Baby Trend Travel System (all fabrics) Review

Number One...don't buy a carseat unless you have actually SEEN and tried to USE it in person!!! I bought mine online b/c it had good safety ratings, I liked the look of it (very neutral for girl or boy so it could be re-used), and the shopping options were pretty limited in my area. I suggest taking a baby doll (if you don't have one yet and are expecting...I bet-ya have a friend with a little girl who would let you borrow one the her 30!) and actually buckling it up, adjust the straps, and carry it around...holding the handle, carrying it on your arm, etc. Put the handle up and down...do it all b/c you are going to be like this (I am crossing my fingers) for the next year +, depending on how many kiddos you are going to have! And remember, strapping your angel in is NOT the only process you will go through...babies poop and spit up a lot, and it doesn't always stay inside the diaper or on the bib. Look to see how easy it is to take the covers and straps off and reassemble them all (this is so much more important than you know...for you first timers, it can happen daily. I am so sorry, but it can, and will)

The straps are a little hard to click and put together...the trick is to lock the bottom two first then lock the chest. The bottom latch makes a REALLY loud "click" that despite the hard work you spent to get your already sleeping baby into the seat and into the straps, will wake them up. That sucks.

The handle is REALLY hard to fold down...both hands have to be just right to give enough pressure to release it...you basically have to be right in front of the seat in order to get it back/down. It really is a sight to see when trying to get the handle up to get the carseat out of a vehicle, especially a two-door car. ;)

It is fairly easy to clean...the covers come off easily and reassembly is pretty easyily too. However, the metallic sheen on the seems is starting to come off (I have washed it ~10 times through 1.5 kiddos).

The metallic material (I think it may only be on the galexy set) can cause some sweating, but wipes down easier than a cotten-type cover. So it is a trade-off.

There is a gap (picture the baby in the seat) from mid-back to baby's bottom in the seat that is unhealthy for their spine...not to mention it bunches them in a ball and causes almost instant spit-up. My first daughter RARELY spit up, but as soon as I got her in the car seat, out it came. You can fold up a burp cloth and place it under the cover to help even this out, but of course it hasn't been safety tested like that. (However, you will come to understand over time that while it is incredibly important to keep your baby as safe as possible, you also have to make them comfortable...forget cell phones - nothing is more unnerving and dangerous than a screaming baby in the backseat distracting you from your driving duties, I promise!)

It doesn't come with any "strap covers/protectors" so the straps at the shoulders will irritate baby's neck.

Overall, the seat is okay. It gets the job done, is pretty easy to clean, fits easily in the base, the stroller is great and easy to fold and unfold, the colors are cool and stylish (w get lots of compliments), easy to adjust the strap height as baby grows, has a notch at the base (where it fits and clicks into the base and stroller) that fits easily onto grocery basket seats and  even my radio flyer wagon