Customer Reviews

The First Years Ignite Stroller, Red Stripe

5 star:		(201)
4 star:		(85)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have a 2 year old boy and a 4 year old girl. I've gone through 5 other strollers, including a Peg and a Combi. I chose to purchase this one to have a convenient, truly lightweight stroller with a 5 point harness. If it's not 5 point, it simply doesn't do its job in restraining my busy children.

I just received this stroller after ordering twice and having it delayed in shipment. I was a little concerned to order as it isn't available in stores and there are no reviews since it is brand new. But I am pleasantly surprised. First off the only assembly is snapping on the 4 wheels and snapping the sun shade into place which takes all of 5 minutes.

It is tall enough for me to comfortably push around without having to awkwardly bend forward to avoid kicking the wheels, and no stooping as the handles fit me well (I'm 5'7"). Yay!! The wheels are foam with a little give, but not as cushy as air. I doubt this stroller will work for off road, but will do fine on pavement.

I took my 4 year old for a test stroll and she is 39 pounds and 43 inches tall. She comfortably fit in it with the harness on the middle position so there is some room for her to grow. It rolls relatively smoothly though the recline doesn't recline that far back; I'm okay with that since my kids never sleep on the go. It has a parent console that includes a zippered pouch and cup holder. I stuck a water bottle in it just fine, but it may not be suitable for a Big Gulp. There are also 2 small mesh pouches on either side of the seat, presumably for things like pacis and sippy cups. There is also a small storage space under the seat, and I think it can fit a SMALL diaper bag or a few coats and books.

I chose this stroller over the First Years Jet stroller for $40 simply because I could get it in stock faster. I also like the khaki color because we live in San Antonio where it is ridiculously hot and sunny. The sun canopy is adequate though not giant.

The stroller appears well built. Even if it falls apart in one year, I'd just buy another since it's so stinkin' cheap. Thanks First Years for finally creating an inexpensive but comfortable umbrella stroller. I love it!

I purchased this stroller because we had to leave our "The First Years Jet" at home when I went to live with family while my husband was deployed. I absolutely loved the Jet, but I thought the Ignite would be slightly better (more comfortable ride etc.) because of the price difference/description.
Unfortunately, the canopy does not adjust (at all) like the one on the Jet version. The description should be changed because it states it has a "fully adjustable canopy"....unless you consider "fully adjustable" the fact that you can open and close it!
We have an extremely pale child, so it was one of the major selling points for me. Unfortunately, I do not have time to order the Jet and return the Ignite, so we will just have to improvise!
**Except for the canopy** the pros and cons here also describe "The First Years Jet" version we started with:

Pros:

- looks very nice and well built (the Khaki color is attractive and great for warmer/extremely sunny climates)

- is VERY easy to push and turns quickly
- +TALL HANDLES+ and great design keep me (5'7") my husband (5'10") and my father (6'1") from having to bend while walking or kick the wheels like in most small strollers!
- the *5-point* harness keeps my active little guy from trying to play with the wheels while moving like in other small strollers!
- the ride is nice for both child and parent
- the seat has more cushion (a bit more on Ignite than Jet). Other small inexpensive strollers usually just have a board on the bottom with some fabric over it.
- the recline is far enough back for sleeping/resting children.
- VERY easy to assemble...(maybe 5 minutes if you include the unwrapping time) just pop on the wheels and snap the canopy on, and you're good to go!
- super light and easy to fold/unfold and store.
- does not take up much space in the car.
- great price (Jet was about $20 less).
- nice little parent console - can hold some extra toys, snacks, etc.
- storage on bottom holds a small (size of a large purse) diaper bag and the ergo carrier easily.


Cons:

- Canopy does not adjust (on Ignite)
- Storage on bottom is not very easy to access due to the frame criss-cross in back so you have to get creative sometimes.

I did a lot of reading and searching for just the right stroller now that we are out of the "baby" phase.

My checklist included: must recline, have 5 point harness (I have a daredevil who has not yet met a 3 point harness he can't defeat), parent tray, work for BOTH my boys (a 3 yr old and a nearly 1 yr old) and have a basket.

Pros:
My biggest PRO is that it goes up to 50 lbs. My 3 yr old is 35lbs, which is the weight limit on most lightweight strollers.

Reclines just enough to allow sleeping without the head bob.

5 point harness keeps my younger son in the seat!

Has several height adjustments for the harness.

Good size sun shade.

Has a foot rest.

Parent tray!

Very lightweight.

Basket holds just enough, without being too large or too small (I hang my diaper bag over the handles).

The material (at least up where the parent tray is) is liquid resistant--water beaded up when I spilled.

The little pouches on the side hold a sippy, or snack cup with ease. Also holds toys well. :)

Cons:

My boys have really long torso's and my 3 yr old's head is almost at the top. This isn't a huge deal to me though, and doesn't outweigh the pros. Next year, he probably won't be able to sit in it with the sun shade over him and he probably won't be able to lay back in it anymore, but by then, he won't need to. :)


I would (and have) recommended this stroller to friends.

I recently bought this stroller from Amazon, hoping the product specifications were correct that the handles were taller, and a full stride was possible. I'm 5'11 and most strollers feel like they are built for children, in my opinion, and this stroller is awesome! My son seems to like it (20 months, 30lbs), the stroller goes to 50lbs. It folds easily, the price is right, and the shade canopy is a nice size. I highly recommend this product!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this stroller especially the brown color with pink polka dots. We bought this stroller for our 2 year old daughter. It handles great, reclines enough, the basket is good and the parent organizer is awesome. The only thing I didn't like is the canopy doesn't rotate down. We added a $12 brown Fisher Price snack pod(drink and snack holder) from Target to the side and it is perfect!! We slide her little toddler backpack over a handle and off we go! We love it so much we sold the Graco travel system. This stroller is truly the best of both worlds!!

I have both the dot ignite and navy jet......unfortunately I owned the ignite first, so I was spoiled. But the jet is a nice stroller and better than a small umbrella stroller or the evenflo xsport we had.

The Ignite has much sturdier fabric overall and a more structured back to the seat, there is actually a metal x behind the fabric,(which makes it more flat back like your full size strollers) an inch wider seat base, almost 2 inch taller back of seat, reclines 5 inches and the locking front wheels for terrain.....it has one parent cup holder and a zippered pouch with 2 mesh pockets, but its shade does not rotate down, solid plastic grip handles, and 14 lb...I thought it was a great buy at $50 for the convenience of a big stroller in a small stroller. We LOVE IT!!!!

The jet's fabric feels much flimsier, the shade is smaller, but Does rotate down, seat is 2 inches smaller, it has 3 very visible vertical back of seat supports without the extra metal x support,(which makes a more rounded back like the umbrella strollers) the front wheels do NOT lock for terrain and don't have as much of a "tread" on them, the parent tray does have 4 spots for drinks with a smaller zippered pouch and 4 small mesh pockets, foam covered handles, the handles at a little different angle and are not as far away from the wheels as the ignite so you may end up kicking it, and 11 lbs.........

Both have the same under storage, locking back wheels, 5 pt harness, and variable recline.......overall the ignite is just made better especially if you are looking for that 50lb!!!!

As long as you don't mind the shade not rotating down, I would go with the ignite! If you are looking for a bigger kid....go ignite!

Another great buy that makes these stroller even better is a fisher price or safe fit snack pod (depends on where you buy BRU, walmart, target)......it fits perfectly on the side for the kids to have easy access to a snack and drink for $10-12.

Update.......we sold our jet and ordered the new black/royal blue ignite......2 happy kids!!

This stroller is worth every penny.

It's very sturdy, looks great (I ordered in black) and has a very smooth ride. It is extremely easy to maneuver one handed & the handles are a lot taller than a regular umbrella stroller. My husband & I can push this around without feeling "hunched over". The recline is just perfect for your little one to nap comfortably without the "head slump". In fact, I read a couple reviews where people were complaining about the recline...I guess they want it to lay completely flat??? Not necessary in my opinion, especially for a toddler.

Our son is 2 1/2 years old and sits very comfortably. The seat is wide, so he has some wiggle room and his head does not even reach the top of the seat. The basket underneath is a nice size, but you kinda have to put things through the side and not the back because the support bars are in the way. The parent pouch/cup holder is awesome. Yes, it is a soft "fanny pack" like device, but the cup holder is pretty deep...perfect for a sippy cup, bottled water or even a Starbucks cup or fast food restaurant soda. The canopy isn't the "widest" one I have seen...but it does protect the head, and if you recline the seat you get more coverage. The recline is accessed by a pulley system, but so was our Graco travel system stroller...not a deal breaker for us:)

Set up & breakdown is super easy. I love the lever to break it down, I can do it in flip flops/sandals without hurting the tops of my feet. Assembly takes no more than 5 minutes...just pop the wheels on & attach the canopy.

This is the first review I have ever given for a product, although I read endless customer reviews when purchasing one. You really can't get any more features & quality than this product for the money.

Side note....I was very close to purchasing either a McClaren or an Inglesina, boy I am happy I didn't :)

I have two 97 percentile by weight children whom I took on a family trip to Italy. I was debating whether or not we should bring a stroller because my kids are ages 3 (48 pounds) and 6 (60 pounds) which is above or at most stroller weight limits. Also, there are lots of stairs and uneven walkways in Italy. I decided to buy this stroller because of the reviews and BOY WAS I EVER GLAD! This stroller, although heavy to carry was perfect for the following reasons:

1 - ease of pushing (handles were high enough, no wheel-kicking)
2 - off-road capabilities (cobblestone was not a problem)
3 - ease of collapsing and putting together (getting on and off trains quickly was not a problem)

Because we did so much walking, our 60 pound 6 year-old got a ride occasionally. Every once-in-awhile, both kids rode! This tested the limits and the frame groaned a bit but, hey, it's still in one piece. This is the first review of anything I have ever written because it made a great trip to Italy even more fabulous!

Bought this stoller specifically for a Disney World trip. Didn't want to rent a stroller as I knew we would be wheeling my 3yr old (almost 4# out sleeping and I didn't want to carry him out. I do think the instruction manual state a 40 in height limit although it does have a 50lb weight limit. Regardless... yes his head barely touched the bottom of the umbrella when it was folded but it didn't really impact him at all. Still plan on putting him in it when we can probably until he reaches the full weight limit. Side pockets were awesome... managed to hold his water bottle on one side and his sisters on the other while I had room for mine on the parent tray and then camera fit nicely in the zip pouch. Was difficult to get stuff in and out of the basket at the bottom but it was still handly as we shoved a soft sided cooler in it with all of our sandwiches everyday we went to the parks. Managed to hang another cooler with 6 bottles of water in it over the handles and it never got in the way while I was pushing it. Occasionally it would cause it to tip over when my son was not in the stroller #if he jumped out# but typically the stroller would remain upright even with the cooler hanging and no kid in it #my old stoller would never do that!# All in all it worked out great for our trip as it folded nicely and the handles were plenty tall enough for me to push. For the same prices as renting the stroller for 3-4 days I get to keep this one which we will probably be able to use until he is 5 #if we can convince him to stay in it!
Highly recommend if trying to find a sturdy umbrella type stroller. To note we have not tried to to recline ours at all so can't say much about the feature. My only complaint about the stroller was that sometimes it was hard to find the locking clip when I was folding it since it seems to hide under the umbrella. It was a little heavier than my old standard umbrella stroller but we didn't carry it much... just off and on a tram all the other times if it is folded just roll it along on one set of wheels and it worked out just fine. The wheels were almost double the size of my old standard umbrella stroller and the handles were about 6 in taller.

This stroller encompassed everything I was looking for in a lightweight, compact stroller. I currently have a Zooper Waltz (full size stroller) which was taking up way too much space in my trunk.

Pros:
5 Point Harness
Reclining Seat (does not recline flat, but enough for my baby to relax)
Large Canopy (for this size stroller)
Storage (underbasket, mesh side bags (which cover hinges), a pouch for keys and water bottle for mom/dad which is across the handles)
Folds like an umbrella stroller
Large swiveling wheels which all lock independently
Holds kids up to 50 lbs
Great price - $60

Cons:
I haven't had it out too much so I don't have any cons yet, other than that I probably won't be able to hang all my shopping bags from the back, as it might tip over. Haven't tried it out in that regard though.

Overall, I'm very happy with the stroller and glad I bought it without being able to read many reviews on it, since there are very few reviews available. I was comparing this to the Chicco Liteaway, Chicco Capri, and the Graco Ipo stroller, and for the price this item was a great buy as it had extra features that the other strollers were lacking.

This is a GREAT little stroller for all the reasons mentioned above, particularly the height of the handles which my husband commented on right away!

However, from the photograph & description on Amazon, I thought I was purchasing a brown stoller with white polka dots for our grandson, as the description was simply "Polka Dots". Well . . . it should read "Pink Polka Dots"!

This is not a huge deal - rather a surprise and annoyance which, perhaps, my comments will help others avoid. I know that I can return it and reorder if I choose, which Amazon makes pretty simple I've learned. Perhaps rather than box it up again and schlepp it to UPS, Nana & Papa could grow to like pink for our first little grandbaby boy! Might be a good "stretch" for us ol' baby boomers!

Then again, the red or khaki looks nice! I would reorder The First Years Ignite and recommend this stroller to others for the quality, safety features and price!