thought it was time for a new blackout blind thread!!

[madgirl]

we moved house last year, and sleep is an ongoing issue with ds who is 3 next month. in his last bedroom he had 90% blackout which my mum made by buying a large piece of blackout material and semi-sticking it around the window frame with velcro. i don't really want to do this this time round as it looks quite ugly and as part of my new (well- 100th) strategy to get ds to sleep vaguely sensibly for at least half of the week (ambitious i know) i am wanting to buy new bedline, matching curtains etc etc. this is a very rambling pre-cursor to asking how roller blackout blinds work- the type you buy in argos, and actually how the lining in curtains works- ie HOW DO YOU STOP THE LIGHT COMING IN THE SIDES OF THE BLIND/WINDOW? am i being really thick? anyone got easy way of doing it or can recommend a brand/shop? thanks all.........

A blind and curtains is the only way to get complete blackness.It worked for us

noddy do you mean curtains with lining and where did you get your blind?

I bought black out curtains from Rosebys. They are pretty good but we have to put things along the window sill to stop the light coming under them IYKWIM.

As long as the blind is blackout the curtains neednt be.I had mine made by a local curtainmaker but only because my windows are funny shapes and sizesArgos do a really good cheapish one and they are available online.

are the argos ones easy to alter, or do you ahve to buy exactly the right size??
this is fantastic- thanks so muchx

We got a blackout blind from Ikea (pale blue - a lot less noticeable than the navy one we had at our old house), and blackout linings.

If you get one of those ordinary curtain tracks instead of a pole there is a lot less light gets in around the edges. You could also consider putting velcro down the outside edges of the linings/Curtains, to flatten down the edges to the wall. This won't be noticeable as they will be almost flat to the wall on a track anyway.

HTH

We got blackout linings and blinds from Dunelm Mills. To be honest it's not abolute darkness - but then ds doesn't actually like total darkness so we have to have a nightlight anyway - but it is enough to simulate nightime with streetlights during the day.

Hooray! I will be going to Argos having done the ugly velcro panel thing