The Best Thing to Happen to Our Tiny Entry

I can't remember if I am putting away the stroller or taking it down but I thought it would be helpful to have me in the picture for scale to show how small our entry way is. But then I realized at 5'2" it might have been more helpful to have a more normal sized person in the photo...whoops!

One of my biggest complaints about our small space is our stroller sitting in our front hallway for the past 4 years. We share a car, so our stroller is essentially our second vehicle. We can't store it in our car like some people do because the other parent is always using it. Our Bugaboo Bee sits at our front hall closet. When we maneuver the stroller to access our hall closet, it then blocks our pantry closet. Our stroller drags in the dirt, bashes into our walls and doors, and gets piled with coats and bags. This arrangement has never been ideal, but is just one of the compromises we make while living small. We have tried ideas to hang up the stroller before but none were built to hold the weight of our stroller. We also tried to clear out space in our closet but could never spare the room.

So when Mary Ann, the inventor of the DreamBaby StrollAway® (updated affiliate link) hook contacted me to try it out, I immediately said yes! And amazingly, it worked for us! Now when we are home, I clear out the stroller, fold it up, and hang it on the hook. And I can actually access my closets! It's a dream.

Mary-Ann was a small space living mom from New York who had the same stroller dilemma but she took matters into her own hands and actually invented this hook. Made of steel, the StrollAway® hangs easily over any standard width door, no drilling or screws required, holds up to 50 pounds with arms that adjust to accommodate most any stroller model. Our stroller is *just* under the weight limit and only folds up so small. The StrollAway® would be even better with an umbrella stroller. I would love to switch to an umbrella stroller at Mae's age but we still benefit from the Ride Along Board for Theo on our current stroller. 

Our Bugaboo Bee being held up by the Strollaway

Now, as nothing is simple in our small space, we have a few new access issues with the stroller on the door, like we have to watch the stroller doesn't bump the mirror when we open the door. We also have to take the stroller off the hook to access the laundry closet. But the ability to access the front hall closet and pantry closet is pretty wonderful, as they are accessed on a more frequent basis. Also the visual clutter of the stroller is diminished with it hanging on the door.  Furthermore, my entry can finally remain clean! We've been wanting to repaint our entry but it didn't seem worth it because our stroller is always running into our walls. Now with the StrollAway® it feels worth it. I wish I had this invention years ago. I was also wondering what the fire code is for apartment buildings, because wouldn't it be wonderful if it was safe and socially acceptable to hang your stroller on the outside of your door?

Note: new light thanks to reader Jessica's hot tip in the comments on the post about lighting updates!

(This post is sponsored by DreamBaby. All words and thoughts are my own. I would only share about a product that I have tested and would buy myself. I receive no compensation from sales of the Strollaway. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog)