Hellobee

We’ve always been a one-stroller family. We don’t use our stroller all that often because we don’t live in a very walkable area, and usually when we go to stores we either let Jackson walk or use shopping carts. So it has always seemed silly to even consider having more than just our Britax B-Agile. However, once we started planning for our cruise and a few other small trips over the summer, we knew we needed something smaller and easier to lug around when we’re out and about.

I had never done any research on umbrella strollers before we started looking for this one, so we were really starting fresh. Here’s what was important to us when we were looking for an umbrella stroller:

– Weight/Portability: We were planning on using this mainly for travel, so we wanted it to be lightweight and easy to carry around.

– Size: Our first big trip with this was going to be on a cruise, so a small size was mandatory. Those cruise ship hallways are narrow and if we wanted to use it on the ship at all, it would have to be a small stroller!

– Safety: I’d seen lots of reviews on the super cheap umbrella strollers falling over with kids in them, not being sturdy enough, and other things that just generally didn’t sound safe. So, obviously, safety was key!

– Price: We already have a stroller that we like just fine, so we really didn’t want to spend much on this one or it would just feel like a waste. Our max price point was $100 and preferably we wanted to stay as far under that as we could.

– Storage: When we’re traveling we often have a ton of crap we have to lug around, so unfortunately a tiny stroller with no storage was out of the question – we needed something that had a relatively good sized basket underneath it, and preferably a bit of extra storage elsewhere

– Recline: Finally, we needed something that would recline so Jackson can take naps on the go if necessary while we’re traveling. He can sleep in an upright stroller, but it’s not nearly as comfortable so being able to let him lay down as far as possible was very important.

I ended up doing quite a bit of research to find the perfect stroller, and in the end we landed on the Summer Infant 3D Lite.

We are loving it so far and I’m so glad we went with this one. It meets all of the must-haves on our list and then some! Let’s look at the details:

– Weight/Portability: It weighs a whopping 12 pounds and has a strap on it to easily carry it around. Mr. Garland feels that the strap isn’t quite big enough (he has a hard time putting it on his shoulder), but it works great for me. It’s a breeze to fold and unfold it, and it will take up almost no room when we’re traveling!

– Size: It takes up way less space in our car and we’ve actually taken out the old stroller and keep this one in there all the time now. It’s only 18″ wide which is much narrower than the other stroller and is very easy to navigate through smaller spaces. It’s not as small as the cheap umbrella strollers that I typically picture when I think of a small stroller, but I can’t imagine it being any smaller and still having the same features we wanted!

– Safety: There’s a 5-point harness that’s easy to buckle (on some of them I’m always afraid I’m going to catch Jackson’s belly!), each wheel can be locked individually, and it has anti-shock front wheels for a smoother ride. It feels very sturdy and I’ve never once worried about Jack’s safety when he’s in there.

– Price: Coming in at $79.99 it’s still a little more than I really wanted to spend on a secondary stroller, but I think my expectations on what I’d have to spend may have been a little unrealistic! It was definitely in our budget and I think we got a great stroller for the price.

– Storage: There’s a sizable basket underneath the stroller that easily fits our camera, hats, and a few other things that we generally tote around with us. My favorite feature, though, is the small storage pouch that hangs off the back that’s the perfect size for a cell phone, sunglasses, and keys.

– Recline: It reclines almost flat and is perfect for naps. Jackson took a nice hour-long nap when we took it on its inaugural trip to Sea World, and I have high hopes he’ll be able to nap in it again on future trips! It’s super easy to recline and even easier to push it out of recline. We always giggle a bit at how upright Jackson is when the seat is straight up, but it doesn’t seem to bother him at all, so it’s fine.

– Other: I love the bright green color (easy to spot when we’re in a crowd and Mr. Garland and I get separated!). Perhaps my favorite feature of the whole thing, though, is the cupholder. It can be moved to be up by the handlebars or down by the child, so either one of you can easily keep a drink with you on the go. I love this feature and we use it almost every time we use the stroller! Finally, Mr. Garland loves the taller-than-typical handlebars – many umbrella strollers are pretty short but these are 42″ off the ground, so it’s perfect for taller people!

Our only negatives on the stroller so far are that the sun shade isn’t quite as big as we would like (which is pretty typical for umbrella strollers), and the ride isn’t as smooth as our other stroller – it’s definitely a bit difficult to navigate over bumpy terrain and wouldn’t be pleasant to use if you’re going too far off the beaten path. Mr. Garland and I agree that this stroller probably wouldn’t ever be our only stroller, but we’re happy to have it as our main stroller. We will definitely be keeping our Britax for longer walks or times where we need something a bit sturdier (or more sun protection), but the size and portability of this one is perfect for most of our stroller outings!

What umbrella stroller do you have?