SLEEEEEEEEEP!!!!! Please go to sleep…..we’ve all been there!

Here at PT, we are known for our reviews about pushchairs (obviously), but more and more people are asking for our independent review of other products aimed at babies and toddlers. Gro-Company, initially known for their Grobags asked us to review their ‘Gro Anywhere Blind’. I jumped at the chance for very selfish and personal reasons!!! I realise that this product is aimed at parents of young babies BUT we were having an early morning ‘nightmare’ in the form of our 5-year-old son who was insisting at getting up at around 5am each morning. I was pretty sure that it was because it was getting light and that despite substantial curtains with the alleged ‘black out’ liner, the early morning sunlight was somehow still managing to ‘get around these’.

The Gro Anywhere Blind comes in its own ‘pocket’. A nice touch meaning that it can be tidied away when not in use, and also it can easily be transported when going on holiday. The quality of the material is good and liked the touch of the printed stars to make it more interesting to look at. To fit it was an absolute doddle - instructions are included but it is not rocket-science to be honest. There are suction cups around the outside of the material and you can use as much or as little you need depending upon the size of your window up to a maximum of 130cm x 200cm. After fitting the blind, it did cross my mind that a toddler might try to pull it down - however even my 5-year-old found it difficult to remove the suction cups and my 3-year-old didn’t have the patience to work it out! Worry alleviated!

So - the burning question - did it actually work? The blind arrived and was fitted that evening to Sam’s window and yes - it worked!!!! The next morning I had to wake him up. I did wonder whether it was a coincidence but no, it worked night-after-night proving that it was the product rather than a fluke. A parent who is able to sleep through the night is a happy parent as I am sure most of you can relate to. Now for the real test - helping him to sleep on holiday! We decided to take the blind on holiday to France with us as we knew that the bright sun was likely to keep him awake, particularly if we were faced with light weight curtains. We were very pleased we did take it - voile ‘curtains’ had little effect to be honest. Another thumbs up from us for the Gro Anywhere Blind!

The Gro Anywhere blind has an RRP of £24.99 which in my opinion is reasonable value for money. I wouldn’t want to pay a lot more BUT at the same time, this product is well finished and effective - you can not put a price on a good night’s sleep. If I could turn back the clock, I would have bought this when my boys were babies. I thought in my wisdom that the blackout liners on the curtains were effective but it appears that they were not! Light was seeping though the bottom, top and sides. I would have also used it a lot when travelling or visiting friends and family. My boys always ‘napped’ in their bedrooms and so this would have also been used for daytime naps to ensure they ‘knew’ it was nap time.

So would I spend my hard-earned cash on the Gro-Anywhere Blind? Oh yes I would - that extra hour’s sleep in the morning has really improved to mood of both child and mother!