Thank you to Lay-n-Go for providing me with product to facilitate my review. All opinions are 100% my own.
LEGOs, LEGOs everywhere, and no idea how to pack them up for a summer trip? You're not alone. Two years ago, our family took a week long trip to the NC Coast, and one of the young cousins (then 8 years old) wanted to bring along a bunch of bricks to play with. His mom walked into the beach house with a huge plastic storage tub, filled with the tiny little pieces. I thought, 'Well, I guess that's one way to do it,' but vowed that we'd never allow those bricks to take over our trunk space on a family trip. I figured there just had to be a better way to travel with bricks, and be able to play with them, yet keep them semi-contained, so that the pieces didn't wind up lost, or create a gigantic mess (which I would wind up having to clean up).
A few months ago, we attended a LEGO Convention in Raleigh, NC, and as we checked out some of the vendors, one in particular caught my eye. No, it wasn't the newest or most jaw-droppingly awesome or expensive LEGO set on the market, it was a portable store and play solution for all of those tiny pieces. Typical mom response, I know. I made a bee-line for the Lay/N/Go display, where a rep was demonstrating their unique products. They were exactly what I'd been looking for, ever since B became interested in LEGOs.
Lay/N/Go started with a mom's desire to find a solution to the headache of LEGO storage, play time and clean-up. Her husband and three sons all equally loved brick building (sounds familiar!). Lay-n-Go is a patent pending multi-award winning mat, cleanup, carryall, and storage solution in one for home and on the go. Smart and easy design is at the heart of each and every product. From the beginning, our focus has been to make life easier and more enjoyable by helping to solve basic cleanup and organizational challenges in daily routines; this is design with a purpose and a brand that is focused on durability, style and innovative functionality.
With such a mess of bricks in our house, all I can think of (when I step on one that has managed to escape its friends), is my dad's voice saying, 'Just wait until you have kids and there are tiny little pieces of toys all over the place.' He did not care for all of the tiny Barbie accessories we had when we were little. We were fortunate enough to receive a Lay-n-Go Cinch to try out with all of B's bricks!
B couldn't wait to find out what might possibly be inside of this package.
Mr. Cool with one of his favorite LEGO shirts on, discovering the Lay-n-Go Cinch!
'Cool, mommy- a backpack for my LEGOs!'
Right on, little man! Who would have thought that something like this would excite a four-year-old so? I was absolutely excited about the Cinch from Lay-n-Go. This is one of their newer products, and not only does it provide a designated play area for brick building, wherever you are, it's completely portable, and clean up is a- well, you guessed it- a cinch!
We received the blue Lay-n-Go Cinch, individually packaged.
The back of the package showed us some of the other popular Lay-n-Go styles, and even included a QR code, which we could scan by phone to quickly receive further product information.
B couldn't wait to get the Cinch all laid out, and to start playing with his bricks. To be honest, I couldn't wait either. I was ready to kiss the little LEGO tubs goodbye! We removed the Cinch from its packaging, and laid it out on the floor at home. We wanted to try it out a few times before packing it up for a family trip to the beach.
All neatly folded up, the Lay-n-Go takes up very little room.
As we began to unfold the Cinch...
...we were pretty impressed by its size!
The back of the Cinch has straps, which are sewn on- making long handles, or an instant backpack!
Ready to see the Cinch in action? Here we go! B has an incredible LEGO collection for a four-year-old. We have all sorts of LEGO sets from LEGO Juniors to LEGO CHIMA, and more. I can't keep them all straight- nor can I seem to keep track of the pieces (many have met their demise by vacuum- oops!).
Here's one of B's many tubs filled with bricks, sitting atop the Cinch.
We poured all of (these) bricks on top of the Cinch...
...and B had an instant play space.
B and I talked about the purpose of the Cinch, and that the rule would be that he had to keep the LEGOs in the black space of the Cinch, so they wouldn't wind up lost. He happily agreed, and built the day away with his many, many bricks.
At the end of the day, we were ready to clean up the toys, and all we had to do was pull the drawstring on the Cinch to close it up. It pulled the pieces to the center of the Cinch, and the bricks were contained in an instant. The best part of this for B, is that we don't have to take apart his creations. We can place them in the middle of the Cinch, and the loose LEGO pieces will just fill in around the things he has built. B loves that he can keep his creations in tact, and I love that they're not sitting atop every surface in my home.
Brick clean-up and storage is a CINCH with Lay-n-Go!
We're ready to hit the road with our bricks, neatly tucked inside of the Lay-n-Go Cinch!
B was ecstatic when he asked if he could bring his LEGOs with him on our summer trips, and we actually smiled and said, 'Yes!' Of course, we can't bring them ALL along, but B is able to select the sets he wants to bring along, and place them in the Cinch for safe-keeping during travel time. The Cinch worked out so well for us at the beach house this summer. It gave B a space all his own to play with his bricks, and when we needed to move them, all we had to do was cinch up the Lay-n-Go. It hardly took up any space in the car, and was so lightweight that B was able to carry it himself.
Features of the Lay-n-Go Cinch
DESCRIPTION
Lay-n-Go CINCH (patent pending) is a 44 inch diameter activity mat. We set out to produce a high-quality "back to basics" product that offered the benefits of its fancier "big brothers" (60" LARGE and 44" LIFESTYLE) at a more approachable price point. This great mat converts into a backpack allowing for quick and effortless clean-up of small toy pieces. Toy collections used on the Lay-n-Go CINCH surface are easily spread out (no dumping needed) for hours of fun. Once playtime is over, the drawstring is pulled and the activity mat is converted back into a completely sealed soft storage bag. Lay-n-Go is a smart and easy activity mat, cleanup, storage and carry-all solution in one.
Shell: Durable poly denier
A specially designed “lip” around the bag, keeps your items on the mat
Machine washable
Comfortable nylon backpack straps are ideal for anyone on the go
Front storage pocket with Velcro® closure for stowing the drawstring when storing or carrying the bag
*Toys not included.
$39.95
Other fabulous Lay-n-Go products include...
Cosmo
LITE
Traveler
Lifestyle
I highly recommend Lay-n-Go for anyone who is looking for a great way to store and transport bricks, and more! The activity mat gives your kids a designated play area, and of course, you can bring along more than just bricks in the Lay-n-Go. Use it for whatever you desire! I would love to add a Lay-n-Go LITE for B to bring along his action figures when we hit the road. As we expand our family, the Lay-n-Go will be a great tool for transporting baby items and toys for long weekend getaways or family vacations (we love to travel and aren't afraid to hit the road with a wee one). Hubby would love the Traveler, and I definitely want to get my hands on a Cosmo! Lay-n-Go is for the whole family!
Want one? Get one (or a few!)!
Head on over to Lay-n-Go to check out their full line of fantastic products! Trust me, you'll be so glad you did! The Lay-n-Go products make fabulous gifts, so if you're already thinking ahead to Christmas like I am, make sure to put Lay-n-Go on your idea list for the kiddos, college students, or savvy traveler in your life.
This lay-n-Go is awesome. Its the best I have ever seen yet! Love this! It would make a nice Christmas Gift for a couple of my Grandkids...Thankyou for the awesome review!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Cathy! We took bricks on a trip with us last year, before I knew of the Lay-n-Go, and it was such a nightmare! The Lay-n-Go is fantastic! I'll bet your grandkids would love it!
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