Some of the best cue’s for preparing your baby for bed might include a sound machine, snuggling, reading to them, etc., but a dark room is so important for helping their body begin the process of falling asleep and staying asleep.  

Did you know that when your baby is exposed to light, it tells their brain that it’s time to wake up?

Melatonin, the sleep hormone, can only be secreted in the dark.

Even the slightest bit of light coming in their room can be enough to prevent or interrupt normal sleep. We have some favorite products to combat those early mornings and long summer evenings (and nap time, too!).

We’ll cover some of the least expensive options and a few of the more popular brands of window treatments.

In this post we cover:

• The easiest, most inexpensive blackout solutions

• Our favorite blackout curtains

• Our favorite blackout shades

• Our thoughts on the Slumberpod + a discount code

• Window Inserts

 Aluminum Foil or Black Trash Bags

Aluminum Foil or big black trash bags taped to the window with painters tape are the cheapest options and they work great!

While living in Arizona, I made it my mission to keep the sun and heat out of our bedrooms.  If you’ve ever been there in the summer, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  After moving into a new home, we knew it would be several weeks before we really knew what we wanted to put in the windows permanently, but we also needed something now.  That’s when the Reynold’s aluminum foil went up. 

What a pleasant surprise when I realized it also kept the heat out. The great thing about it was that not even a splinter of sunlight made it through the window, making naps and bedtimes a breeze. 

Aluminum foil in the windows is also our go to solution for when you’re traveling or on vacation.

Click HERE to get your child’s perfect daily schedule! 

Blackout Curtains

Another inexpensive option are blackout curtains.  Just make sure they extend past the window so the light doesn’t get through. Amazon has a large variety of blackout curtains with  great color selections, and they are machine washable. They’re on the heavy side, so a sturdy curtain rod will be necessary. 

Blackout Shades

For a very inexpensive blackout shade solution, we love these $14 peel & stick room darkening shades. We’ve used these in multiple windows and they are 100% blackout. We like these as a temporary solution because they work really well at keeping the light out and keeping the rooms cooler, but they’re time consuming and a little cumbersome to open between naps. I (Jess) have been using them in our rental for the past year because I didn’t want to invest in shades until we move into our forever home later this year.

Blinds.com is a company that has been around for a long time and has excellent customer service.  I (Stacey) have installed the blackout shades in every bedroom of our home and we love how they also add an additional layer of insulation.  If something doesn’t fit just right, the company will send a replacement for free. They have child safe blinds and hundreds of colors to choose from. 

The Slumberpod

One of our favorite blackout solutions is the Slumberpod. The Slumberpod is a privacy pod, basically like a tent that fits over a pack-n-play or toddler cot / mattress. It’s dark inside and completely blacks out your child’s sleep environment. It’s often recommended for travel, but I actually use it every single day (twice a day!) right at home for my kids.

We live in a pretty small home with only one bedroom. During nap time, my two toddlers sleep in an upstairs loft together. It’s open to the rest of the house, so it’s super bright. Having the Slumberpod up there has been a life saver / sanity saver for our family. I use a floor mat or my kids’ crib mattress and put the Slumberpod right over it. At night, our youngest sleeps in it in our room with us in her pack n play.

We’re so thankful for our Slumberpod. Without it our days and nights would be a disaster. With three kids so young and all at different stages with different sleep needs, it has helped tremendously as I juggle everyone’s different sleep times and sleep needs.

I feel confident using the Slumberpod because of the rigorous safety testing it’s been through. It’s also super easy to set up and take down when needed (it’s actually always set up in our loft because we use it so much every day). It’s great for travel and it folds up extra small to fit right inside a suitcase.

A few of our favorite ways to use the Slumberpod:

• For room sharing (either with you or with siblings).

• For when you have a small home and not enough bedrooms.

• For climbers (if you’ve got a toddler who is determined to climb out of their crib, the Slumberpod + pack n play can help deter them and contain them better. The Joovy pack n play is extra long if you have a taller toddler).

• For travel (or for during playdates when a younger sibling needs their nap).

Use code GOODNIGHTHOUSE for $20 off your Slumberpod.

Window Inserts

Indow Window is a company that provides an insert that fits right into the window when you want complete blackout, and they also offer an extra layer of insulation.  It can be stored under a bed when you want the light to come in, so it makes for a really versatile option.  They are a bit pricier than blackout shades, but could be a good option depending on your situation.

Final thoughts

At the Goodnight House, we always recommend that a crib be placed away from windows. Any type of blinds should have child safe pull cords that are out of reach for babies.

Regardless of what type of window covering you use, keeping a room as dark as possible is the best way to help your baby fall asleep and stay asleep. A dark room will also help you maintain the temperature, making for a more comfortable sleeping environment for your baby.