Blinds and curtains for nurseries and kids' rooms

The best nursery blinds are blockout roller blinds with ZeroGravity cordless control, because they darken the room for daytime naps and leave no chain within reach of a cot. A full blockout cassette closes more of the edge light, and blockout curtains add a soft layer if you prefer fabric. Whichever you choose, plan the control and the position of the cot before you order.

What a nursery window needs

A nursery window has a small, specific brief. It needs to make the room dark enough for a daytime nap, work quietly with one hand while you hold a baby, and keep anything that hangs or dangles away from the cot.

It also helps if it wipes clean, and if the colour is calm and neutral. The room will change in a few years, so it makes sense to choose a blind that still works when the cot becomes a bed.

Nursery blinds compared

Cords, chains and safety

Whichever control you choose, follow the instructions supplied with your product and work through these steps.

1. Choose cordless or motorised for a nursery or a young child's room. ZeroGravity cordless has no chain and lifts by hand at the base rail. It suits blinds up to 3 m wide and 3 m drop.
2. If you use a chain, fit the safety device supplied. It stops the chain forming a loop over 220 mm. Fit it as the instructions show.
3. Keep the chain out of reach. Choose the chain side that is furthest from the cot and any changing table.
4. Keep cots, beds and climbable furniture away from the window and away from any blind control.
5. Keep remotes and chargers out of reach if you use a motorised blind.

The ZeroGravity cordless roller blinds page explains how the system works, and chain, cordless or motorised compares the three controls for other rooms. For safety habits across every kind of blind, see blind cord safety.

Getting the room dark enough for naps

A darker room can make it easier for a baby to settle for a daytime nap. The fabric matters, but so does the fit.

• Blockout fabric. Blockout roller blinds stop light passing through the cloth.
• Face fit with a standard roll. Fitting the blind on the wall around the window and choosing an under roll cuts the light gaps. Some sites call this outside mount.
• A full cassette. The cassette roller blind has a headbox, side channels and a bottom channel around a matched blockout blind. It needs 50 mm of clear depth in a recess, cannot be retrofitted and does not allow a front roll.
• Curtains as a second layer. Blockout curtains hung wider than the window catch the edge light.

Even with all of these, a little light can still show at the edges. You can read more about the gaps in blockout vs blackout blinds, which also covers the spelling: blockout and blackout are the same thing.

Nursery curtains

Curtains give a nursery softness, and they are a good second layer over a blind. For a nursery:

• Blockout curtains in Galaxy or Epic stop light through the cloth. Epic comes in Chalk, Cloud, Smoke, Putty, Pewter, Cobblestone, Ash and Ebony.
• Sheer curtains in Cassis, Cassis Volume or Bali soften the daylight, but they give only daytime privacy.
• Lined curtains sew a blockout lining behind a sheer, so both layers move together on one track.
• Double curtains put a sheer and a blockout on two tracks, drawn separately.

The catch is cleaning (see the care notes below). In a room with spills, a roller blind that you dust or wipe with a damp sponge is easier. See our blockout curtains if you want the coated fabric.

Motorised control for a nursery

A battery motor needs no mains wiring and suits a DIY install. It lets you close the blind from the doorway without reaching across the cot, and a compatible smart hub can add timers and scenes, such as closing the blind at nap time. One motor drives one blind, and the battery needs charging. Read more about motorised roller blinds.

Colours and fabrics for a nursery

Neutral colours suit a nursery because they last. Try Allure Snow, Ultra Cream, Shade Biscuiti or Array Moon Grey for a blind, and Cassis Volume Pearl or Bali Blush for a sheer. Add bright colour with soft furnishings and change it when the room does.

Order free samples and look at them during the day, when the room is used for naps, as well as at night. A fabric that looks warm in the morning can look grey at dusk.

Plan the room before you order

The blind is only one part of the window. Sketch the room first, then decide.

• Cot position. Place the cot against an inside wall, away from the window, the blind and any curtain wand.
• Control side. Choose a chain or base rail position you can reach easily but a child in the cot or on the changing table cannot.
• Window handles. A front roll sits further from the glass and can clear handles and winders, but it is not possible with a cassette.
• Depth. Check recess depth in the guide for your blind: the roller blind measuring guide or the cassette roller blinds measuring guide.
• Floor space. Leave clear floor beside the window for a curtain to stack, and for a chair if you feed or settle your baby there.

Keeping nursery blinds clean

Nurseries collect dust, fingerprints and the occasional spill. Dust a roller blind with a soft cloth, wipe it with a damp sponge and dry it, and never use abrasive or solvent cleaners. Do not roll the fabric away while it is damp, and test any product on a hidden spot first. How to clean roller blinds has the full method.

Sheer curtains are hand wash only, and blockout curtains need a professional wet clean or a hand wash at 40 degrees Celsius at most. A roller blind on the window, with curtains beside or over it, can be the easier combination to look after.

From nursery to kids' room

The same blind can carry a room from newborn to school age, if you choose it with that in mind.

• Toddlers and preschoolers. Keep the cordless control and the neutral fabric, and move the bed away from the window.
• Primary school age. A Light Filter roller blind in a kids' room softens glare on a desk or screen while keeping the room bright. A double roller blind pairs a daytime layer with a blockout layer for bedtime.
• Teenagers. A motorised blind with a remote may appeal, since they can control it themselves.

Blinds for a child's room follow the same safety steps: cordless or motorised where you can, a chain safety device where you cannot, and furniture away from the window. For the wider bedroom decisions, read the best blinds for bedrooms, and use the guides in our measure guides before you order.

Questions

What are the best blinds for a nursery?

A blockout roller blind with ZeroGravity cordless control is the best starting point, because it darkens the room for naps and has no chain. Add a full blockout cassette if edge light is a problem.

Are cordless blinds safe for babies?

ZeroGravity cordless has no chain, which removes one hazard, but keep cots and climbable furniture away from the window and follow the supplied instructions.

How do I make a nursery dark for naps?

Use a blockout fabric, a face fit with a standard roll or a full cassette, and blockout curtains over the top if you want a second layer. A little light can still show at the edges, but these steps reduce it.

Can I use a chain blind in a nursery?

You can, but fit the chain safety device supplied, which stops the chain forming a loop over 220 mm, keep the chain out of reach and keep the cot well away from the window. For a nursery or young child's room we recommend cordless or motorised control instead.

Should I choose nursery curtains or blinds?

Blinds give the tidiest, most practical control and are easier to wipe clean. Curtains add softness and can sit over a blind, but blockout curtains cannot go in a washing machine.