Best Children's Character Blinds: Sleep, Safety and Fun

A character blind is the easiest way to make a child's face light up, and one of the easier ways to regret a purchase eighteen months later. The blind that a four-year-old adores is the one a six-year-old is faintly embarrassed by, and a made-to-measure blind is not something you swap on a whim. There is also more to a child's room than the picture on the fabric: it has to be safe around small hands, and dark enough for a small body to sleep through a bright summer dawn or an afternoon nap. This guide takes all three seriously - delight, safety and sleep - and compares ten picks across a wide range of characters and themes.

The three things a child's blind has to get right

It is tempting to choose purely on the print, but a children's blind has three jobs, and the happiest choice balances them.

The first is delight, and that is the easy part: a child knows exactly which dinosaur, unicorn or Disney face they want, and getting it right buys a lot of goodwill. The catch is how fast a specific licensed character is outgrown. A bold Mickey or a named film tie-in is loved intensely and briefly; a theme rather than a character - woodland animals, space, a friendly safari - tends to charm a small child and still suit an older one, and a painterly animal print can carry a child from cot to school age without ever feeling babyish. If you want the blind to last, lean a little away from the most specific licence and towards the theme.

The second is safety, and this one is not optional. A child's room is exactly where blind-cord safety matters most, because a looped cord or chain within reach of a cot or bed is a genuine hazard. UK requirements call for cords and chains to be kept out of a child's reach, with safety devices or a cordless operation, and a children's blind is the first place to insist on it. Whatever the print, choose a cord-safe or cordless fitting and make sure any tensioner or cleat is fitted and used.

The third is sleep, and it is the one most character blinds quietly fail. Children sleep when their room is dark, which in a British summer means blocking a dawn that arrives before four, and for younger ones it means darkening the room for daytime naps too. Many character fabrics are dimout rather than true blackout, so they soften the light without removing it, and a child wakes with the sun anyway. It is worth checking the opacity of a character blind, and if it is not blackout, planning for darkness another way.

The clever way to do character blinds

The neatest answer to all three jobs is often two blinds, not one. Fit a plain blackout roller or a perfect-fit blackout to the window for the darkness and the easy sleep, and add the character blind as the dress layer in front of it, or use character accessories - bedding, a wall decal, a lampshade - for the personality. The blackout does the sleeping; the character does the delight; and when the dinosaurs give way to football, you swap the cheap, easily-changed layer and leave the working blind in place.

Where you would rather have a single blind, the priorities are a cord-safe fitting, a print that leans towards a lasting theme over a fleeting licence, and the best opacity you can get in that design. A wipeable roller earns its keep too, because a child's blind meets sticky fingers, felt-tip and worse, and a fabric you can sponge down lasts far better than one you cannot.

What to look for

Cord safety first. A child's room needs cords and chains kept out of reach, with a safety device fitted or a cordless operation. Insist on it whatever the print.

Theme over licence for longevity. A specific character is loved hard and outgrown fast; a theme like woodland, space or animals, or a painterly print, carries a child for years. Lean that way if the blind must last.

Check the opacity for sleep. Many character fabrics are dimout, not blackout, so a child still wakes with the dawn. Confirm the opacity, and if it is not blackout, plan darkness another way.

Consider two blinds. A plain blackout for sleep plus a character layer for fun solves all three jobs and lets you swap the personality cheaply when tastes change.

Wipeable for real life. A child's blind meets sticky hands and felt-tip, so a fabric you can sponge clean lasts far better than one you cannot.

Let them have a say. Within those limits, the print is the part the child cares about, and a room they helped choose is one they are happier to settle in.

Our picks

Best Disney

Mickey Roman

at Blinds 2go

A Mickey roman for a fan, in the soft fold of a curtain-like blind.

from £22.28 in 13 colours

Read review →

Best for a nursery

Winnie The Pooh Roman

at Blinds 2go

Gentle Pooh artwork that suits a baby's room and grows into a toddler's.

from £22.28 in 2 colours

Read review →

Best grow-with-them

Classic Woodland

at 247 Blinds

Woodland animals that charm a small child and still suit an older one.

from £17.00 in 5 colours

Explore range →

Best timeless

Sophie Allport

at Blinds By Post

Painterly animals a child loves now and won't outgrow in a year.

from £20.57 in 27 colours

Read review →

Best for dinosaur fans

Dinosaur Prehistoric Blackout

at Blinds By Post

A bold dinosaur roller for a child deep in their prehistoric phase.

from £22.07 in 4 colours

Explore range →

Best for space

Space Explorer

at 247 Blinds

Planets and rockets for a budding astronaut, in a wipeable roller.

from £9.88 in 3 colours

Explore range →

Best for unicorns

Unicorn Magic

at 247 Blinds

A magical unicorn roman for a child who wants a little sparkle.

from £17.00 in 2 colours

Explore range →

Best for animal lovers

Safari Multi

at Blinds By Post

A friendly safari cast that suits a nursery and an older child alike.

from £36.40 in 3 colours

Explore range →

Best for Minnie

Minnie On The Move Roller

at Blinds 2go

A bright Minnie roller, wipeable for the inevitable sticky hands.

from £14.98 in 3 colours

Explore range →

Best jungle

Funky Jungle Mini Pebble Roman

at Blinds 2go

A playful jungle roman to bring colour and animals to a child's room.

from £24.52 in 2 colours

Explore range →

Pick details

Best Disney

Mickey Roman

at Blinds 2go

A Mickey roman for a fan, in the soft fold of a curtain-like blind.

from £22.28 in 13 colours

Read review →

For a Disney fan, this Mickey roman brings a much-loved character to the window in the soft fold of a roman blind, which reads gently rather than brashly. It is the pick for a child deep in their Mickey phase, with the caveat that a named character is loved hard and outgrown sooner than a theme, so it suits a room you are happy to redress in a few years, or a family confident the love will last. Check the opacity and pair it with a blackout if the room needs darkness for sleep.

Best for a nursery

Winnie The Pooh Roman

at Blinds 2go

Gentle Pooh artwork that suits a baby's room and grows into a toddler's.

from £22.28 in 2 colours

Read review →

For a baby's room, this Winnie the Pooh roman carries gentle, classic artwork that suits a nursery and grows comfortably into a toddler's room, since Pooh reads as soft and timeless rather than loud. The roman fold gives a calm, curtain-like softness that suits a sleeping baby's room. The pick for a nursery you want to feel gentle and characterful at once, with art that ages well as the baby grows. As with any nursery blind, the cord-safe fitting matters most of all.

Best grow-with-them

Classic Woodland

at 247 Blinds

Woodland animals that charm a small child and still suit an older one.

from £17.00 in 5 colours

Explore range →

For a print that lasts, the Classic Woodland roman charms a small child with friendly foxes, owls and hedgehogs and still suits an older one, because a theme ages far better than a named character. It gives a child's room personality without tying it to a phase, so the blind can stay as the bedding and posters change. The pick where you want character and longevity together, and would rather not redress the window when tastes move on, as they will.

Best timeless

Sophie Allport

at Blinds By Post

Painterly animals a child loves now and won't outgrow in a year.

from £20.57 in 27 colours

Read review →

For artwork a child loves now and will not outgrow in a year, the Sophie Allport roman carries painterly animals - hares, dogs, woodland creatures - that read as charming at any age rather than babyish. It is the pick for a parent who wants the room to feel considered and the blind to last, with a print that suits a child's room and would not look out of place as they grow. The broad range means you can match the room, and the style carries from a nursery to a school-age bedroom.

Best for dinosaur fans

Dinosaur Prehistoric Blackout

at Blinds By Post

A bold dinosaur roller for a child deep in their prehistoric phase.

from £22.07 in 4 colours

Explore range →

For a child deep in their dinosaur phase, this prehistoric roller brings bold, characterful dinosaurs to the window in a wipeable roller that copes with small sticky hands. It is exactly the print a dino-mad child will adore, and the theme has more staying power than a single licensed character, since dinosaurs rarely go out of fashion in a child's eyes. The pick for a confident, fun statement, ideally paired with a blackout if the room needs to darken for sleep.

Best for space

Space Explorer

at 247 Blinds

Planets and rockets for a budding astronaut, in a wipeable roller.

from £9.88 in 3 colours

Explore range →

For a budding astronaut, the Space Explorer roller brings planets, rockets and stars to the window in a wipeable form that suits a busy child's room. Space is a theme rather than a licence, so it carries a child through several years and several obsessions, and it reads as adventurous rather than babyish as they grow. The pick for a child fascinated by the night sky, with the practical bonus of a roller you can sponge clean. Check the opacity and add darkness for sleep if needed.

Best for unicorns

Unicorn Magic

at 247 Blinds

A magical unicorn roman for a child who wants a little sparkle.

from £17.00 in 2 colours

Explore range →

For a child who wants a little magic, this Unicorn Magic roman brings sparkle and colour to a bedroom in a soft roman fold. It is the pick for a unicorn-loving child, with the same honest caveat as any strong theme: it is adored now and may be set aside in a few years, so it suits a room you are content to redress, or a child whose love of unicorns runs deep. A gentle, characterful choice that brings real delight to the room it goes in.

Best for animal lovers

Safari Multi

at Blinds By Post

A friendly safari cast that suits a nursery and an older child alike.

from £36.40 in 3 colours

Explore range →

For a child who loves animals, the Safari Multi roman brings a friendly cast of lions, elephants and giraffes that suits a nursery and an older child alike, since a warm animal theme ages well. It gives a room colour and character without tying it to a single licensed face, so it carries through the years better than a named character would. The pick where you want a fun, animal-filled room with a print that grows up gracefully alongside the child.

Best for Minnie

Minnie On The Move Roller

at Blinds 2go

A bright Minnie roller, wipeable for the inevitable sticky hands.

from £14.98 in 3 colours

Explore range →

For a Minnie fan, this bright roller brings a beloved character to the window in a wipeable form that copes with the realities of a child's room. It is the pick for a child set on Minnie, with the wipe-clean roller a practical plus for sticky hands and felt-tip, and the usual caveat that a named character is loved hard and outgrown sooner than a theme. Pair it with a blackout if the room needs darkening, since a character roller is often dimout rather than fully dark.

Best jungle

Funky Jungle Mini Pebble Roman

at Blinds 2go

A playful jungle roman to bring colour and animals to a child's room.

from £24.52 in 2 colours

Explore range →

For a playful, colourful room, the Funky Jungle roman brings a lively cast of jungle animals and foliage to the window in a soft fold. It is a cheerful, character-filled choice that suits a younger child and carries some of the same grow-with-them benefit as other animal themes. The pick where you want a bright, fun room full of friendly creatures, with the softness of a roman blind. As ever in a child's room, the cord-safe fitting and the question of darkness for sleep matter as much as the print.

What we left out

Two tempting options are honest mismatches for a child's room.

A corded blind in any print is the first, and it is a safety matter rather than a style one. However lovely the character, a looped cord or chain within reach of a cot or bed is a hazard, so a corded version is the wrong choice for a child's room whatever it pictures. The right answer is the same print in a cord-safe or cordless fitting, which is why the priority here is the fitting as much as the fabric.

A character blind relied on alone for darkness is the second. Many of these fabrics are dimout rather than blackout, so a child dressed only in a character blind still wakes with the summer dawn and struggles to nap by day. It is left out as a complete sleep solution on its own: the better setup is a plain blackout for the darkness and the character blind for the fun, so the room both delights and sleeps.

Price by your window

The from-prices shown are starting points; the made-to-measure price depends on the window's width and drop, and a licensed character print sits above a plain fabric for the licensing. Each pick's page has a price-by-dimensions tool, so enter your measurements for the price at your size. The themed rollers come in lower than the licensed characters; and if you add a plain blackout behind the character blind for sleep, factor that second, inexpensive blind in too - it is often the piece that makes the room work.