Amid the hustle and bustle of preparing for a new baby, most parents-to-be are concentrating on the main features of the nursery such as the cot, toys and clothes. However, something that could make or break those early months (at least from a sleep perspective), is the choice of window treatment.
It should hopefully go without saying that the darker a room, the better we sleep. As such, the choice of blinds for a new-born baby should be an obvious choice – with the blackout blind solution being one of the best around in this regard. As the name suggests, it completely shuts out natural light and in the process, it should buy your little one (and you) a few more hours sleep every now and again.
But, should you stick with blackout blinds?
At this point, most potential parents are far too busy to be considering other types of window treatments. The decision has been made, and blackout blinds will serve a great purpose for the first year or so. Naturally, there are more important issues to contend with at present.
However, we are going to just throw out a few issues which you should be thinking about. Over time, your little one won’t be as reliant on that pitch-black room, and other factors need to be considered.
For example, as soon as they are able to walk, you have to consider the dangers that some blinds promote. Cords are the obvious issue and while you can purchase blackout blinds that are cordless, there are still many on the market that aren’t. Now is the time to double-check that your set of blinds is completely safe for your toddler who loves to climb – but also ask yourself whether or not the current style is suitable.
We’re not really talking about having the latest Disney blinds at this point (unfortunately, this might be another change you have to make in a couple of years). Instead, we’re talking from a practicality point of view. We’ve looked at the safety – now, you need to question whether or not these blinds are really suitable for a small child who will inevitably get up to no good.
Sticky hands and other messy substances will all, at some point, end up on your window treatments. As much as curtains can make a child’s room, at this point we’d warn against them and suggest something more durable. It doesn’t have to be forever, but if you do opt for curtains or blinds in a fabric material you will constantly be taking them down, cleaning them, potentially ironing them, before re-installing them.
Instead, materials that can always be wiped should be at the forefront of your mind. Either natural or faux wood is a good option, while aluminium is also renowned for its low-maintenance nature. Admittedly, it’s difficult to create any sort of real character by such materials, but after a while when your child has grown out of the “sticky hands” phase you can start to consider solutions which bring a little more character to the nursery.