Baby Trend Hybrid Combination Car Seat Review

Baby Trend Hybrid high back booster mode

The Baby Trend Hybrid 3-in-1 forward facing car only combination seat has been around for some time now. Our late admin and good friend Jennifer Penick reviewed the pink zebra print version of this seat several years ago. She did a wonderful job, but since then, this seat has undergone a few changes so we’re updating our review with the latest version of the seat.

The Hybrid has several updates that we noticed right from the start. The lower anchor weight limit is high – the lower anchors can be used for the entire life of the seat, there are plenty of fun colors, and the seat is relatively lightweight. Those are the best parts of this seat.

There are also a few quirks that can make the seat difficult to use properly. We’ll explore those quirks in detail in this review.

Baby Trend Hybrid assembly

The Hybrid comes in 2 parts, the backless booster portion and the back of the seat. To assemble the seat, set the booster portion on the floor. Then lay the back of the seat on the floor with the “arms” of the back overlapping the bar on the back of the booster portion. Next, rotate the back to a 90 degree angle and push the back down into the base of the booster portion.

Baby Trend Hybrid high seat back

The Hybrid has 4 harness slots. The top one is a bit difficult to see. It hides just under the bottom edge of the headrest cover. One unfortunate discovery we made is that the headrest slides down easily when any small amount of pressure is put on the top of it.

Baby Trend Hybrid crotch buckle shortening clip

The Hybrid has two buckle lengths. The seat comes with the buckle installed at the shorter length. This length is to be used until the child is 35 pounds or the buckle tongue touches the child’s thigh, whichever comes first.

To lengthen the crotch buckle, turn the car seat over to expose the underside of the base. Locate the metal buckle shortening clip and remove it from the crotch buckle webbing. Store it on the designated storage spot under the cover of the seat.

Baby Trend Hybrid removing the cover

The cleaning instructions were difficult to find. The manual says to follow the care instructions on the tag on the cover of the seat. I searched the main cover of the seat and did not see any care tags. I turned my search to the body pillow and head insert. The care tag is located on the bottom of the body pillow. This is disappointing because the body pillow is required to be removed when the child is using the 3rd harness slot from the bottom. This leaves the potential for the insert, and the instructions, to be lost.

Removing the cover can be difficult. Some of the elastics are tied into place and must be untied to remove the cover. Other parts were just difficult to access.

Baby Trend Hybrid installation chart

This chart found in the manual can help a caregiver decide the proper install method based on the child’s weight.

There is also a graphic on the side of the seat shell with the installation methods. We’re still not convinced that this makes using the seat properly any easier.

Baby Trend Hybrid installation methods

Pro tip: always use the manual that came with your specific seat. There have been several versions of the Hybrid over the years and the rules and install methods vary between them.

There are two different belt entry methods for both the lower anchors and the vehicle seat belt – front and rear entry. The front entry method is how most forward facing harnessed car seats are installed, with the belt routed directly through the forward facing belt path. The rear entry method (sometimes called the long belt path) is entirely different and can be difficult to master.

Rear entry method with lower anchors

Remove the lower anchors from their storage location on the seat shell. Place the Hybrid on the vehicle seat with the harness facing the front of the vehicle seat. Route the lower anchors through the belt path. Attach the lower anchor connectors to the lower anchor bars in the vehicle seat. Press down on the seat pan while removing the slack from the lower anchor webbing.

Baby Trend Hybrid belt path

After the seat is installed, give it a firm handshake at the belt path, make sure the seat moves less than an inch at the belt path.

Baby Trend Hybrid belt path

Start by removing the lower anchor connectors from their storage spots on the seat shell. Set the car seat on the vehicle seat with the harness facing the front of the vehicle. Starting on one side of the seat, connect one lower anchor hook to the lower anchor bar in the vehicle seat. Route the lower anchor belt in front of the arm rest on the car seat, through the slot in the seat shell on that side (from the front side), behind the seat shell, through the slot in the other side of the seat shell (from the back side), and around the other arm rest, connecting the loose lower anchor to the anchor bar in the vehicle seat.

Baby Trend Hybrid installed with lower anchors

Slack likes to hide in the lower anchor webbing when installing with the front entry method. To remove it, work the slack toward the side with the lower anchor adjuster. Then push down in the seat pan while removing the slack from the lower anchors. Remove the slack from the top tether anchor webbing.

Baby Trend Hybrid belt path

Place the Hybrid on the vehicle seat with the harness facing the front of the vehicle. Route the vehicle seat belt through the forward facing belt path and buckle the vehicle seat belt. Consult the vehicle manual on how to lock the vehicle seat belt. Lock the vehicle seat belt and remove the slack while pressing down in the seat pan of the car seat.

Baby Trend Hybrid front entry

Disclaimer: This method is incredibly hard to remove from the vehicle once it is installed. This install method uses up almost the entire length of the vehicle seat belt webbing, leaving very little slack to remove the seat.

Baby Trend Hybrid front entry

Here’s how to install the Hybrid via this method: set the car seat on the vehicle seat with the harness facing the front of the vehicle. Route the vehicle seat belt route the lap and shoulder belt in front of the arm rest, through the slot in the seat shell on the same side (from the front), behind the seat shell, through the shell on the opposite side (from the back), and around the front of the arm rest.

Baby Trend Hybrid front entry

The shoulder portion of the vehicle seat belt goes over the armrest, while the lap portion goes under the armrest. Buckle the seat belt. Consult the vehicle manual on how to lock the vehicle seat belt. Lock the vehicle seat belt (if it hasn’t locked itself already) and remove the slack while pushing down on the seat pan.

Once the seat is installed, give it a firm handshake at the belt path, make sure the seat moves less than an inch at the belt path.

Baby Trend Hybrid front entry

Baby Trend Hybrid 5 years old

Our newly 5 year old model weighs 49 pounds and is 44 inches tall. He wasn’t keen on getting out of his jammies, but he was ready to model! He is only 1 pound away from the weight limit on the harness for this seat. He is not mature enough to ride in abooster seat just yet so a different combination seat would be in his immediate future.

He did find the seat comfortable but wasn’t a fan of the crotch buckle cover. The harness sits just above his shoulder and the crotch buckle has been lengthened. The harness was easy to tighten and loosen. One perk we found is that there is a cover over the cam lock that makes it more difficult to access for little hands.

Baby Trend Hybrid splitter plate

Another thing that makes the Hybrid unique is the splitter plate — it’s two plates that are sewn together. To convert the seat to and from booster mode, remove the harness from both sets of splitter plates. When the harness is put back on, the harness loops must be attached to both of the plates.

Baby Trend Hybrid converting to booster mode

Converting this seat to booster mode basically entails removing the harness and storing it in a location you’ll remember.

To convert the seat to high back booster mode, unhook the harness from the splitter plate and pull the harness through the front of the seat. Turn the seat over to expose the crotch buckle retainer clip. Turn the retainer clip sideways and lift the crotch buckle off the seat base. While the seat is turned over, locate the metal harness retainer clips on the bottom of the seat base. Turn each one sideways and pull the harness up out of the seat base.

Store all the components in a safe place for future use. We recommend a resealable bag, labeled with the seat name.

Baby Trend Hybrid shoulder belt guide

Once the seat is converted to booster mode, set the Hybrid on the vehicle seat with the cup holders facing the front of the vehicle. Thread the vehicle seat belt through the belt guide. This was no easy task. The belt guide consists of two plastic slots. The vehicle seat belt must rest inside the inner slot. This took practice and our models were unable to do this themselves, unlike many other high back boosters in our collection.

Baby Trend Hybrid booster mode 7 years old

This model is 7 years old and weighs 57 pounds and is 49 inches tall. He said “I really like this seat” when I first pulled it out of the box. His opinion didn’t change much when he was finally able to put his bum in it. The seat’s wide base meant that he wasn’t able to reach the buckle to secure himself in the seat — we had to help him each time. Once he was in the seat, we were pleased by the fit — the shoulder belt sits center over his collarbone and the lap belt is low on the hips, touching the tops of the thighs.

Baby Trend Hybrid 10 years old booster mode

Our 10 year old model weighs 63 pounds and is 53 inches tall. The lap belt is nice and low on the hips, touching the tops of the thighs. His shoulder belt is centered nicely over his collarbone. This model was able to buckle his seat belt on his own.

Baby Trend Hybrid date of manufacture label

The date of manufacture is located on the underside of the bottom of the seat base. The manual states the harness and seat back expire 6 years after the date of manufacture, the seat base expires 10 years after the date of manufacture.

Baby Trend Hybrid lower anchor and top tether storage

The lower anchors store on the back, bottom of the seat base. They are a bit difficult to keep in place.

Baby Trend Hybrid manual storage

The manual storage pocket is located under the cover of the seat base, near the child’s hip. A large portion of the cover needs to be removed to access it. The belt shortening clip also stores here, on a small elastic band.

Baby Trend Hybrid FAA approval label

The FAA approval label is located on the bottom of the seat base.

*The Hybrid is FAA approved in harness mode ONLY.