Curtains

I would be careful cutting out all light and noise. I have friends who have done this and as a result are unable to travel or go anywhere because their kid can't sleep anywhere but at home! Just a thought!

We got nice insulated drapes at Linen N Things - they were $40 a panel and we needed two - but they look great (not stiff and cheap looking) and do their job! I want to say they are Hotel brand - they definitely are hotel quality!

Try using a cool mist humidifier. We use one every night and it drowns out ALL noise.
It has the added benefit of adding some humidity in the air.

They sell some at Bed, Bath and Beyond that cut light completely. I have a friend that works nights and she uses them to sleep during the day.

Hi A., JC Penny Catalog has nice insulated curtains that come in lots of sizes and colors, they're just cotton canvas backed with the insulation. Part of the reason I bought some for my son's room was to block some more light than our blinds do but also it gets really warm in his room because it's southwest exposure. As far as drowning out traffic noise try a white noise machine. If your street is as busy as ours, which I truly hate, it will help.

old quilts work well for both - they're pretty and thick enough to block most light and a big chunk of sound.

Hi A.,
Have you tried looking for insulated curtains? I had a similar problem several years ago with my bedroom being next to a busy street, and the insulated curtains helped a lot.

Good Luck,

TG

LOL!!! hey you! i had no idea you were signed up on here too!

A top decorater once advised my mother to line her drapes with flannel. It not only extends the life of the curtain, but it cuts back light in the room and insulates from heat, cold and noise. You also might consider adding a wooden blind, or JC Penny black out shade under the curtain. Your room will be dark with that shade for sure!
C. S.
OH! Almost forgot! The flannel makes the curtains hang perfectly!

Look for "insulated" curtains....some places will also "custom" make curtains (kid-friendly designs) with the insulating layer. Just make sure that if they guarantee the sizing, that if "they" measure, and the curtains do NOT fit, You do NOT pay! (Likewise, if you measure, MAKE SURE you have the measurements correct, or you'll end up being very unhappy, and out a whole lot more money!!) I used to make my own curtains, but didn't have to have the insulation..I also didn't have any kids at the time! :) (yeah...it was about 20 years ago!)

Good Luck!

Dear A., You can go to the fabric store and get black out lining and use it behind your curtains. It will take just a little sewing or none at all if you use glue to make the area where the rod will go through. Use a rod that is spring loaded and you don't need to add hard wear to your walls. I did this when my daughter was sleeping days & working nights. It works fine.And use a fan for the noise.

A room darkening shade really worked for us and it can be installed with existing window treatments. They do have "black out" curtains, too. Ask at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

A good way to cut out noise is to use a fan. It creates like a white noise so the child does not here a lot of noise outside their room.
Lonie

I love the Pottery Barn, but they can be a bit pricey. Bed Bath and Beyond has a good selection.

Well I have an 8 month old son and he has wooden blinds in his nursery. They are GREAT for shutting out light. To block out noise I have a little box fan that I put near his crib. It really seems to work. I put it on low at night and on medium during the day when he's taking a nap. I guess I didn't exactly answer your question. But thought I'd share. Good Luck ! :)

For 26 years we have used the same Sears room darkening shades! It's now time to replace some of them but they have been wonderful!! We have different window treatments in the rooms but can always pull down the room darkening shades when we need to block the light! Our historical home has 56 BIG windows so we went that route. Hope that helps. Annette

Newborn can get jaudice and vit D defeciencies easily, I wouldn't block the window. If an infant learns to sleep with noise, you can live a normal life, not have your childs waking hours as well as her sleeping hours contol yours or that of your other child.

H., RN OB/Nsy/ L&D
mother of 3 boys

I made curtains for my daughters room. I purchased some felt fabric, hemmed it on four sides then hung it up using a rod and rings w/ clips so I didn't have to sew anything more. They work really well.

As for the noise I suggest a noise machine. I purchased one when my oldest was a month old and they still like to use it. It's comforting and they don't hear every little noise now that they're older (TV, washer, loud cars driving by). Linens N Things carried a great one by Homemedics.

We had a gas rig go up behind our home and had to do the same for our room (it was like daytime at midnight!). Anyway, we found some "blackout" curtains at Target - they had lots of colors to choose from and were reasonably priced for that type of curtain. Our windows were odd shaped so I bought one panel and cut it in half then put it behind the blinds so you really couldn't see them.

Try curtains called "Black Out Curtains". You can find them at www.countrycurtains.com. They also have a lot of curtains and shades that have the black out affect. If you know how to sew, just pick up some of the black out curtain lining fabric at Hobby Lobby and line your curtains for your daughter's room with it. I used it in my daughter's room so the afternoon sun does not mess up her nap. It works like a charm!

I had the same problem! I found some velvet curtains at JCPenney in the Parks Mall. They came in pink/purple/green and have cute little beads on the top as a fringe. I use them along with some room-darkening shades and it does the trick during the day or night...

It's been about a year and a half though, so it's worth to call to see if they still carry them. If you're searching online, just put in for Lined or Insulated curtains, but velvet ones work as well, too.

I finally got smart in my oldest sons room and had black out curtains made for his room and it was SO worth the money. If you can find someone who is good at sewing, I have been told they are very easy to do. Good luck...it has added about 2-3 hours of sleep time for me!

People use velvet for their media room, try to find a light color of them.

I don't know how much sound our black out shades cut out but they do make it dark in my kids's rooms. I got mine at Walmart and you can cut the sides and bottoms yourself to make them fit your window. You have to kinda look closely in the drapery area to find them.

We had the same problem when my 5 year old daughter was an infant. I measured her window (length and width) and bought some black felt. I found it really cheap at Walmart. I also purchased a small tension rod to fit the window.

I have a sewing machine so I turned a 1" section over at the very top and sewed a pocket at the top of the felt to put the rod through. You could also use some of that iron on hem tape if you don't have a sewing machine.

Since we used a tension rod - I would just hang it in her window each night before bedtime (or at nap time during the day) and then in the morning I would take it down and roll it up and put in in the corner of her closet. It definitely cut down on the light and noise in her room. And in the winter it insulated the window more from the cold outside.

Hope this helps. It isn't a decorative idea but it worked really great for us and since it was on a tension rod I only put it up when we needed it. We moved last May and we were still hanging it in her window up to then. It the spring/summer when it stays light outside until 8:30 or 9:00 it was very helpful in getting her to go to sleep.

Pier One has reasonable priced curtain in a tweed like fabric with a lining that does a great job of keeping out sun. Pottery Barn has some too but way to expensive in my opinion.

You can always use blackout shades that can be installed behind your blinds. They are the roll down shades that are solid. You'd be suprised how much noise and light they can block out. When you don't need them, they roll back up and are out of sight until you need them again.

As far as curtains, anything that has a good lining will work and help block out noise and light.