Name: StrollAway by MetroTots
Price: $39.99
Rating: Recommend
Buying a stroller can be a confusing decision. There are so many to choose from and, especially as a first time parent, it's hard to know which features to prioritize. One thing parents in small homes often overlook when stroller shopping is where they're going to put the damn thing. The StrollAway was designed with just these parents in mind.
The Strollaway is a simple product — an adjustable, over the door hook to hang your stroller up and out of the way. It was invented by Mary Ann Malone, who, as a New York City parent, was surprised that no one else had come up with a product to solve the problem of storing strollers in small homes.
I own two strollers: a Phil & Teds Sport (currently in storage) and a Maclaren Volo (purchased when my son was 2 for subway trips and to bring to daycare). Where to keep them has certainly been a problem over the years. When my son was younger I used his stroller every day, often multiple times, so it had to be accessible. The "solution" I came up with was to "park" the stroller next to the dining room table. And when we ate — I wheeled it somewhere else until the meal was over. Yeah, not much of a solution.
MetroTots sent me a StrollAway to test out — here's what I thought.
The Product
As you can see, the StrollAway is small and hangs about a foot from the top of the door. It's made of steel, but is lightweight. According to the company, it can hold strollers up to 40 lbs. and can accommodate most stroller types, including some double strollers.
Assembly
There really isn't any assembly. The StrollAway is simply slipped over your door like any over the door hook. However, you can adjust it for wider doors by removing a metal spacer with one screw. I tried this and it took about 10 seconds to change. With the spacer out, it fit well on my thicker, exterior apartment door. With the spacer in, it fit comfortably on an interior closet door.
Here you can see that the StrollAway's arms can be adjusted into different angles to suit your particular stroller. You lift the hooks up and rotate them into the positions that work for you.
USAGE
Fold your stroller and hang by the stroller arms.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Caveat: because my large, heavy stroller was in storage out of state, I was only able to test the StrollAway with my light weight umbrella stroller. My guess is that even if the product can accommodate heavy strollers, the act of constantly lifting a heavy stroller to hang could be cumbersome and difficult for most parents.
That said, for my small stroller, it has been a success. No more leaning the stroller against tables and having it fall. No more tucking it behind furniture. I chose to hang mine on the outside of a closet door because the inside is used for coats, but if you have a larger closet your stroller could truly be out of sight.
PROS:
• Frees up floor space.
• Eliminates the annoyance of folded strollers falling over.
• Affordable.
• Renter friendly.
CONS:
• After hanging for a few weeks I did notice some indentations on the foam around my stroller arms from the weight of hanging. This doesn't bother me, but it might you.
• Could be cumbersome/difficult to lift a heavy stroller on and off the hook.
• When removing the stroller, the angles you've chosen for the hooks sometimes change and need to be readjusted.
Our Ratings:
Strong Recommend
Recommend*
Weak Recommend
Don't Recommend
More Info/Purchasing: MetroTots
(Images: Carrie McBride)
Apartment Therapy Media makes every effort to test and review products fairly and transparently. The views expressed in this review are the personal views of the reviewer and this particular product review was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. However, the manufacturer did give us the product for testing and review purposes.
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
How to Make Buckwheat Soba Noodles from Scratch
Love this hook. I second the recommend. It can be tough sometimes to keep the arms in the right spot as you're putting the stroller up, and sometimes the sunshade gets hooked instead of the handles, but this is great to keep the stroller out of the way.
The back of a door is a great place to store lots of things. Look around your home and determine how many doors in your home have a back that is never or rarely seen and can be utilized. Real eye opener for me!
I have both the Phil and Teds and the Volo in the pic and we've successfully stored both on this hook at various times. The Phil and Teds is stored without the extra seat, but it holds up fine, though over time it will leave some indents in the handle (which is foam). By far the most essential kid purchase for a small space.
Does the hook scratch up the door or cause the stroller to bang against the door when it opens/closes? I've had that happen with other door hooks, like bathroom door hooks. This one seems much sturdier, but I don't want to be damaging and banging up the door.
It's a good idea. But I think a quick browse on Amazon for an "over the door" hook would turn up something just as good and for about $25 less.
We bought this hook when my daughter was first born four years ago. It was great to keep the stroller out of the way. My daughter has since out grown her stroller and now we hang her balance bike on the hook.