Review: mini Toy Wrangler by Luv Loo

Because I know that you're reading this Jen, do you remember the afternoon we took our two sweet babies out in the rain to Ikea and then to a late lunch at Red Robin? (Yum!) Remember how much I enjoyed my meal because it was a constant drop a toy, pick up a toy, drop a toy, pick up a toy, launch a red plastic tray of toys into the air, pick them up kind of meal? It was when I realized that we were entering my favorite baby stage again. The stage where Mommy and Daddy spend most of the meal crawling around on the floor retrieving toys as opposed to say, enjoying their meals. Fun for Isaac, not so much fun for his parents. Shortly after my Red Robin experience, I was introduced to the Toy Wrangler by Luv Loo. Designed by a parent who was having the same problems while dining out with her 9 month old, the Toy Wrangler was the answer to my prayers.

Click on Read More to find out why...

So, answer to my prayers might be a really bold statement, but the mini Toy Wrangler is a pretty clever little device. The mini Toy Wrangler is simply a plastic link and a velcroed elastic cuff attached together with a fabric wrapped little bungee. You can use it to secure a toy to a high chair, a sippy cup to a stroller, a snack cup to a
shopping cart, the list goes on and on. We used both of our mini Toy Wranglers at Thanksgiving dinner and they were fabulous. We still had to help Isaac reach down and pick up the toy because he didn't quite understand that it was still attached to the chair, but at least we weren't crawling around on the floor after dinner trying to make sure we picked up every last toy. I'm looking forward to warmer weather and using our mini Toy Wranglers to secure sippy and snack cups to the stroller to avoid the frustration that comes with turning around and retrieving cups that have been thrown overboard on a stroll to the park. We've tried using a string of plastic links to attach cups and toys to high chairs and strollers before, but always ended up irritated when our toddler figured out that all she had to do was unlink the blocks to drive us crazy again! The Toy Wrangler prevents this because it's a bungee as opposed to a series of links. The other awesome bonus is that if the item you're trying to secure is too big to fit through the ring, you can just attach it to the elastic end which adjusts to accommodate larger sizes. You can store a couple in your diaper bag because they take up virtually no space which is also a great, too! We couldn't have been introduced to the mini Toy Wrangler at a better time in our son's life, and we haven't been disappointed!

The Toy Wrangler comes in a second size which is the original Toy Wrangler. The original is a longer piece of velcroed fabric that you use to wrap around a shopping cart handle, high chair or stroller bar, and instead of just one bungee and ring, it has three. You can attach a toy, sippy cup and snack cup all at the same time if you wanted! Plus, if your kids are at all like mine, to them, nothing tastes more delicious than a shopping cart handle or dirty high chair seat.
The Toy Wrangler is a quick fix because it offers up a cleaner surface for chewing without forcing you to investment in one of those big shopping cart covers. I could see having one for your diaper bag and one permanently attached to the stroller bar. While I haven't seen the original in person, I'm assuming that it features the same stretchy bungee design and strong velcro that our mini Toy Wranglers have. What an ingenious solution for frustrated parents!

Full Review of the mini Toy Wrangler below, based on a 4-star scale:

Functionality ***1/2 - The ability to use the elastic cuff to secure bigger items is a huge plus! The bungee is stretchy which almost makes it a toy in it's own right. They are small and easy to pack which means they are perfect for simply storing in a diaper bag meaning you'll always be prepared. I broke ours out a lunch today and it gave Isaac the opportunity to play a little while I finished my sandwich. The velcro is strong enough to keep your tot from pulling it off which is helpful, too. I took off only 1/2 a star because sometimes the bungee seems a little short. Isaac struggles a little to get the toy to his mouth sometimes because the bungee is just not quite long enough. Not a huge issue, and can usually be fixed by reattaching the mini Toy Wrangler to the seat in a different way. Oh, and yes, they are machine washable! (on the gentle cycle, but still...)

Price **** - The mini Toy Wrangler is a huge bargain at only $7.99 for a package of two! The original Toy Wrangler is $14.99 which is also a great price considering it's dual use as a handle cover. You can afford one for the diaper bag and one for the stroller if you wanted. As these are a very new product, I believe that they are only available for sale on the Toy Wrangler website at this time.

Overall Rating almost **** - An easy to use, multi-function product at an attractive price. No more crawling on restaurant floors or backtracking 4 or 5 blocks to find a discarded sippy cup makes this product an A+ in my book!