18-05-2025
Is the Doona Car Seat & Stroller Worth It? Here's My Honest Review
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Value: 18/20
Functionality: 19/20
Portability: 20/20
Aesthetic: 18/20
Safety: 20/20
Total: 95/100
A funny thing happens when you're gearing up to have a baby: Parents come out of the woodwork to dispense unsolicited advice. Tips about sleep training? I'll pass. But give me a tried-and-true product recco and I'm all ears. That's how I came to learn about the Doona Car Seat and Stroller combo. After all, I had my first child seven years ago. Ahead of welcoming my now six-month-old, I quickly discovered: Baby gear has changed quite a bit in that time. The Rock n' Play? Recalled! The Snoo? Was only just getting buzzy!
But Doona, it seems, was the biggest innovation. And Doona parents, it turned out, were extremely impassioned.
The first was my cousin. His son arrived nine months before mine and, while not always verbose about baby stuff, he imparted one piece of wisdom. Get the Doona, it's a game-changer. Next, one of my best friends, who was pregnant with a third: I'm splurging on a Doona this time around. Everyone I know raves about it.
The final endorsement came during a shopping trip to IKEA. New Yorkers tend to keep to themselves, but a particularly gruff woman held the elevator for me as I waddled up to it, then couldn't help herself: The Doona stroller—ahem, the one she was currently pushing—will save you. (You don't have to tell me thrice, I thought!)
So, I put the stroller/car seat combo to the test, right out of the gate—installing the base in my car and toting the car seat to the hospital where I was induced last October. If that's not a sink or swim moment for testing a product, I don't know what is. Here's my honest review.
One of my most vivid early parenthood moments was when I transferred my oldest son from the stroller to the car seat for the drive home from the hospital. He fell asleep in the stroller as we toted him out, but then—as I was relocating him to the car seat—I bopped him on the nose and all hell broke loose. (In other words, he started wailing and as a first-time parent, I felt like a failure.)
Not so with the genius Doona which is basically a car seat with collapsible wheels, allowing it to go from a safe and comfortable system of transport for babies (between 4 and 35 pounds) to a compact stroller in one fluid motion. A full-handed push of a button on the back and simple circular motion is all you need for the wheels to pop down or retract. It snaps easily into a secure base already installed in the car and off you go. If baby is snoozing, no disruption required.
Rachel Bowie
My cousin, bestie and that random lady in the IKEA elevator were all right: This stroller is a two-for-one design that's not only a game-changer, I swear it helps increase the amount my baby sleeps, as was evidenced when I toted my three-month-old from Brooklyn to the Guggenheim by car. Within seconds of the approximately 40-minute drive, my son nodded off. I found a metered spot, unclipped the Doona and seamlessly (and quietly) expanded the wheels. Minutes later, I had paid the entrance fee, then rolled my sleeping baby around and around a special exhibit about Orphism in Paris…all without him waking up. When I was done, it was back to the car where, once again, I retracted the wheels and drove off. When we got home? He was still asleep!
Rachel Bowie
The weight (just over 17 pounds) puts it slightly above your average car seat, though I've never found it too cumbersome. And it adjusts to baby's growing size with straps that you can toggle with a button at the bottom center. (Unlike other car seats, you don't have to remove your child from the seat itself in order to change the size.) There's also an included newborn insert and since it's approved up to 35 pounds or 32 inches—whichever comes first—you can typically use it until a kid is 18 months. (Note, it does not convert to front-facing.)
I also tested this car seat without its base in a cab on-the-go, by using the car's seatbelt and following the online instructions. It even handled a bit of spring off-roading (see photo above) at my local botanic garden.
As for safety, It has a five-star safety rating in frontal collision tests—based on over 100 crash tests—and meets the strictest U.S. and E.U. safety standards for car seats, strollers and hand-held carriers. When installed in the car seat base, you lower the handle of the stroller so it rests against the back of the regular seat, giving the car seat additional anti-rebound protection to minimize impact. Additionally, it comes with a five-point harness for clipping baby in and uses materials that are free from hazardous chemicals. (The seat cover is also machine washable.)
In my book, there are three: For one thing, it does take a couple of practice runs to figure out how to collapse the wheels; Extending them is easier for some reason.
Secondly, there's the lack of sun shade: The shade that comes included doesn't offer much in terms of protection, and only lowers to cover baby up to his nose (or chin if you're lucky), meaning I often have to bring a swaddle to keep my son protected.
Finally, the undercarriage doesn't include a space for storage. (How could it since the wheels have to collapse?) I bought a stroller hook to hold my bag and the problem was solved, but snap on storage is available for an extra cost should you require it.
Rachel Bowie
Minor flaws aside, this two-for-one car seat stroller increased my efficiency as a parent and, quite frankly, made newborn life easier. I still feel grateful six months later and get pangs of joy when my older son takes the helm pushing his brother. Most of all, I love that it keeps my baby safe and snuggly on both walks and drives. After all, with young kids, mobility is empowering.
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