Baby Trend sent us this car seat to review for the site. The opinions are our own.
We spent literal months looking over the latest and greatest in baby gear while waiting on the arrival of our baby who was born in November. After having three kids, we’d already nailed down the features we loved most in previous brands. We’re putting all of that knowledge to use to review the Baby Trend Snap Gear 32 in Ariel.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
We were really surprised by the Baby Trend Snap Gear
We’re use to seeing a handle that is straight across, but this triangle shaped ergonomic handle makes it easy to carry and lift in and out of the van.
Before we get started, let’s take a look at the details of this seat.
According to Baby Trend, here’s a few of the features:
- Quick Release
- LATCH Compatiblity
- EPE Energy-Absorbing Foam
- Rotating Canopy
- Ergonomic Handle
- Comfort-grip Handle
- Adjustable Harness
- Latch Equipped Car Seat
- 5-point Harness
THE BASE
Let’s start with one of the most important features, the base.
This easy latch (and I mean EASY) base will work in your car seat in a hurry. Unlike most bases, the latch system on this is easy to get back into the seat and get out.
It’s also easy to adjust the height of the base. This comes in handy if you only have one seat and move it from vehicle to vehicle. We tested this between our truck and van. The seats are very different and with the easy adjustment with this base (the grey handle), we were able to level out this seat in seconds, literally.
There’s been a lot of chatter in the news and on social media about using a car seat correctly as of late. Baby Trend took out the guess work with this seat and put the instructions right on the five point harnesses chest clip.
See those two side pads in the middle? Those are EXCELLENT for a newborn. And, they come out easy (see the second pic) in order to allow the seat to grow with your kiddo.
The padding in the seat was pleasantly soft with just the right amount of cushion. We didn’t feel like out baby was going to get lost in it, but it definitely took a little work to get it pushed down enough to feel the components of the seat.
The canopy was enough to keep the sun and other elements off of baby.
See that little flap? That’s where they have the button for the harness release. If you’ve ever had to try to get to a release with a wiggling baby in a seat, you know how important it is for this feature to be right. In the case of this Baby Trend Secure Snap Gear 32, they got it right. The button is much bigger than we’ve seen on most seats, which means you can get in there and get it pushed to release your harness without must fuss.
OTHER DETAILS
This car seat seemed a little shallow to us. We had chosen a seat for our baby that was rather deep and honestly, she hates it. When we did the video for this seat she had plenty of room from shoulder to shoulder and loved that she wasn’t sitting so far back in the seat. The only downfall with this is that one of our friends suggested that she didn’t feel comfortable with her kiddo in the seat past six months because she felt he’d outgrown it.
See that little red knob?
Yes, that’s right.
No more hours and hours trying to take out straps and adjust the shoulder height. All you have to do with this seat is twist the knob.
Finally, the seat comes in and out of the base easily and without to much fuss.
And that’s about it. For us, this seat rated very well. The only negative we noticed was the potential for kiddos in the upper percentiles to grow out of this seat earlier than babies who are hovering around average or a little under. Our now 18lb 4 month old still fits perfectly in the seat.
All told, we’d recommend this seat and give it 8 1/2 out of 10 stars. We’d love it if you’d add your rating to this post too!