Web: BabyTrend.com Infant Car Seat Review: Baby Trend Secure Snap

Price: $149.99  (35).

Type: Infant seat.

Limits: Secure Snap 32: Rear facing 5-32 lbs., up to 32″. Secure Snap 35: Rear-facing 5-35 lbs.

NHTSA ease of use rating: Four out of five stars (rating for 35 model).

Pros: Enhanced side impact protection, works with Baby Trend “Snap Gear” strollers. Base with four position recline, flexible LATCH.

Cons: Little stroller compatibility beyond Baby Trend’s own stroller line. Poorly designed crotch clip, padding comes off, parts break.

Comments: The Secure Snap is Baby Trend’s newest car seat and the headline here is improved side impact protection in the form of EPS foam head wings. Another unique feature is the base with four recline positions—most infant car seat bases either don’t recline or just have one position.

The Secure 32 also features Baby Trend’s funky, triangle-shaped handle, which folks either love or hate.  And unlike the Flex-Loc infant car seats, this seat feature flexible LATCH connectors.

This infant seat is part of Baby Trend’s “Snap Gear”/”Snap Fit” collection—a series of strollers that are compatible with these car seats.

As you might guess, the Secure Snap 32 works to 32 lbs. There is also a Secure Snap 35 that works up to . . . wait for it . . . 35 lbs. It runs $160.

Baby Trend infant seats always look good on paper–until the parent reviews roll in. Then, Katy bar the door! We’ll let one parent tell her story, as posted to Target.com:

In my 27 years on this planet, I have never been motivated to leave a negative review for a product until now. I purchased the Baby Trend Secure Snap Gear 32 in Ariel. I was excited by the cool design and the great handle. However, my excitement soon turned to disdain.

First and foremost, the crotch clips are horrendously designed. The two sides must be held together in order to get them into the snap. Although this doesn’t sound that difficult– it requires some dexterity, patience, and time which frankly is a luxury most new parents don’t have.

Furthermore, and most importantly, the design makes it much easier to accidentally pinch their thighs in the clip (hasn’t happened to me yet because I am overly cautious, but it is truly a disaster waiting to happen).

Continuing on the topic of the crotch clips—the left clip CONTINUOUSLY gets flipped around. Nothing says good times like spending 15 minutes trying to flip the clip around while you’re trying to get out the door with a screaming infant. (Side note, if you’re struggling with this, someone created a YouTube video on flipping it back around which is very helpful).

Moving on to the car seat padding—the insert is held in by a few pieces of cheap Velcro. After a few weeks the Velcro began wearing down and the padding started falling out and exposing the Velcro strips which scratched my daughter’s skin.

And lastly, the handle adjustment clips are a nightmare. At first they aren’t too bad, but as time goes on they become incredibly difficult to press. If you are considering purchasing this car seat, please reconsider. I cannot stress enough how much I regret purchasing this convoluted piece of equipment.

Well, that about sums it up! In general, the same woes that dog Baby Trend’s other car seats are back again here—parts that break, difficulty in adjusting/using the seat, etc. Yes, this seat is affordable but the Secure Snap 32 is no bargain.

Rating: D