LightsOut portable blackout blind: REVIEW

We give our verdict on the LightsOut portable blackout blind. Could this kids sleep solution become a family holiday essential?

Passports… sun cream… teabags… The list of holiday ‘essentials’ goes on and on, but how about something that ‘keeps bedrooms dark and your kids asleep’. That’s the strapline of LightsOut portable pop-up blackout blind - a product aimed at the family travel and holiday market. The simple premise is, as it says on the tin, to keep bedrooms dark so your kids can sleep when it’s light outside.

How does it work? You twist the circular package and up pops the blind. Two blinds in fact – that’s what you get in a pack, so you can black out two windows, or two panes. The blind simply sticks to the window with a sucker, and then you can bend and squash it to fit the window.

Winner of Loved by Parents’ ‘Best Sleep Aid’ 2011 and a finalist in Practical Parenting & Pregnancy magazine’s awards 2011/2012, LightsOut is obviously well regarded, but does it pass the rigorous Skyscanner test? Well, LightsOut does work, although it doesn't really black out strong sunlight. What's good is that it's in place in seconds. Two blinds fit a two-paned window well, with just a little adjustment. It is worth a go for those long summer nights when it’s bedtime for the kids at 7pm yet it’s still broad daylight outside, leaving you free to sit on the veranda with a glass or two of vino while the offspring sleep soundly.

LightOut is described as ‘portable’, but compact as it is, would not squeeze into your hand-baggage on easyJet. A reasonably large check-in case would probably be ok. However, it’d definitely be worth throwing in the boot of the car along with the buckets n’ spades and board games if you’re off for a week in a French gite or a cottage in Cornwall. Retailing at around £34.95, it might seem a little expensive, but a good nights’ sleep for the little ones and an evening’s peace for you? Priceless.