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  • What is it? Redi Shade Paper Pleated Blackout Shades
  • Why I love it: These helped simulate middle-of-the-night darkness when my 4-month-old needed to take a nap.
  • How much is it? $35 for a six-pack
  • Where to buy it: Amazon

Let's go back to December 2018. I’d been holding my 4-month-old son in while sitting in our rocking chair for the better part of an hour because it was the only way I could get him to take more than the briefest cat nap. While silently scrolling WhatsApp messages from my neighborhood mom group (because what else?), I noticed a flurry of enthusiastic chatter about blackout shades. Specifically, the Redi Shade Paper Pleated Blackout Shades ($35 for six on Amazon), which it seemed like every single baby except mine had in their nursery.

All the moms who’d bought them said they were a must for getting their baby or toddler to nap and not wake up with the rising sun. My heart started racing as I toggled to the Amazon app. Was this the thing that would finally get my VHN (Very Hesitant Napper) snoozing in his crib, maybe even on some kind of predictable schedule?

The shades, made of a thick, black paper with accordion-style pleating, arrived the next day (Prime really is a godsend for new parents). I set to work on installing them, which took about three minutes, since all I had to do was remove the adhesive backing and stick the shade inside the nursery window frame. (The size I ordered happened to fit our window perfectly, but if it hadn’t, cutting it to size with scissors would have been a cinch.) In an instant, my son’s room went from not-very-dark to nearly pitch black.

I’ll be honest: My son didn’t go from contact-napping to snoozing in his crib for two-hour stretches overnight. But over the course of the next few weeks, it happened. Part of this was probably developmental, but I’m also crediting the shades. It seemed like that dark, zero-stimulation environment was exactly what he needed to log some quality rest. And I couldn’t have been more grateful.

It’s not just me and the moms in my local group who became devotees to these shades. The fact that they block 99 percent of light and can be installed without tools have earned them nearly 16,000 enthusiastic Amazon reviews and an average 4 out of 5-star rating. Reviewers say things like, “Amazing. Quick fix for light blocking in baby's room. Completely blocks out light from the two windows in baby's room. The tape is pretty strong as well and it comes with clips to hold the shade up as well or roll it up when you want. Would highly recommend,” and, “My child’s room is pitch black day or night and really makes a huge difference in his sleep environment!”

Now, the shades aren’t much to look at, and the material definitely doesn’t scream Forever Quality. But that was fine by me. I saw them as a fast, easy solution to a problem that I was desperate to fix, and they got the job done. A few months later, we upgraded to permanent blackout shades, but only because I wanted something more aesthetically pleasing.

I still love the Redi Shades, though, and I still use them sometimes. I keep one at my mom’s house for when my son, now 3, naps there or sleeps over. (We’ve used the same shade there for almost two years, hanging it with a piece of packing tape, since the shade’s original adhesive is worn out.) And I always bring a few on vacation with us to make the sleep space darker, if the window shades aren’t great.

Since my son barely sits still these days, looking back on those early naps where I’d have to hold him now makes me a little wistful. But at the time, I can truly say that the Redi Shade gave me back some of the sanity I desperately needed. And any time a new mom in the neighborhood group starts asking for advice for sleep problems, those little paper shades are the first thing I suggest. 

See more: Starting at $35 for six on Amazon