The Best LEGO Storage Solution I’ve Found — and I’ve Tried Them All

LEGO is the most treasured and utilized toy in our home, which means it pops up everywhere: roaring dinosaurs on kitchen counters, the Hogwarts Castle landing prime real estate on the dining room table, mismatched minifigs standing watch on windowsills. And then of course, there’s the floor. Our floor used to be peppered with tiny LEGO bricks at every turn, just beckoning a bare foot and an ensuing “ouch!”

Any parent who knows the sharp pain of stepping on a rogue LEGO brick knows how important it is to have a toy storage system that works for kids. 

If your children have the patience to organize their LEGO by size and hue into a color-coded cubby storage system, you have my sincerest congratulations. My kids prefer to chuck items literally anywhere as quickly as possible during “clean-up” time, cross-pollinating every toy bin and surface of their bedroom with a jumbled mixture of mismatched toys. Trying to maintain a sleek way to store LEGO was an effort in futility, and every storage system I tried was quickly dismantled.

This is why I can declare that Swoop Bags are the best addition to our playroom since LEGO.

When I came across the Swoop Bag, I thought, finally, an easy to maintain toy storage system that “gets us.” It opens flat like a giant canvas of LEGO building possibilities, encouraging kids to use their creativity and not just the instruction manual when it comes to constructing masterpieces. And it doubles as a play mat that simultaneously houses all those tiny bricks. Once your child’s LEGO session ends, they simply employ the drawstring cord laced through the upper edge of the Swoop Bag to cinch it shut and keep the contents neatly enclosed, off the floor, and out from under your feet. Let’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief!

The Swoop Bag is the brainchild of a lineage of women who needed a simple yet genius toy storage solution. The backstory truly illustrates that necessity is the mother of invention.  Swoop Bags owner Sarah Kirk’s grandmother crafted the original iteration of the Swoop Bag by hand in 1978 to store her brother’s unwieldy LEGO collection. Kirk’s mother then put a modern spin on the design, and the present-day Swoop Bag was born shortly thereafter.

If your tots are too young for LEGO, or your kids have other toy interests, the Swoop Bag is also great for housing stuffed animals, plastic or wooden building blocks, train table accoutrements, dollhouse accessories, and really any toy items that need to be conveniently and effortlessly stored together. Beyond the playroom, it’s easy to tote the Swoop Bag to a different room in your home, or even to grandma’s or a friend’s house.

Swoop Bags are available in large, medium, and mini sizes, ranging from 16 to 36 inches wide when open. They come in a wide array of pleasing colors including subtle to bold hues: Seattle Gray and Beach Sand to Banana Yellow and Rocket Red, so you’re sure to find one that suits your decor or taste. I also love that Swoop Bags are made in the USA (in Seattle) of water-resistant and durable nylon/poly fabric and designed to last for generations. After all, LEGO will never go out of style, nor will a clean playroom.

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