Product Review: Sleepout Curtains

I love testing out new sleep-related products. Improving a child’s sleep environment can be SO beneficial in helping them sleep through the night. Blackout blinds are one of the “non-negotiables” for clients that work with me. I want you to really think about it though. You’ve put yourself to sleep and slept for 10 hours straight already…then you open your eyes as you change positions to continue sleeping, but you see a ray of light coming in from the top of your window…and then from the sides of your window too, and sure enough, you look around and you can see everything clearly in your room. You then realize you actually feel great from your 10-hour sleep, that instead of shutting your eyes and getting some more shut-eye, you decide that now is the time to wake up.

But it’s 5am.

And you’re only 2 years old. Lol.

Since you can’t get yourself out of the crib, you’ll start singing…then yelling…then calling out for mom/dad…and then finally crying. Helllooooooo, I’m awake!!!!
Getting a great blackout solution is essential to help your child sleep through the night.

So - let’s review the Sleepout Curtain system!

Honestly, I really wanted to like this product. I admire small start-ups that are trying to make a difference, but this brand is not it. I pledged Sleepout on Kickstarter and was impressed when I got my curtain system. The sleepout curtains attach to the window with heavy-duty suction cups. The suction cups have a velcro strip on the top of them which then attaches to the curtain.

The curtain itself is completely blackout. There is no light that seeps in through the curtain whatsoever. However, the system is completely flawed. I had the curtains mounted on a tiny tiny window in our closet that was located on a shaded portion of my house. This window doesn’t get any direct sun throughout the day. We had the curtain mounted for about 8 months and the suction cups fell off of the window 3-4 times in the time period. Not a big deal. I just remounted and carried on.

We then made some adjustments to our kid’s rooms and moved our son to the main-floor of our house and needed a permanent solution to blackout his new room. I mounted the Sleepout curtains and there was a slight light leak at the top of the window, but he’s 5, so he doesn’t nap during the day, so I thought they’d be fine for night-time only.
I WAS SO WRONG.
His new window gets full sun for 8 hours a day until the sun sets on the back of our house. Every single day (without fail), either the suction cups would fall, or the velcro strip would peel off of the suction cup. This was extra aggravating for me since I had to climb up into his loft bed every night to secure the curtain before bed.

Some mornings, it would be down which resulted in a 5-6am wakeup for him.

My blood pressure is legitimately rising thinking about how frustrating this whole situation was for me.

Reasons why NOT to purchase the Sleepout Curtains:

1. Light leaks. The company claims to be 100% blackout, but it’s impossible to get 100% blacked out without other blinds on top since the top of the curtain can’t possibly be pulled tight enough to “seal.” Believe me, I’ve tried every single possible way to ensure no light was getting in, and nothing worked. The sides also allow light to come into the room as well unless you use their yellow suction pads…which I didn’t want to install onto my window. They also come at an added cost - they are NOT provided in every purchase (which they should be).

2. Suction Cups. While the suction cups are “heavy-duty”, they don’t stand a chance with the natural warmth of the sun. Without fail, these curtains would fall when in the direct sun. They aren’t strong enough to hold the weight of the curtain either. Even when the suction cups would stay suctioned to the window, they were being pulled down from the weight of the curtain, so the suction cup would ultimately start sliding down the window.

3. Velcro Strip. The velcro strip on the suction cup COMES OFF the actual surface it attaches to when it gets too warm. But like…we’re trying to keep out the warm sun, so what are we supposed to do? When contacted about this issue, the company will just send more suction cups rather than offering a refund to unsatisfied customers. Personally, I’ve tried super-gluing the velcro strip back onto the suction cup, but even that doesn’t work. It needs to be sewn on somehow.

4. Window Screen Removal. If you have screens on your window, they will need to be removed in order to use the curtain. I’m not sure if you have a huge storage room, but we don’t. So storing a bunch of window screens is super inconvenient.

5. Aesthetics. I’ve tinfoiled my kids’ windows before…so I’m not a home decor specialist over here, but at least with tin foil, you know it’s a cheap option! The sleepout curtains are not cheap, and when set up, they do not look good - especially not on high windows. You either need to fold or bunch the curtains to sit on the ledge of the window, or you let them drape down and put more weight on the suction cups which will just pull those off the window. AGH!

There are only 2 reasons I would slightly consider buying these curtains again…

1. They are good for a short-term blackout solution. If you’re travelling, then these are good for putting up in the window of an AirBNB that doesn’t have blackout blinds. I will forever recommend the SlumberPod (discount code: midnightmama) as my #1 blackout travel solution for kids 4 and under, but sleepout curtains will do the job if your child is in a bed.

2. Quick set-up and Take-down. Since it’s just 2 suction cups per curtain, they are really fast to set-up. One bonus is that they take themselves down after about 3 hours of use LOL. Kidding - they stay up slightly longer than that, but really, the set up and takedown is quite quick.

All in all, DO NOT BUY THESE. I REPEAT, DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY. I mean, if you really want to, do it. But I don’t recommend. Maybe if you want some natural remedies to treat low-blood pressure, invest in these. But if your health is otherwise in check, you don’t need the added stress.

I’m not kidding you when I say I had a knot of anxiety in my stomach when I’d walk by my son’s room and see that one side of the curtain had fallen down again.

I do have a ‘discount code’ with Sleepout (midnightmama) and I’ll share it with one condition…you don’t come after me when you experience issues 😂

I will report that I have since invested in TRIED AND TRUE blackout window covers from BlackoutEZ and these have been well-worth the price. I will post a product review on them soon, but believe me - I LOVE these.

Until next time,

The Always Honest, Bailey. Haha.