5 extreme lengths parents go to to make kids’ bedrooms dark

Most of us have been there…it’s 7pm but it’s still light so the kids won’t accept that it’s bedtime. Or it’s 5am and the sun is already shining so they think it’s time to get up. We then have a brainwave and decide to have blackout blinds installed to trick our little darlings into believing that because it’s dark in their bedrooms it must be sleep time. But when the blinds are installed we often discover that “blackout” refers to the material that the blinds are made from, not the effect on the room. At this point, the panic sets in and we rack our brains to think how we can block out the light that comes in down the sides of the blinds.

We’ve done some research and in our desperation it seems we go to some pretty extreme lengths parents go to to make kids’ bedrooms dark. Here are five of our favourites:

1. Hanging towels and/or duvets up at sides of the window
2. Wedging pillows up against the edges of the blinds
3. Taping black bin bags to the windows
4. Attaching door draft excluders up the sides of the window frame
5. Sticking cardboard boxes to the window

 If all else fails…

And if all else fails, some parents say they have been tempted to paint the window black or even brick it up!

Now is probably a good time to remind you about BlindSides™ so you don’t have to go to all of this hassle and even better – they are easy to put up and take down so you can still let the daylight in when you actually want it and open the windows on a hot day.

What unlikely measures have you taken to ensure your childrens’ room are completely dark? We’d love to hear from you.

Tweet us @BlindSides1 or visit our facebook page to share your stories.

BlindSides appoints Ardega as our exclusive UK distributor

Hot on the heals of winning Invent with Tom and being stocked by Jojo Maman Bebe, we’re delighted to announce that we have appointed Ardega as our exclusive UK distributor. Ardega will be responsible for getting BlindSides™ into UK nursery retailers as well as stores which sell home furnishings, including blackout blinds.

Ardega will build on the interest from nursery retailers already generated following BlindSides’ success in the Invent with Tom competition. Moreover, Ardega is aware that it is not just parents who can benefit from BlindSides™ and will therefore also be approaching stores which are not exclusively targeted to the nursery market.

BlindSides™ have been developed to quickly and easily block out the light that creeps in down the sides of blackout roller blinds. Sold in pairs, BlindSides™ are portable, effective and easy to use. They simply hook over the top of an existing blackout blind to bridge the gap between the material and the wall. This blocks out any light slipping through the sides of the existing blind to create a dark space.

Jenny Leahy, Owner/Founder of BlindSides, commented,

“As soon as we met Ardega, we felt that it was a natural fit for BlindSides™; Ardega represents a strong stable of sleep-related products which are complementary to BlindSides™. We are excited to be working with Ardega to grow BlindSides™ into a product that every nursery and blinds retailer wants to stock.”

Nick Hampton, Director of Ardega, said,

“We’re always looking for new and innovative products to bring to the UK market for the first time and we are delighted to have been chosen to represent BlindSides™. BlindSides™ fits neatly into our existing product range and we are eager to start introducing it to retailers. Products which help sleep deprived parents are always popular!”

About BlindSides

Invented by mum of two Jenny Leahy, BlindSides™ is a simple, easy and cost effective solution for dark rooms. Available in pairs, the products hook over the top of existing roller blinds and create a barrier between the material edge and the wall. This blocks out the slivers of light and ensures that rooms are kept in the dark. They can be fitted in a matter of seconds and are light enough to take on holidays, business trips or other journeys.

About Ardega

Ardega Nursery Distribution, based in Suffolk and formed in 2006, is a leading distributor of new and innovative products with major brands including Motorola Baby Monitors, Samsung and Respisense; Ardega also distribute child safety & travel products from JL Childress and Kaboost.

To find out more about becoming a stockist visit www.ardega.co.uk

Sleep like an athlete

With the new football Premiership season nearly upon us (shudder…!) I was interested to read an article on the BBC News website about pre-season training methods which included the top tip “sleep properly…use blackout blinds…”. Ok, so I admit it was my husband who pointed out the story, but it was worth a glance.

Good quality sleep

The crux of the matter was that athlete’s bodies adapt to their training during periods of rest so it is important that they have plenty of good quality sleep. And that means sleeping in a dark room, among other things.

I think this same principle applies to everyone, not just elite sportsmen and woman. We all need sleep to give our bodies the chance to repair and rejuvenate. Moreover, it is now believed that sleep plays a crucial role in the brain development in infants and young children. And for adults, sleep, and lack of it, has an impact of their ability to learn and perform a variety of tasks.

Light coming through the side of the blinds

To ensure good quality sleep there are several things we can do including; keep noise to a minimum, avoid looking at phones and tablets etc. before we go to bed and, of course, install blackout blinds. Frustratingly though, we are sometimes thwarted if the neighbours are having a party or the birds are singing for example. And blackout blinds, which do a good job of blocking out the light from the parts of the window they cover, often leave light coming through the side of the blinds. Luckily, this is where BlindSides come in – they are quickly and easily installed to stop the pesky light coming through the sides of the blinds.

One last thing, football fans may be interested to know that so seriously do some clubs take sleep that Real Madrid have a hotel next to their training ground for it and Swansea City have sleeping pods at their training base.