Summer Infant
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Summer Infant is a best-selling brand of affordable lightweight strollers. The company has several strollers on the Amazon best-seller list with most models in the under $100 category. Summer Infant strollers are sold widely in stores and online.
Summer Infant started in 1985 as a company that sold bouncy seats and baby monitors. Located in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, Summer became one of the first baby product companies to go public in 1992 when its stock traded on the NASDAQ.
"Summer Infant was first incorporated in 1985 and saw meteoric growth throughout the early 1990s, thanks to one father's desire to calm a fussy baby," according to a profile on the company in a Rhode Island newspaper.[1] "William Lockett III was looking for a way to sooth his daughter, Summer, and noticed the child would quiet when he bounced her in his arms. The Rhode Island native designed what is believed to be the very first 'bouncy seat,' a product so popular that it has been duplicated in some form by nearly every company that makes baby gear, and is now considered a standard purchase for most new parents."
The company's fortunes dimmed in the 1990's:
The company grew to around $10 million in annual sales by the mid 1990s, but then shrunk through the latter end of the decade. By the time (soon-CEO) Jason Macari discovered Summer Infant operating from a small office in Lincoln in 2001, it had shrunk to just over $1 million in annual sales.
Macari, a Smithfield, Rhode Island native in his late 30s with experience in the baby products industry, was looking to create a business of his own.
"The company was losing money and it really should have been liquidated at that point, but it had everything you need for a start up business," said Macari. An engineer by trade with a master of business administration from Bryant University, Macari bought the company and focused his energy on product development.
"We started innovating and came out with some new products," he said.[2]
Under new leadership, Summer expanded into strollers (early 2000's) as well as swaddling products (SwaddleMe brand), and baby bottles (Born Free), among other categories.
In 2016, Summer Infant was acquired by Kids2Inc for $1.1 billion. Kids2Inc sells infant and toddler products under the brands Baby Einstein®, Ingenuity®, and Bright Starts®.
Flagship Model: Summer Infant 3D Mini
Summer sells a series of lightweight strollers under the 3D moniker with the 3Dmini as the flagship.
The 3Dmini (11 lbs., see price on Amazon) is the entry-level stroller with a compact fold. This style of stroller is called an umbrella-style stroller since it has two umbrella-like handles and folds much like an umbrella. Key features include:
- Lightweight and compact design: The 3Dmini weighs just 11 pounds and folds up to a compact size that stores easily in the trunk of a car or closet.
- Multi-position recline: The seat reclines to three different positions— somewhat unusual at this price point.
- UV-protected canopy
- Storage basket
- Easy, one-hand fold
The cons for this stroller are a relatively narrow seat and lack of parent tray (although there are two cup holders). Like most strollers in this price range, the small plastic wheels are fine for smooth surfaces, but not designed for uneven sidewalks or gravel paths.
Summer sells a plethora of other 3D strollers of similar design with added features like larger canopies (3Dlite ST), upgraded fabrics (3Dlite+) and even a model that has the ability to hold an infant car seat (3Dquicklose CS+).
Double Stroller: Summer Infant 3Dlite Double
The Summer Infant 3Dlite Double (21 lbs., see price on Amazon) stroller is a side-by-side double stroller with much the same features as the 3DMini, but adds an upgraded canopy. Otherwise, it has the same compact fold, umbrella-like handle design and small plastic wheels. Each seat can independently recline and there are extra storage pockets on the back of the seats.
Stroller Wagon: 3Dlite Wagon Stroller
Summer Infant has joined the stroller wagon craze with the 3Dlite Wagon (24 lbs., see price on Amazon), an affordably priced wagon. Key features include:
- Lightweight and compact design: Weighing in at just 24 lbs., the Summer 3Dlite Wagon has a lightweight, durable steel frame and folds compactly with an auto-lock feature that keeps it contained for travel and storage.
- Seating area: The seating area of this stroller wagon holds 2 children with 3-point safety harnesses.
- Removable and adjustable canopy: The canopy provides UPF 35+ protection from the sun, while the front and rear wheels have suspension to smooth out bumps. The canopy has zip-out mosquito nets.
- Storage basket.
- Easy, one-hand fold
The cons for this wagon include the canopy that just extends over one of the seats (other stroller wagons have double canopies or more coverage). The Summer stroller wagon can only be pushed, since the handles are on one side. While there is a cup holder and parent storage pocket, there is less storage for this wagon compared to other similar models.
The Summer 3Dlite stroller wagon is priced about $100 to $150 below other similar competitors and is probably the lowest price entry in this category.
Safety Recalls
As of this writing, Summer Infant has not had any safety recalls on their strollers.
What age are the Summer Infant 3D strollers for?
Summer's lightweight strollers are recommended for infants six months old up to 50 lbs.