StrollAway

I have been searching for a good storage option for my Macleran stroller ever since we moved here to NYC last year. It had been precariously balanced next to my phil&ted's stroller in the closet for 7 months, and it was high time for a more advanced storage solution.

I came across the StrollAway by Metrotots a few weeks ago, and was intrigued. I contacted the company, and they were generous enough to provide me with a sample of their product to review for citrus. Yah!

We have been using the StrollAway for a few weeks now, and here is the product low-down:

Pro's

• Finally somewhere to put that stroller, that is taking up half of my apartment!
• No assembly required, you just take it out of the box, and it is ready to hang over your door. No holes drilled in walls- that your landlord may have issue with.
  
• The hanger is adjustable to different door widths (you can unscrew a piece that is mounted to the inside to allow it to fit a wider door). We have extra thick doors throughout our house, so that was a huge plus.
• The arms of the StrollAway can rotate to nine different positions, allowing you to fit almost any stroller on your door.
• The arms of the StrollAway fold flush against the door when they are not in use.
  
• Neutral silver color. That is a plus for me.

Con's

• If you have a young child (especially a toddler son) he/she may have an inborn attraction to stroller wheels. We originally hung this on our front door, until I found that it put our stroller's germ-ridden wheels right at my 18-month-old's ideal spinning level. Yum. Maybe your child was born without this tendency, and congratulations are in order. If you are unlucky like me, I would recommend storing it on the back of a door (or inside a closet) of a room that is not frequented by your toddler.
• I am tall (5'9") and this height of mine puts me wheel-to-eye with my Macleran, which grosses me out at times when I open up the closet where my stroller is hanging out (see above picture- my face hits right at those top wheels). If I were a few inches shorter (I am thinking 5'5" would be perfect) I would not be bothered as much by this.
  
• Realize, that this product is not going to magically transform your stroller into a paper thin piece of baby transportation when you hang it on the wall. Your stroller's width will be the same as it was when it was hiding in the closet. If your stroller is bulky when it is folded up in the closet, it is going to be bulky when it is hanging on the door. No magic fairy dust here. If you are thinking of springing for the StrollAway, I would have a friend hold the stroller (folded up) flush against the door and see if you can visually handle it.
  

So, with all of this said, you need to look at your lifestyle and assess if this product fits you. If you live in a Barbie-sized apartment (raising my hand) and every sq ft. of floorspace counts, you will want to consider this as an option. If you live in suburbia with space galore, I would probably wait for Metrotots to release their wall-mounted version of the StrollAway (coming soon) and put it on your garage wall- or if you are talented enough, Macgyver yourself one out of bike hooks. I lack that kind of talent, and my landlord isn't too keen on bike hooked walls.
Lastly, kudos to the mom behind Metrotots for seeing a stroller storage need (especially here in NYC) and acting on it- by developing this product.
You can currently only purchase the StrollAway on the Metrotots website. The StrollAway sells for $39.99 +s/h.