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?

I've got that snoozeshade for our travel cot when camping. It's fine! Just get a travel cot and one of those shades second hand. Don't faff with windows!

That Snoozeshade looks great @timeforawine. Thanks for sharing.

Surely that's the solution to your problem, OP? I wouldn't be faffing around with a ladder covering those huge windows with things either!

I wish I’d known about those snooze shades when ds4 was little!

Thanks @CatSmize i had the pushchair version and it was a godsend on days out, even at home when she'd only nap in her pushchair

Buy curtains made for a peaked window- expensive but sleep costs!

Tent in room with cot inside and maybe you inside too

See what else could be disturbing sleep - have you looked at reflux, asthma, etc

You can buy travel black out that have suckers for the window. Please dont cover the cot

Is your baby under 6 months? There’s is no way on earth I’d cover a cot, overnight for a baby that young.

Have you ruled out things like reflux or CMPA rather than straight to sleep training?

Paediatric eye path over each eye?

I think the snoozeshade would be the best bet.

I was going to suggest boards that you could stand up against it, but with that shape it wouldn't really work.

*patch. The joke would have worked better if I'd proofread...

People are suggesting snoozeshade but that's for a buggy isn't it?

I did consider a baby eyepatch (jokingly oobvs)

Don't cover a cot, especially if your child is under 6 months old!

Go to Argos and get some free standing clothes hangers. Put them around the cot bed with black out curtains draped over them so that the cot bed is in their shade.
You could even use a double duvet case from the clothes hanger and pin it up high or to the wall above cot bed.

www.wayfair.co.uk/Symple-Stuff--Two-Tier-Heavy-Duty-Clothes-Rack-U001081328-L7328-K~U000564701.html?refid=GX295555934807-U000564701_824568812&device=m&ptid=649926250507&targetid=pla-649926250507&network=g&ireid=64765980&PiID%5B%5D=824568812&device=m&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-5K594OW5AIVwuR3Ch23egfREAQYByABEgKSdPD_BwE

Something like this with blackout curtains hung over it..

"People are suggesting snoozeshade but that's for a buggy isn't it?"

Did you even click the link the PP shared?
It's literally the solution you were asking for.

Personally I would use some kind of stick-on blackout material on most of the windows and leave them up all the time. I would leave a standard window sized gap to let some light in during the day and put gro blinds or similar to cover during the night.

My concern about the snoozeshade over the cot is that if baby gets used to sleeping with it in on, they might have trouble adjusting if you move and want to stop using it.

Actually thinking about it, because you'll be sleep training, you really need the whole room to be dark and not just the cot.

You said that you're not doing controlled crying - so I assume you're going to do some kind of PUPD (pick up put down) and/or gradual retreat - this means that baby will be in your arms some of the time, and/or will be in the cot and will want/need to see you.

If you have a snoozeshade over the cot they won't be able to see you and if you take them out of the cot they'll go from a dark cot to a bright room. It will make them less sleepy not more sleepy.

Won't work at all.

Since you own the house, could you attach some curtain rods to the ceiling around the cot, and then hang blackout fabric from it? Would only leave small screw holes in the ceiling which could be easily filled and covered by the buyers.

Do NOT cover a cot or use a tent Jesus, just the thought of that is making me feel panicky!!

Borrow a ladder and use foil or what pp's have suggested.

Or just some hooks would work! If the ceilings are too high, you could get some tall clothes rails, room divider screens and make a large sectioned off area and drape blackout fabric over that?

The air flow with the travel cot cover makes me nervous - I considered them for the twins before we moved as they were sleeping in travel cots anyway but I didn’t feel confident about air circulation. I know they have mesh sides and so do travel cots, but a double layer of mesh surely restricts air flow? I’d be less concerned about it over a normal cot to be honest!

I’ve used one of those snoozeshade things - the temperature inside the travel cot went up significantly (we left the monitor in the cot so we could see) - not safe at all I’m afraid.

I don’t understand how you don’t have another room without a big ass window and I also don’t understand why you’re sleep training what is obviously a tiny baby. Please don’t ‘blackout’ the cot, that’s idiocy.

I agree,don't waste your money on a sleep trainer at 6months, it's just hell at this stage and you just have to ride it out. You say you don't sleep in the day, you need to get your head down whenever possible to catch up,even if you don't sleep properly,resting will help.

i’ve just moved into a flat with a giant front window, and have used Tempo Shade stick on blinds. they’re pleated paper, stick to the top of the window and come with clips so you can raise of lower them.

they were about £22 for 6 blinds on Amazon - i’m fairly sure they do a blackout version. you just measure, cut with scissors and stick them on. i am very, very impressed with them.

worth looking into?

Why wouldn't you get 4 from blinds? Sounds like money well spent to me.

** gro not from

Do not cover the cot. That doesn't look safe.