How do I blackout a cotbed?

[OoohOnly90CaloriesIllhave10]

We are living in a house that's temporary. But the whole side of it is a window. You have to climb a ladder to reach the top so it's impossible to use a blackout blind.
We are here for a few months and I need to make the room darker.

With the best will in the world, we cannot put him in another room, there is no room to do so.

His sleep is horrific but I've got a plan with a sleep consultant, it's going to cost me hundreds so I need to get this right.

He has a cot bed, how can I make his small space blacked out for this sleep training (not CC) to work?

There is a black out cover for a travel cot. But that means buying a travel cot and £50 for the travel cot cover which I will do if I have to but I'd rather not spend even more.

Is there anything I can use to black out my baby's cotbed itself?

Ladder-up to blu tac dark paper over the huge window?

I’d look for a local curtain maker, most should be able to offer you a solution. Don’t buy anything before speaking to one.

I wouldn't put anything over a cot.

I'd find a way to sort the window. Surely a ladder would work?

blu tack and metal foil to black out the windows will look like a drug growing business

I'd attach a blackout blind to the top bit and leave it there and then sort the bottom bit out every bedtime.

You can buy stick on black out blinds easily enough - Gro Blinds, I think they are.

That's the window. It's a lot bigger than the picture shows. Buying a curtain from a curtain maker would cost hundreds and we are only here for a few months (hopefully just weeks)

Surely - borrow a ladder. Foil can then be stuck to the window with some temporary fixing (Google).

I have Gro blinds. I would need 4 of them to cover the window.

We couldn't climb a ladder every day to put 4 up. It would be a nightmare.
It isn't an option I'm going to entertain.

Does anyone have suggestions for making the cot area alone, blacked out?

I would just leave the gro blinds up all the time and turn the lights on when you go in the room. It's not ideal but it's temporary.

You need some Magic Blackout Blind it’s called. Comes in a roll and self adheres to the window.

I think it’s going to be tough to do it safely to be honest. It can’t be anything that the child can reach or grab because of risk of entanglement/strangulation. And you also run the risk of making it too hot and not breathable enough.

You wouldn’t peel it off though everyday - could just peel off one to let light in

Could you leave the blinds attached at the top, and roll them half way/to head height each day?

Sorry not what you wanted to hear.
But as others have suggested I would put something permanent up on half the window (like paper with blu tac) then leave a section you can put 1 gro blind up and down each day

Don't put anything over the cot bed

Sticky back plastic. Do half the window from the top and then use black out blinds to do bottom half, or do the whole window and use a light when go in. My 2 kids rooms are blacked out with the gro blinds and I just leave them up all day, they only go in to get ready or to sleep so not too bad turning the light on when needed.

Ok I will just buy the travel cot.

Thanks for the suggestions though.

no - you would put, say, 2 of the Gro blinds at the top and leave them there permanently, and then do the lower 2 every night. I reckon you can buy them easily enough second hand - or sell them once you've finished with them.

Agree with others, you can't out blackout material on the cot bed itself.

OP I meant ask a curtain maker to make you a cot curtain of sorts, hopefully wouldn’t be too pricey

I wouldn’t put anything on the cot itself.

IIRC reducing air flow around baby’s sleeping area is a risk factor for SIDS.

Oh I see!

Sorry I misunderstood two of you.

Ok they are both options that hadn't entered my tired, sleep deprived brain.

Thank you for those ideas.

EmilyStar that worried me as well.

I think that's why they only exist for travel cots, they have mesh at the side as does the black out part.

It's not ideal at all.

If you’re desperate, you can wet tin foil and it will stick to the window - you could do most of it and then take a section off each day. It will look like crap but it’s the easiest and cheapest option.

We had a similar situation when my twins were tiny - we had travel cots (and still use them when we go away) and I looked at those covers but the air flow issues makes me very nervous.

We ended up buying multiple gro blinds - I got them second hand from facebook marketplace. Kept one and sold the rest on again.

If you’re moving very soon can you wait on the sleep consultant?

What about a garden umbrella in a stand with a dark sheet thrown over it? And open on the non window side for air and maybe a fan within ?