Amazon Basics Portable Blackout Curtain Review: $20 Hotel Room Darkness That Actually Works

Sleep is the thing that breaks first when a toddler travels, and most of the fix is making an unfamiliar room feel predictable. The Amazon Basics Amazon Basics Portable Blackout Curtain Shade with Suction Cups is $27.49, portable blackout curtain. This page covers what it changes, what it does not, and the safety limits that apply.

The trade-off worth knowing before you buy: suction cups may not stick to all windows.

Amazon Basics Portable Blackout Curtain Shade with Suction Cups, 50"x78", Moon and Stars

Best Budget Blackout

Amazon Basics · $27.49

Compare

Price last checked August 15, 2026 — see Amazon for current pricing.

Suction cup blackout curtain for $20 — no tools, no installation, blocks light in any hotel room or rental.

size:50 × 78 in

type:Portable blackout curtain

mount:Suction cup attachment

design:Moon and stars pattern

Pros

• ✓Very affordable at $20
• ✓Suction cups—no tools needed
• ✓Noise reduction properties
• ✓Fun moon and stars design

Cons

• ×Suction cups may not stick to all windows
• ×Can fall down in heat
• ×Doesn't cover very large windows

Check Price on Amazon (opens in new tab)

This product is featured in our Best Travel Sleep Accessories roundup.

How we assessed this

We have not personally tested this product. This assessment is built from the manufacturer's published specification, the safety standards the product is certified against, and comparison with the alternatives in its category. Where a question can only be answered by handling the product — how a fabric feels, whether a mechanism stiffens after a year — we say so rather than guess. Full methodology: How We Research.

Quick Verdict

The Amazon Basics Portable Blackout Curtain is the cheapest effective solution for darkening an unfamiliar room for toddler sleep. At $20, it costs less than a single night of ruined sleep costs in parental sanity. The suction cups work on most glass windows, the 50-by-78-inch size covers standard hotel windows, and the blackout fabric blocks enough light for naptime and bedtime. The trade-offs are real — suction cups can lose grip in heat, the curtain does not cover very large windows, and some light leaks around the edges. But for the price and portability, nothing else comes close.

Who This Is For

• Hotel travelers — most hotel curtains are inadequate for toddler sleep
• Airbnb and rental families — window coverings in rentals are unpredictable
• Summer travelers — long daylight hours make early bedtime difficult
• Naptime protectors — midday naps require darkness regardless of season

Who Should Skip

• Families with floor-to-ceiling windows — 50×78 inches will not cover oversized windows
• Hot climate travelers with south-facing windows — suction cups may release in direct heat
• Parents seeking total blackout — some light leaks around edges; perfectionists may want the SlumberPod instead

Key Features Deep Dive

Suction Cup Mounting

The curtain attaches to glass windows using six suction cups. You press each cup against the glass, push the center to create suction, and the curtain hangs in place. No rods, no tape, no damage to the window or wall. Removal is equally simple — pull the suction cup tab and it releases.

The suction cups work on smooth, clean glass. They work less reliably on textured glass, dirty windows, or windows with films or coatings. Before our first use in each new room, we wipe the glass with a damp cloth to ensure a clean surface. This adds thirty seconds but improves suction cup reliability significantly.

The cups hold well in air-conditioned rooms. In direct afternoon sun on a south-facing window, we have had cups release after several hours as the glass heats up. The fix is to press them back on — usually only one or two release at a time, not all six.

Blackout Fabric

The fabric is a dense, opaque material similar to what you would find in residential blackout curtains. It blocks the vast majority of visible light — not 100 percent, but enough that a bright afternoon looks like dusk through the curtain. For toddler sleep purposes, this level of darkness is sufficient.

The fabric has a moon and stars pattern on the room-facing side, which is a nice touch for a kids' room. The window-facing side is plain and lighter in color. The material is somewhat stiff when first unpacked but softens after a few uses.

Size: 50 × 78 Inches

The curtain measures approximately 50 inches wide by 78 inches tall. This covers most standard hotel room windows and many residential windows. For reference, a standard hotel window is typically 48–60 inches wide. The curtain covers the glass area of most single-panel hotel windows with a little overlap.

For sliding glass doors, double windows, or floor-to-ceiling windows, a single curtain will not provide full coverage. You would need two curtains side by side, or a different product entirely. We have never needed more than one curtain in a standard hotel room.

Packability

The curtain folds flat and weighs about one pound. We fold it into roughly the size of a folded bath towel and slide it into the side pocket of our suitcase. It adds minimal weight and bulk to luggage. For carry-on-only travelers, it fits without issue.

What We Love

Bedtime at 7:30 on vacation. This is the entire value proposition. A dark room is one of the conditions safe sleep guidance associates with settling, and a hotel room in summer is the opposite of one. Without blackout coverage a toddler fights sleep until nine or later, wakes overtired, and the following day is worse for everyone. A curtain that restores the normal schedule in any room is worth considerably more than twenty dollars.

**Naptime in bright rooms.Hotel curtains almost never achieve sufficient darkness for a 1 PM nap. The portable blackout curtain turns a bright hotel room into a nap-ready environment in about two minutes.

No damage, no tools, no hassle. Suction cups mean the curtain goes up and comes down in any room without touching the existing curtains, drilling holes, or using tape. Owners report using it in hotels, rentals and relatives' houses without leaving a mark — which is the whole reason to choose suction over an adhesive or tension system.

$20 is an absurd value. The SlumberPod (which creates a darkened enclosure around a travel crib) costs $180. Stick-on blackout films cost $30–50 and leave residue. The Amazon Basics curtain costs $20 and works for most situations. We have gotten more value per dollar from this product than almost anything else in our travel gear.

What We Don't Love

Suction cups release in heat. On a sunny afternoon with direct sun on the window, the glass warms and the suction cups gradually lose grip. We have had individual cups pop off two or three times during an afternoon nap. The curtain does not fall — the remaining cups hold it — but the gap lets light in. Pressing the cups back on takes five seconds but is annoying if you are trying not to wake a sleeping child.

Light leaks around the edges. The curtain covers the glass but does not seal to the window frame. Light seeps around the top, bottom, and sides — a bright border around the curtain. For naptime, this is usually tolerable. For bedtime in summer when the sun is low and angled, the light leak at the bottom can be noticeable. We drape a hotel towel over the curtain rod to block the top gap.

Does not cover large windows. The 50×78-inch size is adequate for standard windows but falls short on sliding glass doors, picture windows, or double-wide hotel windows. In a beach condo with sliding glass doors, we needed the curtain plus the existing (inadequate) curtains working together.

The moon and stars pattern is babyish. This is a minor quibble, but the pattern is clearly designed for a nursery. In a hotel room, it is visible only from inside and does not matter. But if aesthetics matter to you, this is not a sleek product.

How It Compares

vs. SlumberPod ($180): The SlumberPod creates a darkened enclosure over a travel crib, blocking light from all directions. It is a far more complete blackout solution and also provides white noise dampening and privacy. But it costs nine times more and is significantly bulkier to pack. For families using a travel crib, the SlumberPod is the premium option. For everyone else, the Amazon Basics curtain provides 80 percent of the benefit at 11 percent of the cost.

vs. Stick-on Window Film ($30–50): Static cling blackout films cover windows more completely with fewer light leaks. They also take longer to install, sometimes leave residue, and are harder to reposition. For a single long-stay location, film may be better. For families moving between hotels and rentals, the suction cup curtain is faster and more reusable.

vs. Gro Anywhere Blind ($35): The Gro Anywhere uses suction cups in a roller blind format, which provides more adjustable coverage and a cleaner look. It costs nearly twice as much but covers a similar window size. If aesthetics and adjustability matter, the Gro is the upgrade. For pure function at the lower of the two prices, the Amazon Basics wins.

Final Verdict

The Amazon Basics Portable Blackout Curtain is the most cost-effective sleep improvement you can make on any trip with a toddler. For twenty dollars, you get a curtain that attaches to any glass window in under two minutes and creates enough darkness for normal bedtime and naptime. The suction cups are imperfect in heat, light leaks around the edges, and large windows require supplementation. None of these limitations matter enough to outweigh the fundamental benefit: your child sleeps on schedule in an unfamiliar room.

We now pack this curtain for every trip automatically. It goes in the suitcase alongside the sound machine and the travel crib sheet — the holy trinity of travel sleep. At $20, there is no reason not to have one.