One of my top recommendations for getting your baby to sleep on vacation is to create a similar sleep environment to the one you have at home. If your baby or toddler is accustomed to sleeping in a dark room at home, then they will sleep much better while traveling if also have a dark room. As you will see in my Sleepout Curtains review, you can easily darken any room while traveling with these excellent portable blackout curtains.
This post contains compensated links.
Why Use Sleepout Blackout Curtains?
Using a set of the best travel blackout curtains will ensure a nice dark environment which works especially well when staying at grandparents or in an Airbnb with a baby. Even visiting friends, you can put your toddler down for a nap in a spare room and know that you can use your Sleepout Curtains to quickly achieve pitch black darkness in a matter of minutes.
We’ve all been there, trying baby travel hacks to create DIY travel blackout curtains with the use of garbage bags, duct tape (or painter’s tape) and whatever other MacGyver type skills I can put to use. These solutions rarely achieve the results that I want, don’t block all the light or fall down at the worst possible moment. I’ve even tried using painter’s tape (which is worth having when traveling with toddlers!) and cushions to help with annoying light bleeds.
If you’ve thought that there must be something better to help create a dark sleeping environment and block light bleeds, then you are right! I can tell you from experience traveling with my toddler, the Sleepout portable blackout curtain with suction cups is a game changer.
Specifics of the Sleepout Travel Blackout Curtains
First off, it’s important to point out that while I give advice specific to travel with babies and toddlers, the Sleepout blackout curtains with suction cups would be useful for ANYONE trying to achieve a dark sleeping environment.
Here are some product details on the Sleepout portable blackout curtain:
- Sleepout Blackout Curtains can be installed on any window.
- They are made of thermal insulating fabric that’s certified for it’s quality and free from harmful substances.
- The industrial strength locking suction cups are strong enough to stay up all night.
- Each portable blackout curtain panel measures 54” x 78”.
- You can install Sleepout curtains either vertically or horizontally.
- Total weight of one single panel blackout curtain is 1.95 lbs.
Use discount “babycantravel” for a 10% discount on your Sleepout purchases!
What You’ll Find in the Bag:
When you receive your Sleepout curtains, you’ll find two locking suction cups, one thermal insulating blackout curtain panel and a travel bag.
If you have the need, you also have the option to purchase a double pack or a 4 pack of travel blackout curtains. You can also purchase additional locking suction cups or optional adhesive strips that are reusable and work to eliminate light bleeds.
Setting up the Sleepout Blackout Curtain
One thing I like about the Sleepout Blackout Curtains is that setup and takedown take only minutes. This is especially important for when you are just arriving at a new place and want to get your baby or toddler down to sleep after a long travel day.
It’s really as simple as taking the curtains out of the bag, setting up the locking suction cups on the window and attaching the blackout curtain. You can also use the Sleepout Strips to help with any annoying light bleeds.
As with setup, I loved that packing up your Sleepout portable blackout curtains is just as easy. The suction cups are easy to take off and once folded, you can pack your portable blackout curtain and suction cups in the handy travel bag.
Use discount “babycantravel” for a 10% discount on your Sleepout purchases!
Things I Love about the Sleepout Blackout Curtain with Suction Cups
I recently had the opportunity to take the Sleepout blackout curtain for a test run. Here’s a few reasons why I think it might just be the best blackout curtain for travel:
1. Creates a Dark Environment
The most important aspect of any portable blackout curtain is that it actually creates darkness. After testing this portable blackout curtain, I can say that the Sleepout curtain delivers on this promise. As you can see in the photos of me below, the Sleepout curtain completely darkens the room.
If you are traveling internationally with your family, this level of darkness is a big help in reducing baby jet lag!
2. Thermal Insulating Blackout Fabric
In addition to providing complete darkness, the Sleepout curtains fabric is thermal insulating. This means that even if the sun is beating in the room, you don’t have to worry about it getting too hot! These high-quality blcakout curtains pull double duty and help keep the room cool. This works for extra cold nights too!
3. Industrial Strength Suction Cups
The Sleepout curtains come with industrial strength suction cups, which mean they really hold on! With the strength of the suction cups, you won’t have to worry about your portable blackout curtains falling down in the middle of the night.
4. Included Travel Bag
The travel carry bag is a nice touch. What’s even better is that it’s not hard to fit your blackout curtains back in the bag. For parents short on time and needing to pack up, the last thing you want to worry about is struggling to get it packed up.
5. Perfect Carry-on Size
The size of a folded Sleepout curtain is approximately 13 inches long by 6 inches tall. It fits easily in a standard size carry on. It’s so small, you could even pack it in your toddler travel suitcase.
6. Easy Instructions You Won’t Lose
Rather than an instruction manual that you aren’t likely to have with you, the instructions for the Sleepout curtains are all online. You just need to scan the QR code, which is cleverly placed on the travel bag!
Improvements to the Sleepout Portable Curtains
Whenever I do a product review, I always try to be honest about anything I didn’t love, so you know what you are getting before you buy it. I was impressed with the high quality of these portable curtains all around, from the thermal insulating fabric to the industrial strength suction cups.
If I had to pick one thing to improve about the Sleepout curtains, it would be the price. While I don’t think these are overpriced for what you get and the quality, it is a lot to spend if you don’t plan to use them often. If you plan to use them every day or id you travel frequently and getting a dark room is important then you will be getting good value for your money with the Sleepout curtains.
Just keep in mind, that Sleepout blackout curtains aren’t just for babies and toddlers. Anyone who needs darkness to sleep would benefit from owning a set of these portable blackout curtains.
Use discount code babycantravel for a 10% discount on your Sleepout purchases!
Tips Before You Use Sleepout Blackout Curtains
I always like to give our full experience when reviewing a product, but given how simple these portable blackout curtains are to install, I don’t have too many tips in that regard. But I can give you a few things to think about before buying the Sleepout curtains:
Make sure you actually need a portable blackout curtain
Before adding a portable blackout curtain with suction cups your packing list, make sure it’s necessary. While I wouldn’t pack these for a stay in a resort or hotel (where the rooms often have large patio doors or blackout curtains already), they are ideal for a stay with grandparents or in an Airbnb rental.
The size of each single panel blackout curtain is such that it should fit most windows, but you can also use two at the same time for larger windows.
Give your baby or toddler time to explore
Before using your Sleepout curtains to turn the room pitch black, keep in mind it’s still a new environment for your baby or toddler, so give them time to explore and get familiar with the room. This is especially true for babies or toddler who aren’t comfortable falling asleep just anywhere.
Help baby and toddler jet lag
If you are concerned about jet lag, these Sleepout portable blackout curtains are ideal for getting your baby or toddler on local time. You can create pitch black darkness at night when it’s time to sleep and even leave a little light for naps during the day.
Try your Sleepout curtains before you go
While I understand that time is limited, learning how to use a new product when you need it isn’t always the best idea. If your destination involves a long travel day and flying with a baby, you’ll be happy that you tried the Sleepout curtains at home. This knowledge will have you prepared and ready to get your baby to sleep quickly after a long travel day.
Use discount code babycantravel for a 10% discount on your Sleepout purchases!
Additional Baby Sleep Gear I Recommend
Travel blackout curtains are one of the top items to get your baby to sleep on vacation. A few others items that I always recommend are:
See the full list of 11 Must Have Baby Travel Items to Help Baby Sleep on Vacation here.
Other Baby Travel Gear
Found this post useful? Share it with your friends!
This post was written & edited by:
Celine Brewer is the owner of Baby Can Travel. Not only does she have years of experience traveling with babies & toddlers, but she's helped millions of new parents travel with their babies and toddlers for over a decade. In addition to writing on her baby travel blog, she has shared her expertise on traveling with a baby or toddler by contributing to articles about traveling with a baby with the Washington Post, USA Today, the Lonely Planet magazine and Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.
Celine also writes about family travel on the site FamilyCanTravel.com, which she co-owns with her husband. Being from the Canadian Rockies, she shares her passion about her home and travel to Banff National Park and area on their site TravelBanffCanada.com.