...Or or does semi-darkness during the day work?
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We don't have them and LO has never had any difficulty falling asleep for naps, and has always been an ok napper.
That being said, I always wonder if he would have been a BETTER napper with black out shades! I do plan on getting them for baby #2
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Never had them. My kids are inconsistent nappers...maybe I should get some!
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We have them, but due to the weird window size it doesn't block out 100% of the light. I definitely think it helps her nap better and we'll be getting blackout shades for LO #2!
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I've never used them and DS was a great napper.
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I wouldn't say they're a must like your baby isn't going to nap without them, but we have some and I love love love them! Our LO is also a great crib napper. Could just be coincidence, but I do think they help.
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I don't think it would have mattered much for us in the beginning, but they have been worth their weight in gold for the extended daylight hours and during naps.
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We just have shutters on our window and she sleep just fine with partial darkness. Every baby is different though. I didn't want to get black out shade because I didn't want her to HAVE to have darkness to sleep.
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i considered them but didn't get them because daylight never gave her a problem with night time sleep. she seems to sleep fine during naps too.
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I've never had them and I don't think they'd make any difference. Also, I didn't want LOs to get so used to being dark so if they napped at the grandparents' or on vacation, they would still be flexible enough to nap well if there weren't black-out shades.
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Nope. I don't have them and honestly didn't want them because I would never want my kids to only be able to nap in rooms with blackout shades. DS is 8 months and consistently sleeps 3.5-4 hours during his 2 nap times over the course of the day and has been a great napper since about 4 months.
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nope not at all!
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We have them but some light is still let in on the sides and it doesn't seem to bother her. I don't think they're necessary though!
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I sure hope not! A friend of mine tin foil's her kids windows. It might be a cheap thing to try before spending $$.
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I don't have them, and I didn't want them because I wanted LO to be able to nap in places that weren't totally black. She is a fine napper.
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As others have said. I'm sure they aren't necessary, but I loooove ours! L is a fantastic napper and I swear it's because of them. I have tried to put him down at friends houses and he will not sleep nearly as well there!
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Oh yes, worth it. Wish I had them from the beginning.
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Like others, we don't have them, and our daughter is not the best napper. I have chosen not to purchase them though (and probably wouldn't for a future child either) b/c I like to know that my daughter can be flexible and sleep in locations other than her own room. I worry that if she only knows how to sleep in the complete darkness, then she wouldn't nap when we're traveling or at a friend's house at naptime. Maybe that's not actually true, but it seems like it could be...
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They became a must for us after our LO turned one for the spring/summer as the sun rises in the northeast VERY early!
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I'm actually relieved to hear that some people intentionally let in a little light! I'd like to see how that goes first.
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Count me among those who purposefully did not use blackout shades. LO has never had a problem napping during the day, and I think that having some light helped her to figure out the difference between days/nights (nap vs. nighttime sleep) pretty early on.
I would definitely try without, then if your LO is a sensitive sleeper and is having a hard time, you can invest in some.
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We got them for nighttime because there is a VERY bright streetlight just aceoss the street from our house. Some light does come around the edges but it's been fine so far. I don't close them for naps, though, since she'll have to nap in daylight at daycare. She's a terrible napper but I don't think the two things are related...
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When she was a newborn I purposefully made sure she napped in daylight to get her days and nights straight. Now that she's older I close her blinds (not black out) but still want her to know naps have a bit of light and night time is pitch black
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We don't have them, it gets semi-dark and LO is a great sleeper!
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We tried curtains that just dimmed the room but didn't make it totally dark- my picky little bad napper needed the blackout treatment. I agree with people who said it does make it harder for her to nap other places but since she is mostly at home, I do what I can to make her nap!
I would try without and if you are having a terrible time with naps, get them. I also think they help prevent early morning wake ups.
Fwiw she can sleep other places, it just takes longer for her to fall asleep, but that would probably be the case anyway. I thinking of trying to slowly let a little more light it since she is more consistent with napping now.
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Definitely not a must have. We've always left the curtains/blinds open during nap time and both LOs have slept brilliantly. Now it may just be coincidence, but DD1 started sleeping 12 hr stretches overnight at 2.5 months and I attribute some of that to being able to differentiate between night and day. At 3 weeks old, DD2 is moving the same way (5 hr stretches overnight and 2 hr day time naps).
I also like that neither one of my LOs need darkness to sleep. DH is a very finicky sleeper and I wanted to make sure our girls would be able to sleep anywhere.
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Nope! Not at all! LO sleeps well with no black out curtains.
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We got them because LO will not go to bed until it's dark. Not so bad now in the winter but summer was difficult.
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I've heard that it increases the chances of them having issues with flipping day and night. That being said, DH and I don't sleep well with any light, and we're cosleeping, so we'll have at least pretty good thick curtains in our room. Thankfully there aren't big windows or anything in our room (or the nursery), so it's not a huge deal.
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we have a thicker fabric on our curtains, but naps are definitely not pitch black. helps with the brighter summer sun though and if her bedtime is before sunset during the summer.
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We have them and thankful we do! I have a very light sleeper and even the little bit of light let in from the tops and sides can impact her sleep. I almost wish I had a box valance and rounded curtain rods. Proof she sleeps better in the pitch dark - she slept in over an hour later the past 2 days because it was dark and raining! It's a total case-by-case per kid I think though. She's just like DH. I could sleep fine with the light.
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