Pick a true blackout curtain in a dark color, one size wider than your window on each side, and hang it with cordless hardware if children share the room.
Two panels can look identical on the shelf and behave nothing alike once they’re up. Consumer Reports lab testing found blackout performance swings widely by brand and by color, so the word on the packaging tells you less than the fabric, the backing, and the fit. Get those three things right and a bedroom goes properly dark; get them wrong and a “blackout” curtain still leaks a stripe of streetlight across the pillow at 5 a.m.
The sections below cover what actually decides light control, why perimeter gaps matter as much as fabric, and the safety rule that matters most in a child’s room.
What Should You Actually Look For In A Blackout Curtain?
Look for a dense woven fabric or a light-blocking backing layer, and choose the darkest color offered in that product line. Those two features do more for darkness than any label claim.
Consumer Reports’ curtain testing found that darker colors often blocked more light than lighter ones within the same product. A black panel and a light beige panel from one brand line can deliver noticeably different results, which is why ordering the pale version and expecting full blackout is a common disappointment.
Backing is the other lever. Products built with a blackout backing or a separate light-blocking layer outperform plain fabric of the same weight. The Amazon Basics Room Darkening Blackout Curtains are a widely available example: sold as pairs, 84 inches long and 52 inches wide per panel, polyester and polyurethane, with a light-blocking backing and loops for attaching to a rod. Washability is worth checking too — Consumer Reports lists it as a rated attribute on specific models, and a curtain you can’t launder is a curtain you’ll replace early.
Room-darkening curtains sit one step down from true blackout. They cut a meaningful amount of light and cost less, but jumping from “much darker” to “genuinely dark” is the whole reason blackout products exist.
Why Do Blackout Curtains Still Leak Light At The Edges?
Because light escapes around the curtain, not through it. Perimeter gaps are the most common reason a high-performing blackout curtain still disappoints in a real bedroom.
A panel that covers only the glass leaves the frame exposed, and bright light spills past the sides, over the top, and under the hem. Consumer Reports testing confirmed edge leakage shows up even with strong performers, so fabric choice alone never finishes the job.
Fixing it is mostly measuring discipline:
- Measure the full window opening plus the trim, then add several extra inches to each side beyond the window frame.
- Order panels wide enough to overlap at the center, so the two halves aren’t fighting over the middle gap.
- Mount the rod above the top of the window rather than level with it, so the curtain sits over the frame, not beside it.
- Match the hanging style to the hardware — Amazon Basics’ curtain panels use rod loops, for instance, and the mounting method changes how tightly the curtain hugs the wall.
A fuller, wider panel costs a little more and blocks dramatically more light. If a curtain shop has a roundup of tested options with coverage and privacy specs side by side, comparing dimensions there before ordering beats guessing from a listing photo — the tested picks for privacy and light blocking are a sensible first stop for that comparison.
What’s The Safest Window Covering For A Child’s Bedroom?
Cordless window coverings, without exception.
The CPSC treats this as a substantial product hazard rather than a minor risk. Its 2023 action approved a federal safety standard for custom window coverings, covering shades, blinds, curtains, drapery, and other cord-operated products made to consumer specifications. Existing business guidance already requires stock window coverings with operating cords to be cordless, short at 8 inches or less, or inaccessible, with inner cords that are inaccessible or too short to form a hazardous loop.
Practical steps for any room where a child sleeps, plays, or visits:
- Choose cordless or motorized coverings and skip corded products entirely.
- Keep cribs, beds, furniture, and toys away from windows so nothing becomes a climbing route to a cord.
- Replacing older window blinds? The CPSC notes most window blinds sold before November 2000 may have hazardous inner cords and should be replaced, not just repaired.
Cordless blackout and room-darkening curtains are available in the same sizes and colors as corded ones, so safety doesn’t force a compromise on darkness.
Quick Comparison: What Each Choice Gets You
| Choice | What You Get | Watch Out For |
|---|---|---|
| True blackout, dark color, backed fabric | Best light control for a bedroom | Still leaks at edges without extra width and overlap |
| True blackout, light color | Decent darkening, softer look | Same line as the dark version usually blocks less light |
| Room-darkening curtain | Noticeably dimmer room, lower cost | Rarely reaches full blackout |
| Plain fabric, no backing | Style and privacy | Weak light blocking in a bedroom |
| Narrow panel sized to the glass only | Full window looks covered when open | Heavy side and top leakage when closed |
| Cordless or motorized hardware | Removes the strangulation hazard | Costs slightly more up front |
| Corded hardware in a child’s room | Nothing a cordless option can’t do | Accessible cords create strangulation risk |
Those are review-page starting prices for individual products, not a market average, so treat them as a rough range rather than a budget.
The short version: choose a backed blackout curtain in the darkest color offered, buy wider than the window on every side, overlap the panels at the center, hang the rod above the frame, and make it cordless if a child is anywhere near it. That combination is what turns a claim on a package into an actually dark room.
Common Questions
Does blackout mean zero light?
No. Blackout curtains block most light, but Consumer Reports testing found some marketed blackout curtains still let in surprising amounts, especially around the sides, top, and bottom. Expect a very dark room rather than a sealed, pitch-black one unless you also overlap the panels and cover the window frame.
Do darker colors really block more light?
Often, yes. Within the same product line, Consumer Reports found darker colors typically outperformed lighter ones for light blocking. If total darkness is the goal, black, charcoal, or navy panels are the safer pick than beige or white, even when the lighter version costs the same.
Can I use corded curtains in a nursery?
No. Choose cordless or motorized coverings, and keep cribs, beds, and furniture away from windows and any remaining cords.
How much wider should the curtain be than the window?
Wider than the window frame, not just the glass. Measure the full opening plus trim, add several inches to each side so light can’t spill past the edges, and order panels wide enough to overlap at the center. Fit affects performance as much as fabric does.
Sources
- Consumer Reports. “3 Best Blackout Curtains, Lab-Tested and Reviewed” Supports color and brand variation in blackout performance, edge leakage, washability as a rated attribute, and review-page pricing.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “CPSC Approves New Federal Safety Standard for Custom Window Coverings” Confirms the 2023 federal safety standard and that cords are a substantial product hazard.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “Window Covering Cords” Source for cordless as the only option eliminating strangulation risk, the 8-inch rule, and pre-2000 blind guidance.