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a black-out blind that actually blacks out????

Oh ladies

why is nothing ever simple?!

We bought a black out blind for DD's room before she was born and duly fitted it in the hopes that we would end up with a little bundle of joy who slept like a log due to mummy and daddy's incredible foresight and planning ;\)

well needless to say, DD is a bundle of joy but mostly thinks sleep is for wimps! :lol:

So we are now on a full on mission to improve her daytime naps and to that end I need a black-out blind that actually blocks out the light! the one we have is fitted inside the window and lets the light in all along the top and down the sides - what a bloody waste of time!!!

So girls, has anyone got a black-out blind that actually makes it properly dark and keeps the light out!? There must be one out there somewhere - am sure they have them in hotels??!!!

help!!

xxxx

Replies

  • ditto! Emily is exactly the same and her blackout blind is rubbish!

    The grobag blind is supposed to be really good, it is a piece of blackout material on suckers and it sticks directly onto the window. It is about ??30. You get them from amazon.

    However, i have ordered some blackout material and some window suckers and i am going to try and make one myself - it only cost about ??5 for all the bits off ebay! So hopefully it works! I will let you know image

    Lx
  • LOL maybe we should go to our grandparents or great grandparents for advice on what they did during the war!
  • nope, they just do not exist! we hae ceiling to floor black out curtains and they still let in the light even though we have blinds on the windows too. i've came to the conclusion no black out things work! sorry (hopefully someone will contradict me??? please!!!!) xxxxx
  • What about if the window is not to big, put sticky velcro all round the outside of the recess and then have a double layered piece of blackout material all nicely edged etc with velcro all round that then stick it up, so that no light will get through at all. Then just a normal track with tabtops or eyelets over the top. I'm not lucky enough to have that sort of window as mine is 240cm width!! but I am ordering a blind about 10cm too big and fitting it outside the recess in the hope it will help! its either that or paint the darn windows black!! lol
  • I sell the gro anwhere blinds (and also have one for my lo) and they are very popular. I would recommend ;\)
  • Hi him
    We have the Gro Anywhere black-out blind. It's basically a "travel" blind as it's not screwed to the wall so easily removed. It has little sucker pads on it and sticks to the actual glass. You can adjust it too to fit. It really is good, we were having 5am wake-ups but she wakes around 6.30 now, sometimes a bit later! I do also have another blind attached to the wall on the outside but that wouldn't make a difference anyway.
    Well recommended, I got mine from Amazon here:
    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d.html/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1276842859&a=B002B55BNI&sr=8-1

    HTH xx
  • We use tin foil - brilliant stuff!
  • We had the same problem! We bought a white one and put it in the recess but had the same problem with it letting light in all around the sides. So we also bought a dark blue one and put it over the whole window. Now he has two up, plus the curtains which are tied back at the side of the window. All three together JUST about block out the light!
  • We got the gro anywhere black out blind and must say it is great. It does let some light in when lo is going to bed, but can't really blame it cause the sun is directly on the window. When lo was still sleeping in the box room it did block out all the light.

    I haven't found anything yet that does the 100% black out thing. Even the black out blinds I had in my room let some light in on the sides in the morning.
  • we use magic black out film that is static so sticks to the glass you just have to cut it to size, its ruddy fantastic....during the day i just take it down or on a lazy day leave it up and switch the light on instead!
    it was on dragons den and i got it off the web

  • We have the gro anywhere blind and I think it's rubbish. The suckers just don't suction to the window! Maybe I got a duff one as I know others have said they like theirs. We now have: bin liners stuck around window AND the gro blind hooked over the new curtain rail PLUS a black out blind from B&Q and it's STILL not totally dark. Sigh! I give up!

  • We use the gro blind which is fab, but our window is huge so its not quite big enough so on the one bit it doesnt cover I folded a red fleece blanket in half and sort of hung it on the window by closing the window on it and the room is lovely and dark now. Not black, but very dark still.
  • I have given up trying!!!!
    Originally we had a blackout blind and then curtains, light came in through the edges and top, so i put a blackout lining on the curtains, this didnt help either as it came in through the sides and top of the curtains... Then i put bin bags up, which looked most unsightly from outside lol and on a hot day it was like a green house BAKING!!!!!!

    SO no i have velcrod blackout lining to the window it self, then we have a blackout blind, then we have blackout curtains and it STILL lets the light it!! Also now the light comes in through the crackes around the edge of his door haha!!!!!

    xxx
  • we use magic black out film that is static so sticks to the glass you just have to cut it to size, its ruddy fantastic....during the day i just take it down or on a lazy day leave it up and switch the light on instead!
    it was on dragons den and i got it off the web

    x

    I wish I'd seen this sooner - just checked it out on t'internet and it looks fab !
  • well ladies, even if there isn't a perfect solution I feel better that I'm not the only one with a duff black out blind (selfish but true!) :lol:

    LB - let me know how you get on with your home made blind! that sounds like a cracking idea

    I also liked the velcro idea (saw it on here http://easyblindsonline.co.uk/ last night and thought it sounded ace but looks like even that doesn't always work...)

    After all that I think I might just give up and keep telling myself that its good for LO to be able to sleep when there's light pouring in so bright that it's practically giving her a sun tan - roll on winter!!!!!

    xxx
  • i bet after all our efforts to keep the room dark, when winter comes they wont be able to sleep because its too dark and we will be putting the night lights on haha x
  • :lol: when my dd was first born, she wouldn't sleep in the dark! We had a lamp on in our room for about 4 weeks! Crazy! :lol: x
  • Hiya, you can buy blackout material from John Lewis, you could leave the blinds up and make a set of curtains lined with blackout fabric and therefore double up on the blackout fabric used and hopefully this will make it really dark. X
  • I've got one of the gro anywhere black out blinds - the kids room is pitch black with that up and the curtains closed. Seriously - you have to take a torch in with you if you want to check on the kids...

    Its great, and our window is just under the total size of the blind, but there is about an inch an a half overlap of fabric on the edges past the suckers so you have to make sure that is pulled out and laid flat againt the wall\window and it doesn't let any light in at all. image

    Would highly recommend them - and Ladybird - might be an idea for you when you're making yours to leave a section of fabric outside of the suckers to create the same effect image

    xx
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