Using the Doona as baby gets bigger
The Doona is one of the most popular strollers on the market! It’s the first of its kind in that it switches from a stroller to carseat and back with the click of a button. The stroller legs fold down and the seat becomes a carseat with little effort— this way, parents can take the carseat out of the car, pop out the stroller legs, and stroll off— which makes being out with your babe so easy. Between this and the fact that it’s narrow enough to fit in small aisles or doorways, it’s been doted on as one of the best travel strollers as well!
We all know that the Doona works well for newborns, right? It’s easy, light, and prevents having to wake our sleeping babe when transitioning from the car for an errand. However, with such a hefty price tag: I wanted to dig into the longevity of it—what about as baby gets a bit older and bigger? Is it really worth it? I tested this stroller/carseat with my son Teddy at 10-12 months old (he still fell within the “limits” for use) to see if it was as easy and functional as the newborn days. Let’s get to it!
STROLLER STATS
stroller size
Weight: 17.2 lbs (without baby)
The Doona is small. It’s narrow and fits through an airplane isle (which is about 20”). It’s a tad heavier than many other car seats, but it is also a carseat/stroller in one.
baby weight/height limits
Weight: 4-35lb baby
Height/Length: Up to 32”
price
Very pricey ~$550-650. However, it is both a stroller and carseat in one.
handlebar
The handlebar has 2 height adjustments. A shorter and a longer. There is no “in between”. If you’re an extremely tall person, this can be a struggle, as the handlebar doesn’t extend very far up (I think 34” is the highest level). However, if you’re a shorter statured person, this stroller is a great change of pace, as it can be a more comfortable height for someone who is short statured, including siblings who may want to help push their baby brother or sister (with the parent right there too!). I do LOVE that there is the option for a shorter statured person to actually be comfortable with a stroller height— I feel like it is more inclusive in that regard— however, I wish that there was some more variability with adjusting the height. I am about 5’7” and it works for me, but my husband is about 6’0” and thinks its a bit too short for him to push comfortably without stepping on the back bottom of the stroller.
what’s included with purchase?
Infant Car Seat & Stroller
LATCH Base
Infant Insert
Head Support
Vehicle Seat Protector
safety features
The Doona becomes a carseat, which can be installed with the LATCH base system, or without it (directly in the car with seatbelt as pictured below). Consumer Reports rated Doona overall as “very good”, while in the safety test the Doona rating was “excellent”. These were passed with and without the LATCH base (per their site).
NHTSA (USA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) rated Doona with the highest score of 5 stars.
Per their site: Doona conducted more than 100 crash tests to ensure the baby’s safety and protection in a wide range of crash scenarios. On top of the compliance testing, Doona conducted numerous tests, in extreme conditions, to assure that Doona does not just meet the standards, but exceeded them. The additional tests included a collision at very high speeds, a collision at freeze conditions, a collision using a 3-year old dummy, and/or additional weights, etc.
Doona successfully passed all legally required compliance tests, as well as the beyond-compliance tests. In frontal collision tests (the most frequent type of car accident), Doona scored a high 5-star rating.
Features:
5 point harness
Adjustable handlebar that also acts as “anti-rebound” bar in car
Rear facing only
High Safety standards
FAA aircraft approved for travel
Side impact protection
when to remove the infant insert &/or head support?
Per Doona’s website, the infant insert can be removed when baby is around 3 months or 11lbs.
The head support is recommended to be kept in place regardless of age/size to enhance the side-impact protection.
However, “the carseat successfully passed the FMVSS 213 in all instances— both with and without the head support and with and without the infant insert” per Doona’s website.
If your baby meets the criteria to remove, or is uncomfortable with the head support as they get bigger, it’s at the parents’ discretion.
We were super glad to read this, as Teddy was actually super bothered and fussy with the head support in place. Maybe it was the size of his head being 10 months old and the fact that it was 90+ degrees outside, but he was so hot and sweaty in the stroller and would cry and squirm each time. We tried removing it and he was much happier, so we left it out when using it as a stroller. I never want to compromise my baby’s safety, so this is something I was willing to just deal with if need be, but was a little bummed due to the cost of the stroller. Nevertheless, I was glad to read on Doona’s site that it was recommended to keep in place, but okay and still safe if removing was necessary. I did keep the head support in my husband’s car in the few cases we used the Doona as a car seat and would re-install it in the carseat if we would be heading out since it provides added impact protection.
materials
Made with baby-safe materials (free of any hazardous chemicals—no hazardous heavy metals, lead content, Phthalates, PAHs, Cadmium, Azodyes, and other unsafe materials) that are removable and washable. The materials are Anti-bacterial, Hypoallergenic, Humidity & thermal regulating per Doona’s site.
USAGE
traveL
It’s narrow enough to fit in the airplane isle.
It’s certified by FAA without the LATCH base needed on aircraft.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about traveling with the Doona. It fits in the aisle of the aircraft, can be safely installed without a base in the aircraft and then in the car when you get to your destination. I’ve also heard from my IG community that it’s so nice when you’re in a city and jumping between Ubers or taxis. The fact that it easily folds up to carseat formation, then pops right out to a stroller when you get out of the car is easy for travel in and of itself, too.
everyday use
This is more my speed. I am always looking for a good stroller that works well in everyday “I’m a busy mom on the go” life. A stroller I can take in the car for quick and easy errands, walk in my neighborhood with, go to the park with, etc. The Doona definitely has some pros here.
Obviously it goes without saying (but I’m going to say it anyway), the Doona’s simplicity of changing from carseat to stroller and back is incredible for making trips and errands so much easier. No hauling a pumpkin seat around. No having to get a big stroller out of the back to assemble with you pumpkin seat. It’s usually a super smooth transition! The Doona drives smoothly, turns easily, and navigates through small spaces without issue.
However, I did notice it gets stuck on larger sidewalk cracks more easily, and gets extremely heavy as your baby gets bigger. It’s also not great on rougher terrain, as its wheels aren’t thick and durable (but that’s not what this specific stroller is made for anyway).
storage
I was a bit disappointed that there was not any storage available on this stroller. However, it is made to be efficient for “on the go”— therefore, they tried to decrease the bulk. They do have a parent caddy and cupholders you can purchase, but you are not able to “store” anything under your stroller (diaper bag, toys, blankets, etc) as there is no “basket” underneath since it folds up to become a carseat. You would need to carry your diaper bag, or find some diaper bag hooks to use instead! For me, this was a bittersweet con, as I always need extra room for things with 4 kids.
MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE DOONA + AN OLDER BABE
I’ve used this stroller since my son was about 9.5-10 months (currently 12 months and will continue to use periodically until he outgrows it!). There are absolutely some things I love about this stroller, but also some things I think are worth noting regarding the longevity of this stroller and the use with an older babe.
Some things I loved:
This stroller was SO easy to use on the go. I have 4 kids, we are always running around— having the ease of popping wheels out of my baby’s carseat to become a stroller so we could just ‘go’ when we got to our destination was incredible. I loved the ease of this for myself and my family. I wish I had it when Teddy was a newborn because it was so quick and realistic to use in everyday life with multiple kids. It was incredibly easy to manuever, navigate and fit through small spaces like a busy parking lot or grocery store. I also love the ease of the foot brakes. I personally liked that the stroller handlebar went down to a shorter height because my older kiddos love pushing their baby brother around.
Some things I didn’t love:
It. is. heavy. When you’re dealing with an older/bigger baby, things are different. I know you aren’t having to lug around the carseat much, but even just picking it up to put it back in the car base is WERK. It’s heavy with a 25lb baby and a 17lb carseat! I think that’s something I didn’t really consider ahead of time— I just figured I wouldn’t be carrying it around much (which is true!), but it’s still heavy lifting in and out of the car constantly. I also do wish the handlebar extended just maybe another few inches for my husband to be more comfortable, and felt like the stroller didn’t do well on some of the bigger sidewalk cracks in our neighborhood. I noticed when taking Teddy on walks, I’d often run into a bump and it would completely jolt and stop the stroller, where this never happens with my Mockingbird. I do also feel that the weight and height requirements do limit things a bit based on what you’re paying for. Once your baby outgrows the Doona— you not only need a new carseat, but also a new stroller— 2 pretty pricey things! Other times, parents are typically able to use their stroller for a much longer time period, and their carseat (many times, but not all times) as well!
I did poll our IG community to see how long other parents were able to use the Doona before their baby outgrew it to get a jist of general longevity. Granted, all babies grow differently. That’s why I didn’t want to just share my experience— I wanted to see multiple parents chime in! Some babies outgrew as quickly as 5ish months, while some lasted until 18 months— it truly depends! See below for some mamas’ experiences!
And just a reminder on what to look for with baby outgrowing their carseat:
The level of their head: when the child's head is less than an inch from the top of the car seat shell
The maximum weight or height is reached
The level of the harness, which must be at the level of the shoulder or just below since it’s rear facing only
Have you thought about using a Doona? Or do you have one? What are your thoughts as baby gets older/bigger?
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