Blinds for Nurseries & Children’s Rooms

What usually matters in a child’s room

• Safe operation – the control system and how it is installed matter most.
• Darkness – for daytime naps and light summer evenings.
• Simple controls – easy for parents to use one-handed, and not tempting to play with.
• Durability and cleaning – surfaces that cope with sticky fingers.
• Comfort – an extra layer at the window in colder rooms.

Child safety comes first

All internal blinds supplied in the UK must meet child-safety requirements. In practice that means:

• Cordless and motorised options remove operating cords and chains altogether.
• Where a cord or chain control is used, the required safety devices (such as tensioners) are fitted, and they should never be removed.
• Controls should be positioned sensibly, and cots, beds and furniture kept away from the window.

We do not describe a blind as child safe just because it looks cordless in a photograph; the specific control supplied and how it is installed are what count. Our child-safe blinds page explains this in more detail.

Often a good fit

• Motorised blinds – no cords at all, and they can be operated from outside the room without disturbing a sleeping child.
• Blackout roller blinds with a suitable control – simple, easy to wipe, and available with cord-free options on selected ranges.
• Cellular blinds – cordless controls where the chosen system offers them, with blackout fabrics and an insulating honeycomb construction.
• Perfect Fit blinds – fitted in the window frame on suitable windows, with no loose cords and fewer gaps for light.
• Shutters – no cords, robust, and easy to wipe, with louvres for daytime light control.
• Blackout curtains – a second layer that helps cover edge light around a blind.

Blackout: what to expect

Blackout fabric stops light passing through the material, but light can still come in around the edges. For rooms where darkness really matters, a blackout blind with curtains, or a specialist system with side channels or frame-fitting where the window suits it, gets closer to a dark room. See bedroom blinds for the three levels of darkness.

Usually avoid or assess carefully

• Older blinds with looped cords or chains and no safety device – we would suggest replacing these rather than adapting them.
• Corded controls near a cot, bed or furniture a child could climb on.
• Delicate or dry-clean-only fabrics in rooms where things get messy.
• Relying on shutters alone for darkness; they make a room darker, but light shows around the panels.

Designs for children

Printed and patterned fabrics can make a child’s room fun, and a plain blackout layer behind a decorative blind or curtain lets you change the look later without losing the darkness. Choose the control and darkness level first, then the design.

Planning ahead

Children’s rooms change as children grow. A plain, good-quality blackout blind with a safe control will usually outlast a themed design, and a second layer such as curtains can be updated more easily later. If you are decorating before a baby arrives, it is worth leaving time to measure and fit before the room is needed.

At a free home survey we look at the window, the furniture layout and which controls suit your room.