First Years strollers

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No incident, no one hurt

   Made Jul 11, 2011 · , published by CPSC Aug 5, 2011

   The product, in the report: Ignite S13D Baby stroller

   I am concerned about the design of the First Years “Ignite” stroller. the lowest position for insertion of shoulder straps into the seat back is still too high. My average-sized toddler slips out easily. Per stroller’s own instruction manual (and that of every other stroller, car seat or high chair), shoulder straps should insert at shoulder level or below. with this stroller, it is impossible.

   Company has not been responsive to my concerns, despite details correspondence:

   I spoke to you a few days ago regarding my concerns about the First Years Ignite stroller. I have now taken photos attached) to illustrate my point.

   Briefly, as explained, the main concern is that the lowest slot in which to insert the straps that hold the child to the back is not low enough. I am told by his pediatrician that my child is average height (and weight) for his age, 15 months. Yet, as you can see, the insertion of the strap is still above his shoulder. I have also provided images to show that he is, in fact, within normal limits of size, fitting as he does nicely in the stroller otherwise, with head just a couple of inches shy of the top of the back. Another image illustrates that in my attempt to render him secure despite the shoulder straps (and, as I noted on the phone, he has already shown himself able to slip easily out of them!), it is necessary to shorten their length to the point of making the crotch strap pull - which begs another suggestion: that the crotch strap be made a bit wider, so that it won’t cut into the crotch so much!

   I can only speculate, of course, as to why you may have not heard this sort of feedback before. It is perhaps the unfortunate case that most buyers out there do not heed the safety guidelines as I do - even your own instruction booklet, which clearly indicates that the strap should insert at a point even with, or indeed below, the top of the child’s shoulders. I have known this to be true from my other strollers (one still in use), my car seat, and my high chair. It’s a really standard safe design feature. Of note, I am someone who is generally rather religious about making sure everything has had a good safety rating by Consumer Reports. I made an exception in this case for the Ignite because I gathered that it was too new to be included in the latest Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, and I found the online customer ratings credible. Also, it was clear that it had five-point restraint. Had I scrutinized the Amazon reviews, however, I might not have listened so much to their recommendation. One person, for example, actually laments the mandatory five-point restraint, saying that he prefers having a three-point restraint option. And you can actually see the same high-inserting strap situation in some of the personal photos submitted.

   In any case, I do hope your product designers re-assess and re-consider. I only wish it were not too late for me (and my baby) to benefit! Should they move fast in arriving at the improvements - and should you see fit to replace my sub-optimally designed model - do let me know.

   Model

   Ignite S13D

   Bought from

   Amazon.com LLC, Washington

   Bought

   Apr 6, 2011

   Where

   Brooklyn, New York: Unspecified

   Who was involved

   Age 1, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   My Child

   As this report names them

   Brand First Years, made or sold by Learning Curve Brands, Inc.

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   No Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources