Summer Infant 3D lite Review

Summer Infant was created in 1985 by William Lockett III. Looking for a safe location to place his baby (Summer), this new father created the original bouncy seat. Since the creation of the baby bouncer, Summer Infant has continued to make a wide range of economical baby products, including monitors, strollers, infant bathtubs, and more.

Performance Comparison

Transporting and Storing

The Summer Infant did not perform well in our tests for transporting or storing. While it manages to be lightweight and has a reasonable cubic inch measurement, the shape is long and awkward, depending on where you hope to store it.

The Summer Infant is 13 lbs in our tests. This is below the average of 14 for the group and significantly lower than the highest of 22 lbs. The shoulder carry strap combined with the lighter weight is appealing.

The size measurements in our tests, when folded, were 12"W x 10.3"H x 42.3"L, or 4,822 in^3.

The smaller options are in the 3,000 cubic inch range and fold in thirds, making them easier to stow out of the way, but it isn't the biggest in the group by far. Perhaps your stowing location will make the shape either acceptable or frustrating.

Ease of Use

The Summer Infant earned one of the lowest scores for ease of use, with a more challenging performance than the competition. While it has similar features to the competition, it's design seems to be unbothered with the user's experience.

Fold and Unfold

The Summer Infant folds in a traditional umbrella stroller way by collapsing in on itself and creating an elongated package. It requires two hands to fold and unfold. It does not self-stand, and the lock is manual.

To fold, you need to unlock a crossbar, which proves to be tricky and requires sticking your hand into a potential pinch point.

It isn't challenging, so much as it doesn't need to be this convoluted. Unfolding requires releasing the lock and shaking it open to deploy.

Storage

The Summer Infant storage bin has some design flaws. It is medium-sized, but the access is remarkably bad and becomes zero with the seat reclined. We were only able to fit our medium bag in the bin. It has a 10 lb maximum allowance, which is about average for the stroller that lists the limit.

The canopy has a pocket on the back large enough for snacks or a smartphone.

Harness

The harness on the Summer Infant is cheap, with rougher webbing and a frustrating adjustment system that takes more time than it should. The shoulder straps have wrap-around padding, and a pad is behind the buckle to help prevent pinching. The fabric isn't particularly comfortable and feels more like checking a box than really caring about the rider's experience. The buckle is straightforward but takes more force than easier options.

Brakes

The Summer Infant is one of the few options with double-action brakes. The pedals are harder to set and lift than other options, but they are somewhat longer than the other double brakes in the review, so they are marginally easier. We prefer foot-friendly single-action brakes that do not require lifting from underneath.

Ease of Setup

The Summer Infant is easy to assemble even if you don't open the manual. The setup includes adding the wheels and connecting the canopy.

Car Seat Compatiblity

The Summer Infant has no car seat compatibility.

Maneuverability

The Summer Infant earned one of the lowest scores for performance in our maneuverability tests. This stroller has dual plastic wheels on all four legs. This design of eight wheels has always translated to poor maneuverability in our tests.

The wheels are soft, and the frame is flexible, making pushing or turning on anything other than flat, debris-free surfaces a struggle. The extra wheels seem to get caught on every single tiny crumb, and they spin for no real reason at all. The lateral instability creates a situation where the stroller feels like it will collapse when you try to turn on uneven terrain like grass. Overall, it is frustrating and not an experience we think is worth the lower price.

Quality

The Summer Infant earned one of the lowest scores for quality with materials and design choices that are nothing to brag about.

The fabric is a cheap material that isn't soft and feels uncomfortable to testers. It fits the frame okay, but it doesn't feel very durable. The footrest is a plastic strip that is likely to break under normal use, and the canopy was floppy and had trouble staying in position.

The frame has a lot of side-to-side wiggles, and it didn't feel sturdy. It has a lot of visual fasteners and hinge points. The wheels are about 6 inches in diameter and are flimsy foam-filled plastic. They are some of the softest in the group, and the dual wheel design on each leg is now a hallmark of a cheap stroller in our minds.

Kid's Comfort

The Summer Infant did not perform well in our tests for kid's comfort, with one of the lowest scores in the group.

Seat

The seat back does recline and is lightly padded. It requires two hands to lift and one hand to lower. While it is probably a deep enough recline for napping, the recline blocks the storage access, and you won't be able to access supplies once children fall asleep.

It has a fixed leg rest that is also floppy and doesn't provide much support. The footrest is just a plastic strip and is unlikely to survive as long as the stroller does.

Sunshade

The canopy in the Summer Infant looks sharp but is sort of useless. It is small and floppy in the wind and has no peek-a-boo window. It protects from virtually nothing but direct overhead sun.

Should You Buy the Summer Infant 3Dlite?

No. Despite being a reasonable price and a brand name parents might recognize, the Summer Infant is largely disappointing. With the lowest score in the review and some of the lowest scores in each metric, it is clear it isn't a top performer and is one we think will create more issues than it solves. While we understand having a tight budget, we recommend doing without or finding other solutions if your budget can't be stretched.

What Other Travel Strollers Should You Consider?

While not an award winner and also not a top performer, if your budget is super tight, we prefer the Kolcraft Cloud Plus over the Summer infant, and it is cheaper, too. The Kolcraft earned a slightly higher score, but more importantly, we don't think you should have to pay more for lower performance, and the Kolcraft will save you money. If your budget can stretch and you want a better quality, easier-to-use product, the Zoe Traveler is our pick. This option folds small, is lightweight, easy to use, and by far easier to push on and off the beaten path.

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