Written by: Lindsay Kuula
January 30th, 2026
Estimated Read Time: ~9 Mins

When my first was 3 months old, we decided we needed a quick weekend getaway. Sleep was on our mind as we started creating the packing list, because how bad could a few nights away really be if we didn’t sleep? Well, the answer is bad.

After that experience I was anxious of going on any more trips in anticipation it would be a repeat of that (possibly even more than standard?) sleep deprived weekend. Until I had a friend tell me I could borrow her black out tent.

Huh? This was the first time I’ve ever heard of this kind of a product, so I started looking into it and was immediately relieved that there was perhaps, a solution to our travel aversion.

A few months later we borrowed our friend’s black out tent and let me tell you, it was life changing. She had the Slumberpod which was the original baby black out tent and we used that for around a year. But then I started seeing a competitor popping up that was about $50 less.

I wanted to know if it was as good as a SlumberPod so I bought it, and tested it out. If you want to read a side-by-side comparison of the two, I wrote SlumberPod vs. Hiccapop Showdown: Which Baby Blackout Tent Is Best?

Below I outline everything I love about the Hiccacpop, and what I felt could be improved. If you’re thinking about buying a Hiccapop Blackout Tent, I hope this helps in your decision:

What’s In This Article?

What’s A Baby Blackout Tent?
Standard Features
Darkness
Setup and Ease of Use
Ventilation and Airflow
Material Quality and Safety
Toddler Door
Video Monitor Pocket
Customer Service
Hard Launch Mom Rating
A Dupe?
Who Should Buy?
Where To Buy?
Final Verdict

Is the Hiccapop Daydreamer Blackout Tent Worth The Price?

Bottom Line: In my opinion, yes. The Hiccapop blackout tent did exactly what it said it was going to do, with smart features that I really appreciated.

What I Love:

• Exceptional light blocking (scored 0.0 LUX in my testing)
• Color-coded clips make setup intuitive
• Toddler entry door for independent kiddos
• Six ventilation sections for excellent airflow
• Mesh monitor pocket provides clear video
• Lifetime guarantee (yes, really)
• Price point around $130

What Could Be Better:

• Fabric feels slightly less premium than SlumberPod
• Plastic feet can pop off (happened to me)
• Single pocket for fan AND monitor

The Verdict: If you want a quality baby blackout tent without the premium price tag, the Hiccapop is an excellent value. The added features like the toddler entry door and extra ventilation sections actually give it some advantages over the more expensive competition.

What Is A Blackout Tent?

The Hiccapop DayDreamer blackout tent is a portable, bottomless canopy that fits over your pack n’ play, mini crib, or travel crib. It creates a pitch-black sleep environment so your baby can sleep anywhere, like hotel rooms, grandma’s house, vacation rentals, you name it.

Created by Hiccapop (the same company known for their popular inflatable toddler travel bed), this blackout tent launched in 2024 as a direct competitor to the SlumberPod. It’s been gaining serious traction in mom communities as the go-to budget alternative. There are lots of reddit threads that can confirm this.

The concept is simple: darkness promotes melatonin production, which helps babies fall asleep and stay asleep. When you’re sharing a room with your baby but don’t want to sit in the dark at 7pm, a blackout tent lets everyone win.

Hiccapop Daydreamer Blackout Tent Features

Here’s what you get with the Hiccapop DayDreamer:

• Light Blocking: Claims 90%+ light blocking (I tested this, more on that below)
• Ventilation: 6 ventilation panels for excellent airflow
• Setup: Color-coded clips for frustration-free assembly
• Entry Points: Upper door PLUS lower toddler entry door
• Monitor Pocket: Ultrafine mesh pocket for clear video viewing
• Fan Pocket: Dedicated spot for a portable fan (fan not included)
• Feet: Non-slip, scratch-resistant plastic base
• Assembled Size: 50″ L x 36″ W x 56″ H
• Packed Size: 17″ L x 7″ W x 7″ H
• Material: 85% polyester, 15% spandex
• Warranty: Lifetime guarantee

Price: Retail around $130.

Use my exclusive code HLM for an additional 15% off, bringing it to around $114.

How Dark Is It Really? My Light Meter Test

This is the whole point of a blackout tent, right? If it can’t blackout light exceptionally well, what am I buying?

The Hiccapop claims 90%+ light blocking. I wanted to verify this with actual data, not just eyeballing it.

My Testing Method: I used a light meter (LUX meter) and tested the tent in direct sunlight. I ran three separate tests inside the Hiccapop blackout tent.

The Results: All three tests came back at 0.0 LUX.

For reference, a 0.0 LUX reading means virtually zero detectable light. It was pitch black inside.

I was honestly surprised. The Hiccapop actually scored slightly better than the SlumberPod in my testing, which ranged from 0.0-3.0 LUX. (To be fair, both are so dark that the difference is undetectable to the naked eye.)

For comparison, I also tested a generic Amazon blackout tent, which hit around 15 LUX… and the light penetration was very noticeable to the naked eye.

Pro tip, don’t buy the cheap $75 Amazon ones, they actually suck and are not worth your money.

The Bottom Line: The Hiccapop blackout tent exceeds its darkness promise.

Setup & Ease of Use

When you arrive at your destination after hours of traveling with a tired baby, the last thing you want is to wrestle with complicated setup.

Color-Coded Clips: This is one of the Hiccapop’s biggest selling points. The tent uses color-coded clips that make setup pretty intuitive. Match the colors for each pole, clip them in, and you’re done. No guessing and honestly, no instructions needed after the first time.

First setup took me about 10 minutes. By my second use, I had it down to about 5 minutes.

The Poles: Like most blackout tents, the Hiccapop uses two long metal poles (about 10 feet each) that create the dome structure. Fair warning: these poles are LONG. Sometimes you need to finesse them a bit, keeping some bent until you’re ready to fully erect the tent.

The Feet (A Note of Caution): This is where I have to be honest about a quality issue I experienced. The Hiccapop uses plastic circular feet that connect the tent material to the poles via claw clips.

Two of my plastic circle feet popped off the poles. I could see some glue residue, so they definitely weren’t supposed to come off. When I tried to set the tent up again, the poles kept popping out when tension was put on both sides. I had to be more strategic with my setup process.

This wasn’t a dealbreaker, but it’s worth noting. The good news? That lifetime guarantee will have you covered if this happens to you.

Ventilation & Airflow

When you’re creating an enclosed sleep space for your baby, airflow is non-negotiable. Safety comes first.

Six Ventilation Panels: The Hiccapop blackout tent has six ventilation panels, two more than the SlumberPod’s four for context. These panels can be opened or closed depending on your needs and the temperature.

In my testing, the airflow felt excellent. The extra ventilation panels might provide a slight edge, especially in warmer climates or stuffy hotel rooms.

Fan Pocket: There’s also a dedicated fan pocket at the bottom of the tent for air recirculation. You can attach a small portable fan (not included) to help move air around inside the tent.

Both tents do feel a bit stuffy after a full night of sleep, that’s to be expected with any enclosed space. With a fan attached, the ventilation is fine.

A Note on Safety Testing: I reached out to Hiccapop to ask if they’ve participated in a rebreathing test (like SlumberPod has). They confirmed that both tents are designed with safety and airflow in mind and they are in the process of finding a 3rd party lab to conduct the test. SlumberPod went through the extra step of a voluntary third-party rebreathing assessment where an evaluating doctor concluded the product “presents a low hazard” for CO2 rebreathing.

Material Quality & Safety

Your baby will be sleeping inside this tent for 12+ hours a day while traveling, so safety and quality matter.

Non-Toxic Materials: The Hiccapop is completely non-toxic. The materials are free from:

• Phthalates
• PFAs
• BPAs
• TDCPP/TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants
• Mercury
• Lead
• Heavy metals
• Formaldehyde

Plus, it passes all federal safety standards.

How Does the Fabric Feel? Let me take you on a journey here, because I think this is the best way to describe the actual texture.

If the SlumberPod fabric feels like Lululemon Align Leggings (soft, buttery, premium texture – *chef’s kiss*), the Hiccapop fabric feels more like Lululemon WunderUnder Leggings. It has that classic slippery performance spandex feel. Not quite as soft, but still feels nice.

The materials feel quality, but not necessarily premium like the SlumberPod. For the price difference, this is a totally acceptable trade-off in my opinion.

The Toddler Entry Door: A Game Changer

This is the feature that sets the Hiccapop apart.

The lower entry door is genius for older toddlers who want to climb in and out independently. The SlumberPod does NOT have this feature.

Here’s why this matters: as your baby grows into a toddler, they’ll eventually transition out of a pack n’ play and onto a toddler cot or mattress. With the Hiccapop, they can crawl right into their dark sleep space without you needing to lift them over the top.

This thoughtful addition allows the tent to grow with the age of your child. It provides longevity in the product that the SlumberPod simply doesn’t offer.

If you have an older toddler (or you’re planning ahead), this feature alone might justify choosing the Hiccapop.

Video Monitor Pocket

Another area where the Hiccapop innovates: the ultrafine mesh monitor pocket.

Most blackout tents (including SlumberPod) use a clear vinyl pocket for your video monitor. The problem? Many modern auto-focus cameras focus on the vinyl instead of your baby. You end up with a blurry monitor view and lots of finagling to get a clear shot, if you even get one…

The Hiccapop solves this with a mesh pocket that provides a much clearer video monitor picture. In my testing, the mesh felt more innovative and performed better.

One Caveat: The Hiccapop only has one pocket for both the fan AND monitor, with a single velcro strap. If you use both a fan and a monitor, only one can be secured at a time.

This seems like a potential safety concern to me. There are gaps on all four pocket sides. If the tent gets bumped, items could theoretically fall down. While unlikely, something could potentially hit your baby.

The SlumberPod has separate pockets for the monitor and fan, which feels more secure.

Customer Service & Warranty

Lifetime Guarantee: Here’s where the Hiccapop truly shines. They offer a LIFETIME GUARANTEE.

This is what they say:

“We have a Lifetime Guarantee & we stand by that in its entirety. In short – ALL manufacturing defects (even though they are rare) are indeed covered. In fact – we even cover accidental damage. So if your new puppy accidentally chews a hole in your Hiccapop item, don’t worry, because you are covered.”

This is pretty unheard of in the baby product world.

Note: The lifetime guarantee only applies if purchased directly from their website or Amazon.

My Customer Service Experience: When I emailed Hiccapop with questions about non-toxic materials, they replied within a couple hours. We even had a few back-and-forth exchanges the same day.

This impressed me. With many companies, it’s a 24-48 hour wait for each response. Hiccapop’s quick communication feels efficient and customer-focused.

Another thing that struck me, after I posted my YouTube comparison video, I’ll link below, the CEO of Hiccapop reached out to me and personally informed me that they take the safety of their product incredibly seriously, and he immediately had his team on finding a lab to also participate in the CO2 rebreathing test. My respect for the company increased, and I think you guys should know he did this.

Hard Launch Mom Rating

Here’s how the Hiccapop DayDreamer stacks up using the Hard Launch Mom rating system:

Hiccapop Blackout Tent Rating

Rating Category	Score	Notes
PRICE	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)	At ~$130 ($114 with code HLM), this is exceptional value
FUNCTIONALITY	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)	Blocks light incredibly well, thoughtful features like toddler entry
AESTHETIC	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5)	Looks fine, but fabric feels slightly less premium
CLEAN FACTOR	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)	Completely non-toxic, passes all safety standards
OVERALL	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.75/5)	Excellent value with smart features

Rating Philosophy: “Would I buy it again?” is always the benchmark. For the Hiccapop, the answer is yes, yes, yes!

Hiccapop vs. SlumberPod: Is It Really a Dupe?

The million-dollar question,or rather, the $50 question 🙂 – Is the Hiccapop blackout tent really comparable to the SlumberPod?

Where Hiccapop Wins:

• Price (~$50 cheaper)
• Toddler entry door (SlumberPod doesn’t have this)
• Extra ventilation panels (6 vs 4)
• Mesh monitor pocket (clearer video)
• Color-coded setup (more intuitive)
• Lifetime guarantee (vs standard 30-day return)

Where SlumberPod Wins:

• Premium fabric quality
• Sturdier construction (pole sleeves vs clips)
• Separate pockets for monitor and fan (safer)
• Third-party safety testing
• Brand recognition and resale value

My Honest Opinion: The Hiccapop delivers about 90-95% of the SlumberPod experience. For most families, that 5-10% difference won’t matter. Your baby will sleep in the dark either way.

If you travel frequently and want maximum durability for years of heavy use, the SlumberPod’s premium construction might justify the extra cost. But if you’re a budget-conscious family who still wants quality? The Hiccapop is the smarter choice.

Who Should Buy the Hiccapop Blackout Tent?

The Hiccapop is best for:

• Budget-conscious families wanting excellent value
• Parents with toddlers who climb in and out of bed independently
• Those who want as many bells and whistles as possible
• Families who travel
• Anyone who uses products hard, as it has a lifetime guarantee

Consider the SlumberPod instead if:

• Premium materials matter more than price
• You prioritize having the most recognized brand
• Resale value is important to you

Where to Buy

Hiccapop DayDreamer Blackout Tent:

• Amazon — Prime shipping available
• Hiccapop.com — Use code HLM for 15% off (brings it to ~$114)

For the best deal, I’d recommend using my exclusive code on their website. All in, the total brings the cost to about $85 cheaper than the SlumberPod at full price, which I do also have an exclusive discount code for as well.

Use my link with code SLEEPWELL for 15% off the SlumberPod if you choose to go that route.

Final Verdict

After extensive testing of the Hiccapop blackout tent, here’s my honest recommendation:

For most families, the Hiccapop DayDreamer is the smarter choice.

It delivers excellent light blocking (I measured 0.0 LUX in testing), thoughtful features the competition doesn’t have, and a price point that makes quality travel sleep accessible to more families.

Yes, the fabric feels slightly less premium than the SlumberPod. Yes, I had an issue with the plastic feet popping off. But when you factor in the toddler entry door, the extra ventilation sections, the responsive customer service, and that incredible lifetime guarantee? The value proposition is hard to beat.

The good news is that neither option is a bad choice. Both deliver on the core promise of creating a dark, comfortable sleep space for your baby while traveling. The Hiccapop just does it for less money.

Investing in a quality blackout tent has honestly been one of the best travel purchases we’ve made as parents. Being able to travel without sacrificing sleep (for E or us!) has opened up so many family adventures we wouldn’t have considered before.

I don’t even have the anxious thoughts of “what if he doesn’t sleep” before trips anymore. And that’s worth every single penny.

If this has helped you make the decision to purchase the Hiccapop Daydreamer Blackout Tent, please consider using my link to purchase (and use code HLM), which really helps support what I’m doing, and that’s to bring you authentic, real and in-depth product reviews. Thanks so much!

Disclosure: This is a review blog which may get compensated for the products reviewed by the companies who produce them. All of the products are tested thoroughly and I only endorse products I believe in. I am an independent blogger and the reviews are done based on my own opinions.