Using our Summer Infant 3Dlite Stroller at Disneyland - A Review

A few weeks ago we took our first trip to Disneyland and tried out a new stroller, the Summer Infant 3Dlite. We liked its balance of price to performance and overall had a good experience with it. In this post I'll go over some of its features, what it was like navigating the airport with it, and just how it generally treated us at the parks.

It's typically available on Amazon for $99, but often goes on sale. We were able to get it on sale for $90 and take an additional 15% off using our Amazon Baby Registry completion discount. All-in-all I'd say we got a pretty good deal on it.

Stroller Stats

Summer Infant 3Dlite Size and Specifications

• Dimensions: 42.5" (height) x 19.5" (width) x 33.5" (length)
• Weight: 13 lbs
• Seat back height: 17.5 inches
• Child weight/height limit: 50 lbs and 43 inches

Coming in at just thirteen lbs, the 3Dlite holds true to its name and never feels like a burden to push. I've seen some complaints about the quality in other reviews, but in my opinion, the quality is good for the price, and it’s a clear step above cheaper umbrella strollers. The handlebars were at a nice height for me (I’m 6’0”), and I had no trouble maneuvering its ~6-inch plasticky foam wheels around on sidewalks and pavement.

Summer Infant 3Dlite Features

• 5-point harness
• 4-position recline
• Sun canopy
• Footrest
• Moderately-sized bottom storage basket
• Back pocket
• Cupholder
• Carrying strap

What I especially liked about this stroller was that it had a five-point harness and a nearly flat recline. This made it suitable for our daughter, who likes to wriggle out of regular waist harnesses, and we appreciated the recline for when she needed a nap. I’m not sure if it reclines flat enough for a newborn, but I would have felt comfortable with her in this stroller when she started sitting upright at around 5-6 months.

It also comes with a cupholder and a carrying strap but is otherwise pretty no-frills. It would have been nice to have a bumper bar for attaching accessories, but we didn’t miss it too much. The expandable sun canopy gets the job done, but it would have been better if it provided a bit more shade.

What it doesn't come with is a rain cover, but we purchased this Graco one that works with it. We didn't actually use it on this trip (it doesn't rain much in Southern California), but I expect it to be essential for when we go to Disney World in Florida next year.

Air Travel Experience

We flew from Denver (DEN) to Orange County John Wayne Airport (SNA) and used the stroller throughout both airports. This was our first time flying with a stroller, and we’d read horror stories about them getting destroyed when checked as baggage.

For that reason we decided to purchase a gate check bag and check it at the gate. This was convenient because it meant we could have our hands mostly free while pushing her around the airport and parking garage, and it didn’t count against our United baggage allowance.

In Denver, it was too big for the security scanners, so we had to get it manually checked, but that was a pretty smooth process. Surprisingly enough, though, it fit through the Orange County scanners (and so did our car seat!).

Generally though, I would only bother with a stroller in the airport if you know for sure that you are going to need it at your destination. It was a bit of a hassle having to fold it down for the airport train and escalators and we found the TushBaby (or another carrier) was more convenient.

Park Performance

Comfort and Function

We think our daughter was generally pretty comfortable in the 3Dlite. It didn’t have as much cushion or padding as her main stroller at home, the Nuna Tavo, but she seemed content enough, and the recline was suitable for sleeping.

The canopy was adequate—better than other umbrella strollers, I’m sure—but we still found it a bit lacking in shade. Sunscreen is a must with this stroller! We also brought along a couple of  lightweight muslin blankets for some additional sun protection.

The basket was fairly large. We were able to store several large water bottles and a few other items underneath. It didn’t fit our diaper bag like some of our other strollers, but that’s alright—I just kept items down below that we were fine leaving with the stroller while it was parked.

Maneuverability and Folding

I’ve seen some reviews complain about the maneuverability of this stroller, but we honestly had no complaints. We averaged around 10 miles each day with it, and the wheels held up well. I was able to weave through the busy park crowds just fine.

Would it work for us at home on some of the gravel trails around us? Probably not. But on Anaheim sidewalks and Disney Park pavement, it was more than sufficient.

I didn’t need to fold the stroller very often, but when I did, it was relatively simple. It doesn’t support a one-handed fold (or if it does, I couldn’t figure it out), but once I got the hang of it, I was able to fold it quickly when needed.

Stroller Parking

At Disneyland, you can’t take your stroller everywhere—especially not on rides—so you have to park it in designated stroller parking. I appreciated that the 3Dlite is pretty narrow, which allowed me to slot it between bulkier strollers when parking was tight.

One recommendation I do have is to attach an AirTag (or something similar) to the stroller to keep tabs on it in case someone moves it while it’s parked (sometimes park employees move strollers around). I purchased a small, waterproof case for ours and stuck it just below the right handle in a spot that wouldn’t interfere with the stroller’s folding mechanism.

Another thing to note is that this is a pretty popular stroller and there will be many others like it at the parks. In addition to the AirTag, I recommend labeling it in some way that is recognizable to you. We did this in two ways:

1. We wrote our name on a small self-adhesive fabric label (same ones we use for clothes at daycare) and attached it to the fabric on the back of the stroller. Our labels were small and inconspicuous, but the real value here is that these can't be easily removed.
2. We purchased a fun mini license plate from Etsy and attached it to the side of the stroller with some velcro straps. Really all you need is something noticeable and you don't have to buy anything to do this – we saw some pretty creative homemade signs at the parks as well.

Final Takeaways

Overall I was pleased with our decision to purchase the Summer Infant 3Dlite for our Disneyland trip and would definitely recommend it. Long-term I believe it's cheaper than renting ($18 a day at Disneyland) and it came in handy for our mile-long walk to and from the hotel. I've found it has the right balance of price and performance. I never felt limited by it in the parks and I also wasn't too concerned about it getting damaged or stolen. So if you're looking for a less expensive stroller option that should last you multiple trips, consider the 3Dlite!