I’m pretty sure most parents are a lot like me in my enjoyment of any toy that cleans itself up or encourages kids to do it. Zip Bins are a fantastic products for both kids and adults. They were recommended to us by a dedicated T.O.P. reader and once we checked out the website we knew they’d be a great fit!

They’re essentially just bins, available in four sizes, that unzip into a playmat and back into a bin when you’re done, but after we actually tried them we realized they’re so much more than that and I’m finding that the coolness factor is actually rather hard to describe! They also fold into small flat packets for storage when not in use.

The dinosaur mini ZipBin, my son’s favourite, is like all the others in that the four corners of the box fold & zip up & down from a storage bin for all those loose dino toys to a decorative playscape. Most homes with little boys (and often girls, too!) will have these plastic prehistoric creatures underfoot. That is until the ZipBin enters your house. They’ll still be there, but they’ll no longer be underfoot once the kids learn to zip them back into their bin when they’re done playing! And, being mini, it’s perfect for travel in cars & planes or for taking to daycare or to Grandma’s house.

Some of them, like the Small Town ZipBin, come with some accompanying toys. The Small Town also features a cool “parking garage” under the lid! (Yet it still folds flat - even with the cars inside. Like magic.

They don’t all zip into a flat sided box. For the pony lovers, the Country Stable set folds up into a barn for the ponies to sleep peacefully until their next play time.

For the family? A brilliant picnic basket turned placemat. For the hunter or fisherman? Camo. For the home? How about satin or one of the holiday options?

You can find retailers of the ZipBin here.

After you buy yours and see how much you love it, you can enter their Zip-Lify Your Life! ™ contest ~ check out some of the winners’ fabulous ideas (that I know I’ll be borrowing. These people are creative!)

We’re giving away the Unicorn Playscape! To be entered in the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com before midnight on 7/17 with ZipBin in the subject line and include the answer to the question: What’s the name of the company behind the ZipBin products? Congratulations Thea!