-fuss total-blackout curtains on Amazon will maintain a dark environment in your child’s nursery. They are 100% light blocking and also help to keep the room insulated from sound and extreme temperatures from outside, potentially helping you save on those energy bills in winter months.
They are also machine washable making them a good option for kids’ rooms where unexpected messes and accidents tend to happen.
Reviewers said they are thick and that they liked the deep bold colors. There are a wide variety of colors to choose from. All of the color options have a black lining on the back side.
Some reviewers said it was very difficult to get the wrinkles out. In some reviewer’s photos, you can see that a little light escape around the edges, but you can avoid this by placing your rod closer to the ceiling.
6. Best for Travel: The Sleepout Curtain
You may have found the perfect blackout curtains for your nursery, but what about when you travel or spend the night at grandma’s house? A good night’s sleep is even harder to come by in a traveling situation, so this portable blackout shade from The Sleepout Curtain is a great solution to cure your travel sleep woes.
The portable curtain can attach to any window with industrial-strength suction cups, and you can install them at any width. Then you press the curtain to the suction cup to attach it. The sleep out pads on the side of the curtain panel can stick to wood, painted drywall, and fabric.
They are designed to comfortably fit most common bedroom window sizes in North America, and they can be installed horizontally or vertically. You may need to combine more than one depending on how many windows are in your room.
The best part is that it folds up to be about the size of a book, and it comes with a carrying bag. It weighs less than two pounds.
It’s made with OEKO-TEX® and Greenguard® certified true 100% blackout material that blocks all light, UV, and sound, and is thermal insulating. It’s also machine washable.
7. Best Blackout Shades: Chicology Cordless Cellular Shades
For blackout shades that will do the trick during naptime, opt for these Chicology cordless cellular shades. They come in all different sizes, and you can actually cut them down to the size of the window you need.
Especially when paired with a black out or light filtering curtain, your room will be good and dark with these shades. They’re made with 100% polyester yarn with a blackout lining.
8. Best Window Liners: Blackout EZ Window Cover
As we mentioned above, in some instances the sunlight will creep around the tops and sides of a curtain no matter how blackout-conducive the fabric is. The Blackout EZ window cover provides a solution to this problem.
The Blackout EZ window cover provides 100% total window blackout with a velcro fastening system that seals tight around the window frame. It works with your existing window treatment and can be installed or removed daily without tools, making it a great option for daytime naps.
These window liners can easily fit small windows or custom-shaped windows.
9. Best Travel Pod: SlumberPod
Maybe you saw it on Shark Tank! The SlumberPod is a portable, privacy sleep nook that allows babies to sleep in a safe and familiar space, and it offers them room to sit up or stand up inside.
Each Slumber Pod has a premium fabric canopy, ventilation flags, poles, and a carrying bag.
This blackout solution enables babies to sleep wherever they need to – in the living room, in a hotel room, at grandma’s house, at mom’s office, etc.
10. Cutest Blackout Curtains: Vangao Nursery Blackout Curtains
If you’re looking for a curtain that has a little bit of style and whimsy for your child’s room, these Vangao Kids Room Curtains come in simple, fun outer space and star patterns in a few different colors, AND they will block out the light effectively.
They are made of 100% polyester and a triple weave fabric, and come in three different size options. They are machine washable.
Beware that some of the styles purposely allow some light to shine through the stars for a really cool effect! Reviewers describe the fabric as “thick and silky”.
11. Redi Blackout Paper Shades
Readers of one of our favorite Instagram accounts @everydaybestbuy swear by the Redi Blackout Paper Shades, available on Amazon.
You can trim them to obtain the perfect fit inside or outside of your window frame, and install them without a drill. No tools are necessary. They claim to block 99% of the light. A bonus is that there are no cords, which is great for peace of mind and child safety.
You can use them alone or behind existing window treatments.
12. Best DIY solution: Aluminum Foil
If you are waiting for your curtains to arrive and need to get started right away on a black out solution, or if you are on an extremely tight budget, you can actually use aluminum foil and painters tape to achieve a full blackout effect in your child’s room. A black poster or black garbage bag will also do the trick.
More Blackout Curtains
If you’re not as concerned with a pitch black room, or if you are willing to layer solutions for a blackening effect, these curtain options will suffice:
13. Amazon Basics Room Darkening Curtains
14. Wontex Blackout Curtains
15. IKEA Majgull Blackout Curtains
With a few basic color options, these IKEA curtains just might do the trick at an affordable price.
16. Luster Velvet (West Elm)
These thick, luxurious velvet curtains from West Elm come with an optional blackout lining.
17. Lara’s Blackout Velvet (Crate & Barrel)
These velvet curtains from Crate & Barrel get great reviews from buyers, and are stylish to boot. They come in three different color options.
18. Pillowfort Blackout Curtains (Target)
Target offers their own version of a blackout curtain, and in many different color options.
19. Deconovo Blackout Curtains (Amazon)
Solid reviews at a fair price:
20. Amazon Basics Portable Curtain
A good alternative to the travel options listed above:
21. LushLeaf Blackout Curtains
A very affordable option with mixed reviews:
Other Tips for Darkening Your Room
- Use a Blackout Rod: We also recommend this Room Darkening Blackout Rod. It is curved so that no light can escape through the sides.
2. Line your window: No matter what curtain you choose, you need to have some sort of liner or shade on the window for it to fully block out the sun. The light will escape wherever it can. Using a few of these solution together will be your best bet at truly darkening the room during the day. For example, getting the Blackout EZ Liner and your choice of blackout curtains would do the trick.
3. Stay the course: If your child becomes afraid of the dark, sleep consultants recommend keeping the blackout curtain in place but introducing a gentle night light.
Conclusion
We hope you love this curated list of the best nursery blackout curtains.
We know how important your sleep is to your sanity, so we wanted to help save you the time and energy of researching all over the internet for the best options.
We are sending you all the sleepy cave vibes, and we wish you and your family a very restful evening!
Related Posts:
100 Baby Girl Nursery Ideas You’ll Love
Baby Boy Nursery Themes You’ll Love
Gender Neutral Nursery Themes You’ll Love
100 Best Books for Your Baby’s Nursery
8 Best Nursery Recliners According to Reviews
10 Best Glider Rockers For Your Nursery
35 Best Activities for Three Month Olds
Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.
