Before I could even drag the box through the front door, my daughter was all over it.  She must have known that something very special was inside.  She was right!  If you are looking for a stroller to take you and your child anywhere you want to go then look no further.  The Baby Bling Design Company's Metamorphosis ATS (All Terrain Stroller) is your answer. 

At my daughter's insistence, I wasted no time opening the package.  Forget dinner, bath, pajamas.  We were opening the "present" with great urgency! 

Our "present" arrives

What we find is an oversized carrying bag, all zipped up and ready for travel.  This is a stroller?!  I've never seen one come like this before. 

Right out of the box

So we dig further.  The zipper comes open and we find the nine pieces that would eventually create the stroller and the five bonus items that come along with it, standard.  Again - not your average stroller.  How often do you get one extra item, let alone five! So, while my little curious monkey climbs into the seat as it sits on the floor, I go about assembly. 

Nine parts awaiting assembly

As I mentioned, I have a task master with no patience whatsoever demanding that we complete our mission and go for a test ride.  Bedtime is looming, so I pull open the instruction booklet and get to work.  My only struggle was comparing the pictures in the manual to the actual pieces and parts.  I found the instructions a bit confusing and eventually did what I often do which is to open my eyes and use my brain!  And in reality, the design of this stroller is so user friendly that I think the attempt to walk you through it verbally in the manual actually complicates things.  The entire assembly is really all about sliding a male piece into its female counterpart and waiting to hear the "click".

Basic frame opened

Period.  Every piece just slipped into place. 

Handle bar pops on

The key is finding the right place (not hard) and applying enough pressure. 

Seat's in

In all of about 30 minutes (and this is while managing miss 2-year-old director) the stroller was ready to hit the road! 

One wheel on

Now two

Almost there

Now that's a stroller

Off we went as the sun descended behind the hills.  I found myself feeling very awkward at first because it was so easy to maneuver!  For months I have been pushing a stroller that requires that I really give it some muscle when turning or traveling over uneven surfaces.  So my body was all prepared to work and simply didn't have to.  It was fabulous to realize that I could relax and enjoy the walk along with my daughter, who was all cozied up in the wonderfully padded seat.  It was a quick walk, but I promised my precious little one that it was the first of many.

OK, let me pause this harrowing tale to tell you a bit about this stroller, its designer and the company that birthed it.  Michael Sallus is a father of 2 and created this concept after researching the strollers already on the market and asking moms what they really wanted to see in a stroller.  He was also motivated to support the growing number of dads who are taking a more active roll in their children’s lives.  You can tell by so many of the details that Mr. Sallus is very focused on his market and wanted to make sure they were happy with the result of his work.  For example, the handle bar can be adjusted to accommodate height.  What a blessing for someone like me who’s all of 5’1” (or Mr. Sallus who is 6’5”!)  Another is the convertible hood.  It is designed so you can unzip the back half of the hood and pull it back leaving only a mesh screen, allowing airflow through the seat area.  In southern California, hiking the hills in 95 degree heat, that’s another delightful treat.

Unzipped hood with mesh screen for airflow

To get a real picture of all The Metamorphosis offers, here’s what the company says:

“Since 2005, Baby Bling Design Co. focused on creating the most versatile stroller on the market today. We took the ideas that new moms wanted to see in a stroller and created the Metamorphosis ATS (All Terrain Stroller). 

When purchasing the Metamorphosis ATS package, you will receive a Matching Fabric Diaper Bag, Matching Fabric Footmuff, Rain Cover, Sun Screen, Bicycle Pump, Wheel Bags and Master Travel Bag.  In addition, you can personalize your purchase with unique accessories including the option of changing out your existing fabric with eight vibrant choices. 

Fantastic bonus items

In April 2008 at Baby Celebration LA Baby Bling design Co. showed its GPS device called nanny Tracker for the first time to rave reviews by the public.  Baby Bling Design Co. released its All Terrain Stroller (ATS) System, Metamorphosis, to the public in September of 2007 at the ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, NV.  It received rave reviews by stroller critics from across the nation.  Baby Bling Design Co. was endorsed by the industry as having one of the most structurally sound, innovative, and well thought-out strollers on the market today.

The Metamorphosis ATS has many special features. We have made the stroller slightly larger with a full-size hood to allow the child to grow into the unit rather than out of it. The 4-position seating section reclines completely flat for better sleeping and to be used as a changing table (just think, no more searching for a bathroom to change your baby's diapers). The seat and hood sections are removable from the chassis to allow your child to face you as an infant and reverse the parts back as they grow. The back of the hood zips off and a mesh screen remains allowing free-flowing air for your child. We have added “loops” for attaching toys on the inside of the hood. The trim of the stroller has reflective piping for nighttime safety. The front wheel swivel lock is positioned on the left side of the handle allowing the user to lock the front wheel on a whim. We have added lots of storage space and made the fabrics removable from the chassis for washing, or interchanging with other fabric combinations that we offer as Upgrade Kits and much more.

Fully reclining seat

Forward facing for the infant

To top it all off, Baby Bling Design Co. has a line of optional accessories for the Metamorphosis ATS that no other stroller on the market offers. We have a portable I-Pod Speaker System, DVD Package, Lighting Package, Handle Bar Accessory Kit (attaches Cell Phone, PDA, Blackberry, or Portable Sirius Satellite Radio), Car Adapter Wiring Harness with Rechargeable Battery and Battery Charger (great for bottle warmers and cell phone chargers), Cup Holder, Removable Kiddie Tray, an elegant Swarovski Crystal Package upgrade and Fabric Upgrade Kits in eight (8) vibrant combinations.  We at Baby Bling Design Co. are excited about this innovative design and concept. We enjoy the challenge of “Taking the Ordinary to the Extraordinary.”  Please continue to check back with us on new upgrades and products at www.BabyBlingDesignCo.com .”

OK.  Now, pick your jaw up off the floor.  Amazing, right?  Now keep in mind, this is the Bentley of strollers.  It is decked out and ready for all the “bling” you want to add.  It is not meant to be the smallest or lightest in town.  Do not expect to fit into a compact space anymore than you would your luxury car.  However, the design allows you to dismantle the stroller so easily that you can fit it into a small space if you simply pop off the wheels and seat.  As long as you have ample space in your garage, SUV or minivan, you will have to problem transporting or storing the Metamorphosis fully assembled and folded down.

Folded down and ready for travel or storage

One of the most unique aspects of this line is the fabric design.  The average stroller generally offers you two or three color options based on coordinating solid-colored fabrics.  Fairly understated and easy to blend in.  Baby Bling Design Co. went for the pizzazz, the turning-heads options.  You have 8 fabric choices and all will make a statement and have folks stopping to admire and comment.  I took my third walk with this stroller through a farmer’s market and was stopped with comments like “Now that’s a fabulous stroller!” and they were only looking at it in passing.  What fun!

Eight interchangable fabric patterns

My daughter has also gotten a wonderfully sound nap in this stroller.  With the seat able to recline completely, the footrest adjustable for comfort and the high-tech design of the chassis making for a smooth and secure ride, sleep came quickly and maintained easily.  She got to sleep and I got my exercise!  That’s a combination I can really use.

My final test was hiking the “great hill”.  Now, if you are a fitness buff then you will snicker at me calling it that.  But for me, this was my morning delight before my daughter was born.  Up at 6am and on the hill 15 minutes later, it’s a paved 45 degree climb for about a quarter mile and then a modestly raked dirt hiking trail for another ¾ of a mile to reach the peak.  Then you descend again, completing a 2.3 mile hike.  This was my way of clearing my head every morning, getting in a great, but quick, workout and reconvening with nature.  I was unable to keep it up once I got pregnant, but was determined to get right back to it once the baby was born . . .

Are all you mom’s out there laughing at me yet?  Well, suffice it to say, I had not been back to my precious hill until a matter of a few weeks ago.  It was such a struggle to get my “ordinary” stroller up that hill that I though my arms were going to fall off.  So I decided I had to get myself a stroller that could take charge of this hill and make it mine again.  Well let me tell you, having the Metamorphosis as my sidekick, it was like reuniting with an old, close friend I hadn’t seen in years. 

And up we go

Around the bend

I was able to maneuver myself and the stroller throughout the hike with all its uneven terrain, twists and turns, and could still breathe and speak by the end!  Now that’s saying something! 

Peek-a-boo

I even had another mother gape in wonder that I had managed to come up the hill pushing a stroller with a 26+ pound child in it.  Glorious success!

Sunshade protection a great bonus

Not surprisingly, Hollywood is all a buzz about the Baby Bling Design Co.'s Metamorphosis ATS.  Check out this all star list of celebrities who have custom designed their very own “Bling-mobile” for their little ones:

“Julia Roberts (Actress), James Denton (Desperate Housewives), Alison Sweeney (Days of Our Lives), Elisabeth Hasselbeck (The View), Brittany Spears (Singer), Christian Bale (Batman Returns), Tiger and Elin Woods (Pro Golfer), Jillian Reynolds (Good Day LA), Nancy O'Dell (Access Hollywood), Sir Brian Voss (Star Trek Generations), Habitat for Humanity Hollywood, Melissa Peterman (Barbara Jean on the hit show REBA), Kristin Datillo (Local Hero's, The Office, Two And A Half Men and Veronica Mars), Notah Begay (Pro Golfer), Ali Landry (EVE, Doritos),

Ali Landrey with Michael Sallus

Ed Sanders (Extreme Makeover Home Edition), Tony Dovolani (Dancing with the Stars), Cynthia Daniel (Actress), Jodie Sweetin (Full House),

Jodie Sweetin and family

Kari Wuhrer (CSI Miami, Lincoln Heights, Stargate Atlantis, Fork in the Road), Scott and Renee' Baio (Happy Days, Charles in Charge),

Michael Sallus with the Baio family

Drew and Leah Lechey (Dancing with the Stars and Spamalot NY, 98 degrees), Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott  (Actress and actor), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24), Marissa Jaret Winokur (Hairspray, Dancing with the Stars), Jamie Lynne Spears (Zoie 101) just to name a few……”

You don’t have to go out and get this fabulous stroller just because Hollywood is doing it.  You have to go out and get it because it’s simply a great stroller!  It combines safe and reliable structure with style and technology that you can customize as you please.  No other stroller can you personalize like this and still know that you can take it anywhere and use for any purpose.  And it should be mentioned that Baby Bling Design Co. is busy creating more stellar products to add to their line.  I, for one, am waiting with baited breath to see what they come up with next!  Bring on the “Bling”!

To learn more go to www.BabyBlingDesignCo.com

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