Window treatments for nursery -- need advice please

[Kay]

This is the final item I need to choose for the nursery. The walls are painted a medium aqua color. I found a taffeta fabric I love that has thin vertical stripes in aqua, yellow, cream, taupe and a slightly darker blue – it looks like it was made to go with the paint. The window is roughly 6’ wide by 4’ high, and 3’ up from the floor. Because of the distance from floor to window, shape of window, and furniture arrangement, full-length drapery panels would look silly and I am not a fan of short drapes. The fabric is light weight and would not work well for roman shades, especially on such a wide window (plus I sewed a pair of those once and will never do it again).

My plan is to use the fabric to make a tapered valance that will frame the top and part way down the sides of the windows. Then I will use a cordless cellular shade (in a neutral, cream or light taupe color) for light control and privacy.

My dilemma is whether I need cellular shades that are complete blackout shades, or if I can use the medium weight, semi-opaque shades that provide light filtering and privacy, but not total room darkening. One of my mom friends tells me I want blackout shades so the baby will sleep longer. DH thinks semi-opaque should be dark enough for sleeping (I personally have to have blackout shades in the bedroom to sleep, which DH hates). The blackout cellular shades come in a very limited range of colors and look like color dotted onto foil-backed paper, while the semi-opaque look more like fabric. So, the semi-opaque shades look much nicer and I would rather use them from a decorating perspective. I just need advice from the moms and dads about whether I will regret not being able to totally block out light from the baby’s room.

 

[neatfreak]

I have also heard that complete blackouts are ideal. Is the cost prohibitive to change them out to complete blackouts if you find that you need them?

FWIW, I think the valance idea is better for a nursery anyway. Once that bebe gets bigger you don''t want long drapes that she can easily pull down on top of herself ya know?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

long drapes are a no no in baby proofing land. We have a valance. Then I bought a cheap black out roller shade (from Lowe's) that goes UNDER the valance but OVER our plantation blinds (does that make sense?) Please post pics in the nursery thread!

ETA: we do not have any long drapes in our house but I *KNOW* T would be all over them (pulling up/hanging from them) if we did. I am not saying you need to avoid them completely but I think their room and the room they play in the most should be as baby proofed as possible.

 

[TravelingGal]

Well so far, the amount of light has not mattered one whit to Amelia.

We do have blinds in her room, but they way they are, we can''t close them all the way, so there is always light in her room. It''s always been that way and she has no trouble sleeping with daylight seeping in. I prefer it as she can pretty much sleep anywhere now.

I''m sure every kid is different, but for mine, it did not matter.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

TGal, I think light becomes more of an issue with age. Not sure.

 

[Kay]

Date: 9/29/2008 4:36:41 PM
Author: neatfreak
I have also heard that complete blackouts are ideal. Is the cost prohibitive to change them out to complete blackouts if you find that you need them?

FWIW, I think the valance idea is better for a nursery anyway. Once that bebe gets bigger you don''t want long drapes that she can easily pull down on top of herself ya know?

Unfortunately, it would be cost prohibitive to change them out later. A cellular shade for a window that size ranges from $200 to $500 depending on style and manufacturer.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Then I would get the complete black out in case you need it.

 

[Kay]

Date: 9/29/2008 4:40:58 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
long drapes are a no no in baby proofing land. We have a valance. Then I bought a cheap black out roller shade (from Lowe''s) that goes UNDER the valance but OVER our plantation blinds (does that make sense?) Please post pics in the nursery thread!

ETA: we do not have any long drapes in our house but I *KNOW* T would be all over them (pulling up/hanging from them) if we did. I am not saying you need to avoid them completely but I think their room and the room they play in the most should be as baby proofed as possible.

I wish I could do a combo of a blackout roller shade and also a more decorative blind/shade treatment, but our window sills are too shallow -- I can only have one or the other. I mentioned to DH we could just do an inexpensive blackout roller shade because it would be hidden under the valance when it is retracted (so I could hide it when we have company over), but he really hates roller shades and would rather spend extra on the cellular shades.

We have full length silk drapery panels on the sliding glass doors in our bedroom and the living room. I dread having to baby-proof our house before she starts getting mobile.

 

[Kay]

Date: 9/29/2008 4:41:20 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Well so far, the amount of light has not mattered one whit to Amelia.

We do have blinds in her room, but they way they are, we can''t close them all the way, so there is always light in her room. It''s always been that way and she has no trouble sleeping with daylight seeping in. I prefer it as she can pretty much sleep anywhere now.

I''m sure every kid is different, but for mine, it did not matter.

That''s part of why DH would prefer not to get blackout shades -- so she will learn how to sleep with some light in the room, rather than needing to sleep in a completely blackened "cave" like I do. I like the sound of that in theory, but I also don''t want to miss out on extra morning sleep I could be getting if her room were darker, if you KWIM.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Our roller blind is mounted on the wall (not the in the frame). Our house already had the plantation blinds when we bought it. I got it after my friend said her daughter slept in an extra 30 mins-1 hr in the morning with it down. I would only use it at night, not during naps.

ETA: really the only baby proofed rooms in our house is our living/family room where she plays 90% of the time and her bedroom.

 

[Burk]

Another vote for the blackout. It''s great for the morning and T is easily distracted so a little less light allows her less to focus on so she can actually go to sleep for her afternoon naps!

 

[TravelingGal]

Yeah Tacori, it might. She''s an early riser anyway, so I don''t think we''ll lose too much in the near future. Her sleep habits will fluctuate and we''ll just cross bridges when we come to it I guess.

 

[D2B]

TBH, I think if you get them used to sleeping the same as the rest of the family, they wont need blackouts. Of course, there are always the odd really difficult sleeper,where you will try anything to keep your sanity .

But in my circle of mums, no-one has them, and our kids from 18m to 6 years just sleep with the curtain shut and are used to light peeking in outside. If you can I would not use them, as when you travel and stay with grandparents, holidays etc you are creating a dependancy / sleep association that you will not be able to replicate in all environments. My son has a liitle toy bunny he sleeps with as his comforter, that his is one dependency, but at least it is portable

good luck
d2b

 

[Burk]

I just wanted to add that we have blackout shades in T''s room and she is still able to sleep other places (she sleeps at volleyball games, football games, at daycare, ect) with no problems. It just helps her put herself to sleep in her room.

 

[LaraOnline]

I know I''m really late landing on this thread. Sorry.
I would go for the pretty ones, rather than the blackouts, but that''s just me.
I''ve actually never considered black outs. My little boy''s room is darker than my little girl''s, though (we have lined curtains in their rooms), and he always is quick to settle, and does sleep longer...
What did you decide?

 

[Kay]

I, probably foolishly, let DH talk me into getting the pretty semi-opaque shades. He was vehemently against the blackout shades because he does not want her to be dependant on complete darkness to sleep the way I am. I am rethinking how I will do the valance to be able to hide an outside mounted blackout roller shade like Tacori''s if I need to add one later.

 

[Burk]

Don''t worry Kay. It''ll be fine. If you need to, you can always rig something up like Tacori did. Instead of a valance, we did a cornace board....there are pics in the nursery thread. That way you could always put something under the cornace board. Just a thought.

 

[LaraOnline]

To be honest Kay, I think your man does have a point, I have never been the type to shush my household because a child is sleeping, and I think that a child *should* be able to settle anywhere.
They fall asleep in the backyard, in the lounge room, in the car with the sun in their faces...

My beautiful sleeping boy is actually getting up earlier and earlier, little terror. He has worked out that it''s lovely to come in for a cuddle, so perhaps ignore my earlier point about his sleeping habits.

I forgot earlier... he also went through a phase of waking up at 3am - for about six months - so the blackouts wouldn''t have helped then!!!
All babies have their good and bad sleeping days/months - blackouts or no, I''d guess!