Becoming a parent is all about suddenly having to figure out a lot of logistics. Basically from the time the kid is born, you are thrust into extreme problem solving mode. And, you know, you figure it out and move on to the next thing. Until a friend asked me this question a few weeks ago, I’d entirely forgotten this was an issue we fretted about.

So, that’s the short answer: you’ll figure something out. Don’t worry.

The longer answer: it entirely depends on your apartment building and personal fortitude and stubbornness. Ready?

Originally, I’d envisioned a scenario wherein we kept Bean’s stroller hanging on a hook in our closet. I even cleared out a space in the closet, installed a door hook and everything.

HAAAA ha ha ha! We live in a third floor walk up. I thought I’d be lugging that thing up 6 flights of stairs, along with a baby and diaper bag and whatever groceries, as if I’m some Iron Woman contestant. I don’t think I did that even one time, even when Bean weighed less than 10 lbs.

Our building has an unfinished basement that we have a key to, and that’s where the stroller goes. Technically, we’re not allowed to store anything down there. But, we’re friendly with our building maintenance person, and he does not care at all.

Friends who aren’t as lucky have figured out other solutions. One mom who also lives in a third floor walk up would bring her stroller and baby carrier everywhere. To get up the steps, she puts baby/toddler in the carrier and hauls the stroller up with her free hands.

Another mom has a tall flight of steps leading to the front door of her building. She got a stroller with huge outdoorsy wheels, and turns around and steps the stroller up the steps backwards. Once up those steps, she folds it up, throws baby in a baby carrier, and carries everyone up the indoor steps to her unit.

Another friend lives in an apartment building with only one other tenant, and they both have kids. No one minds that strollers are kept on the first floor landing next to the mailboxes.

Once inside, strollers end up folded and stored in an entryway or a nook in the kitchen, folded and stuffed into a closet or leaned up against a wall.

I’ve also seen (and you’ve likely seen) strollers chained up outside apartment buildings like bicycles.

So, as I said, people figure out solutions that work depending on their apartment building configuration. You will too. It’s part of the learning curve, and trust me that you will figure out a solution within days of baby being born.

If you’re already worrying about what happens once baby is a toddler and no longer fits in a carrier??? The good news is that you have over a year to figure out a solution to that problem, and you’ll be approaching it with tons of experience and wisdom.

It’ll be fine.