Summer Infant 3Dlite+ Stroller Review

Summer 3Dlite+

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How it Compares

Summer Infant has some of the most popular lightweight strollers and umbrella strollers including the:

• 3D Mini – 11 pounds
• 3Dlite – 13 pounds
• 3Dlite ST – 15 pounds
• 3Dlite+ – 14 pouunds
• 3Dlite Double Stroller – 21.4 pounds

The 3Dlite+ has upgraded materials and features compared to the other 3Dlite, Mini and ST strollers.

Related Reading: The Best Umbrella Strollers

Most Common Criticisms

The 3D lite+ has very positive customer reviews in general. Nevertheless, we read and summarized all of the complaints and added our own experience beside each complaint. In some cases we agree and in other cases our data tells a different story.

Criticism	Our Experience
Difficulty in steering or maneuvering the stroller	On flat surfaces, the 3Dlite+ is very responsive and easy to steer. It can become difficult to steer on rough terrain.
Low durability or poor build quality, breaking or wearing out quickly	We haven’t had anything break. There is some normal wear.
Not suitable for larger or taller children	Agreed. The seat back height is 18 inches and could stand to be slightly higher. The edge of the seat to the footrest is only about 7.5 inches.
Front wheels not touching the ground or becoming misaligned	When the stroller is loaded up it can twist while turning and cause one wheel to lift off the ground. We haven’t had that happen when going straight.
Heavy or difficult to open and fold for some users	The folding mechanism requires some foot pressure to open the stroller. It is bulky when folded and a little awkward but not truly heavy at 14 pounds.
Issues with the wheel locks or wheels randomly locking	We haven’t had this happen. The brakes pedals are stiff and don’t accidentally engage.
Lack of padding or cushioning on the seat, causing discomfort	The seat isn’t the most padded we’ve seen but is more padded than the 3Dlite and received a comfort score of 8 out of 10.
Squeaky or noisy wheels	The 3Dlite+ ranked 14th out of 20 strollers in average decibel level during our sound testing. Wheel vibration was approximately average
Cosmetic issues, such as fading or discoloration	We haven’t had any fading.
Exposed metal parts, causing safety concerns or catching hair	It hasn’t happened to us but hair could get stuck in the nut that holds the canopy on.
Inaccurate weight limit information in the product description	We agree that children who are near the 50 pound weight limit and 43 inch height limit are less comfortable in the stroller than smaller children.
Issues with stability, causing the stroller to tip over	In our sideways tip-over testing this stroller performed average or better than other strollers in the group in the amount of force required to tip it over.
The need for both hands to steer or operate the stroller	The umbrella style handles can’t easily be pushed with one hand and keep the stroller going straight.

Testing and Research

We surveyed strollers weighing less than 20 pounds with consistently positive customer feedback. We purchased the top twenty strollers and conducted 100 tests and measurements. This has given us a much more accurate comparison than what is available on the market.

We also had the help of several different parents and their kids to use the strollers in the real world.

Weight and Folded Size

The Summer Infant 3D lite+ Convenience Stroller is in the middle of the umbrella stroller pack in terms of weight and on the large end as far as its folded size. It “feels” light to us when we push and fold it, and feels bulky when it is folded.

Steering and Maneuverability

The 3Dlite+ scores high in steering because it makes tight turns with very little force and maneuvers easily even with heavy children onboard. Scores for Steering:

The 3Dlite+ isn’t great on rough surfaces with cracks and bumps but even in this category it did better than the 3Dlite.

The 3Dlite+ goes straight, with less tendency to veer than many strollers in the group. However, because there are separate handles for each hand, it is actually harder to keep it straight than strollers with a single handlebar going across the top of the stroller. Tendency to veer (higher numbers are better):

The 3Dlite+ doesn’t take much force to jump over curbs compared to many of its peers. Force to jump a curb:

Wheel Vibration Rating

Summer 3Dlite+	70	70
Babyzen YoYo² (high)	78	78
Average	72	72
Bugaboo Butterfly (low)	68	68

Even though the wheels on the 3Dlite+ are relatively light the vibration reading was better than the average of the group.

Overall Steering and Maneuverability Ratings:

All things considered, the Summer Infant 3Dlite+ had the best maneuverable rating of any of the lightweight strollers in this group.

Ease of Use for Parents

The 3Dlite+ storage basket has an opening that is 13 x 8 inches when the seat back is not reclined. That’s enough to get a mid-sized backpack diaper bag in the basket (depending on its shape). However, the seat won’t recline with a bag in the basket.

Storage Capacity:

There is a zippered, fabric pocket for small items behind the canopy.

We like the mesh peekaboo window on the canopy that lets you peek in on your baby. It flaps closed so you can sneak it open without making any noise.

The handles are foam and can be gripped at heights from 38″ to 40″. They are not adjustable but the upper end of that range will work well for most tall parents.

There is a parent cup holder on the opposite side that is sturdy and expands to hold larger water bottles.

The handles are part of the frame and are more stable, less shaky, than on the 3Dlite.

It took us 7 minutes to unbox and assemble the 3Dlite+. The manual is well-designed with appropriate text and diagrams.

The harness buckle and clips are easy to snap in and snap open. Only 2 clips have to be inserted for this 5-point harness. The hip and shoulder straps are hooked together and can be disconnected but we rarely have to do that.

The harness straps are a little awkward to adjust. Adjusting the should height requires taking the padding off and threading it through a cross strap.

The seat back recline mechanism is easy to use with one hand. You pull back and down on the latch to recline the seat and then just push up on the seat back to raise it. There is a fully reclined position, a mid-level position, and a fully upright position.

The rear wheel locks have two brake pedals, one on each wheel. The pedals are easy to get your foot on but are a little bit stiff to engage. They also stick some when you release them by lifting them up. They are uncomfortable on bare feet because the bottom of the pedals scrape the top of your feet.

Overall Ease-of-Use scores for the 3Dlite:

This stroller is not infant car seat compatible. The manufacturer’s minimum recommended age is 6 months.

The Summer Infant 3Dlite+ is available in:

• Matte Black
• Blue/Matte Black
• Charcoal Herringbone
• Granite Herringbone
• Matte Gray
• Pink/Matte Black

Folding and Transport

Our “How to fold the Summer Infant 3Dlite+” video:

The 3Dlite+ folds in 4 seconds and unfolds in about 6 seconds. It can be folded with a single hand and foot leaving your other hand available to hold a bag or baby.

These are not the best fold and unfold times of the group but the process isn’t too difficult. You have to lift the center latch to get it ready to fold, then press on the tab on the right, then push the handles down.

To open it back up, lift the folding latch, spread the frame apart with your hand (or the latch will reconnect itself), and then pop the stroller up into place by pulling on the handles. Once the stroller is standing upright, you have to push the latch in the center to lock it into its fully open position.

It stands on its handles and front wheels when folded which requires much less space than it would laying down. We found that the phone holder sometimes pops off when taking it in and out of the car.

You can also drag it on its wheels, pulling it when folded if you don’t want to lift the whole thing.

There is a shoulder strap you can use to carry the stroller when folded. The carry strap is adjustable but not very long.

Kid Comfort

The 3Dlite+ ranked 13 out of 20 in ride smoothness where we measured the bumps and vibrations on the inside of the stroller over a consistent course. Ride Smoothness (low numbers better):

The 3Dlite+ has a nice upright angle of 71 degrees which is better than the 3Dlite that doesn’t get past 55 degrees. Fully reclined the 3Dlite+ is 25 degrees which is adequate for napping but obviously not the flat surface you would have with a bassinet.

It would be nice if it had an extendable leg rest.

The seat is padded reasonably well and the fabric feels smooth and comfortable. I don’t like the “Summer” logo located under the calves because it feels like one of those scratchy labels on the neck of a shirt.

The crotch strap is covered to protect baby from the plastic buckle that might get hot in the sun.

Although the seat is rated for a maximum of 50 pounds or 43 inches, bigger children won’t be as comfortable as kids who aren’t pressing those limits.

The canopy extends pretty far forward providing good sun coverage. Legs and knees aren’t fully protected but this canopy is bigger than many in this stroller category.

Quality and Safety

The Summer Infant 3Dlite+ ranked 14 out of 20 in our sound testing. Average decibel levels:

We were disappointed in the wheels. A rock gouged a hole in this wheel after pushing the stroller loaded with 40 pounds in our rough-terrain test. I thought there was solid EVA foam in the wheels that would prevent that.

We tested the stroller for pinch points in its folding mechanism and other places that might pose a pinch risk. We found several places where our fingers can get pinched if they are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Keep children away from the stroller when it is being folded and unfolded as advised in the user manual.

Overall the part and material quality of the 3Dlite+ is decent. The folding mechanism is robust and the frame is sturdy. The canopy and seat fabric are of good quality. The snaps and zipper on the stroller work well.

In our sideways tip-over testing this stroller performed better than the average stroller in the group. We hung a 12 pound bag on the handles and it caused the stroller to tip over backward. Hanging heavy objects on the handles is not recommended and we demonstrated why that is the case!

Summer Infant 3Dlite+ vs 3Dlite+

See our full review of the Summer Infant 3Dlite.

The 3Dlite+ is about 30% more expensive than the 3Dlite. It performed better in our testing in the following areas:

• Rough-terrain maneuvering
• Seat comfort
• Canopy coverage
• Part quality
• Recline mechanism
• Sideways tip-overs

The 3Dlite+ also has a few additional features the 3Dlite does not have:

• Peekaboo window
• Improved parent cup holder
• Mobile phone holder

The 3Dlite advantages include being lighter by one pound and slightly smaller when folded.