Blackout blinds again...

[Fionn]

I need some advice on our 23 month old who has started waking at 5.30am again after being "trained" out of pre-5am waking a few months ago. The curtains in the boys' room are really thin and let loads of light through, so light probably is the culprit, though I'm not 100% convinced. It never affected our oldest (and still doesn't in the mornings), but he is now suddenly very reluctant to go to sleep at bedtime, which is 8pm ish for both of them. The youngest sleeps from 8.30pm to 5.30am or so then has a 2-hour nap 2-4pm, which I'm reluctant to stop, but would gladly cut it down to add on another 1/2 hour to his morning sleep. I can live with 6am but before that is just too uncivilised!
I got a quote from a local curtain shop of £150 for blackout lining plus £50 to sew it in. I don't mind the labour cost but the cost of the blackout material seemed very high. I'll ring John Lewis for a quote, but don't want to pay loads for something that might make no difference. Does everyone swear by blackout blinds or could I just have a natural early riser?

[Fionn]

And again..oops!

[Enid]

I had a pair of tapestry William Morris curtains made and lined (NOT for dd's room I hasten to add ) and they cost £300 - and the fabric was £45 a metre! So £200 for blackout curtains sounds a bit mad...

Blooming Marvellous do clip-on blackout linings. A blackout blind costs about £30 from John Lewis depending on the size of your window.

It is very easy to tack in the blackout lining yourself. I think mine cost about 9.95 a metre but I can't be sure.

[pupuce]

We got ours made by C&W Fabrics (huge window) for 160 GBP - all inclusive. It will make the room very dark but not pitch black... but it helps them stay "sedated"... My son was waking up at 6 for weeks and now sleeping every day (youppe) until 7!!! I do think they go through stages. Make sure your son is VERY active during the day (getting them to play outside helps!).

[bettys]

I found adding blackout lining (from John Lewis) to the curtains made a huge difference to ds's summer waking hours. As Enid says it's very easy to sew in yourself, or you could even use self-adhesive velcro.
Personally I wouldn't dream of paying what you've been quoted, especially as it's such an easy task, but it is worth doing

[pupuce]

I have to say for 160 I got a 2.50 x 1.50 metre wide roll-out blind in dark blue.

[bayleaf]

Have a look in Yellow pages - you must have some sort of mill shop nearby - ours sells white black out lining at £3 a metre - which does make your quote seem a little excessive - black out blinds can be expensive - we paid £45 even in B and Q - but Argos - and as someone has said Littlewoods are cheaper - I'd defintely say it was worth trying black out - but unless you're seriously well off I'd try for a cheaper option!!!!

[Fionn]

No I'm not seriously well off and even if I was I wouldn't pay what I was quoted! The woman in the shop said she'd reduce the total by £30 when I obviously wasn't going to accept the quote, so I she must have thought I looked gullible!
Many thanks for all the suggestions. I am unbelievably hopeless with a needle and thread - my dp is better than me - so I don't mind paying someone to sew them in if I can get the material at a reasonable price.

[Tinker]

Check your local market - I got mine for £4 a metre and tacked them to the curtains myself.

[pupuce]

I agree with what others have said and for DD I bought the lining (Laura Ashley in my case) and lined the curtains myself but have to say the blinds use a different kind of black out material which is far more rigid. The result was excellent - very pro but for that kind of money that's the least I can expect.
MIL paid the 160 GBP anyway... nothing's too good for her grand son !

[Eve]

Ikea is best & cheapest place to buy blackout blinds....think mine was about £18. They come in different sizes and you can cut them to fit.