When I was putting together our baby registry, I had the hardest time deciding if I wanted to go the Doona stroller route or get a traditional car seat. Ultimately, I decided on the Doona because of its convenience and since we live in the city, would be the perfect car seat/ stroller scenario for moving about with the baby while running errands. If you’re on the fence about buying a Doona, I’m just gonna go ahead and say BUY IT but if you need more convincing, I’ve put together a blog post on why the Doona has been great for our family with 1 baby under 1 years old.
Why does everyone like the Doona?
I personally don’t know that we would have gotten through infancy as smoothly without it. It is hands down the most convenient baby accessory we’ve invested in. I love how easily it packs up, having a stroller whenever I need one when we’re out and about, and keeps our sleeping baby snuggled so there is no risk of waking him up if we need to transfer him from car to stroller. Not waking a sleeping baby is worth the $500+ to me.
What is a Doona stroller
The Doona is a car seat that converts seamlessly into a stroller, it makes traveling with a baby effortless. The wheels pop out of the base of the stroller by pulling a lever on the back and easily pops back into place to secure the car seat into the base of the car.
Is Doona stroller FAA approved
Yes! If you want to buy an airplane seat you can put your carseat in the plane seat next to you. We bought the cargo storage cover for Doona and check it when we get to the gate. My husband also 3D printed some clips and made our own custom carrying strap for the cargo cover so we have one less bag to shlep through the airport. If you’re interested in those clips, I’ll have them for sale on my website soon!
Is Doona stroller good for tall parents
This one I’m a bit miffed over. As someone who is 5’10” I do wish the handle extended 2” longer, but for the most part it’s perfectly adequate. When we first got the stroller I had to amend my walk so that I wasn’t kicking the undercarriage every time I took a step, however, the convenience of having a stroller that’s a safe car seat is worth the minor inconvenience of it being too short.
How does Doona stroller work
For the most part, it’s a car seat, however, when you place it on the ground, you can grab a lever at the back that releases the wheels to “pop” the car seat up to a stroller. Then the handle extends out and -voila!- a stroller is born from a car seat.
What age is a Doona stroller for
The Doona can fit infants from newborns up to 32” and/or 35 lbs whichever they reach first. When I was researching car seats for our son, I realized that regardless if you went with a nuna pipa (my alternate) or the Doona, all infants need to upgrade to a new car seat solution after they turn 1 so I decided I didn’t want the inconvenience of bringing a stroller base with me everywhere so the Doona was the preference.
Does the Doona stroller need a base
No, you don’t need a base to use the Doona which is why it’s great for travel- less to carry! However, if you buy the Doona it does come with a base to click into. It was incredibly easy to install into the car and I’ve never had an issue clicking it in.
What is similar to a Doona stroller
I believe there is another carseat stroller called the Evenflo Dualride Shyft. It’s roughly the same price as the Doona however the wheels detach from the car seat and stay clicked into the base if you don’t want to have the wheels on the carseat.
When do Doona strollers go on sale
I don’t believe they do, if they do it must be through an authorized retailer (like Nordstrom) and I do not recommend buying one used because you’ll never know if it was in an accident (which voids the safety of the carseat).
Is Doona stroller worth it
Let me put it this way, we have both a full-sized stroller and the Doona and I don’t regret having either. If you hate futzing with a lot of gadgets, have older kids that are walking, and you crave convenience in the chaos that is having a baby, the Doona really is a great addition to a family. It’s reliable and frees up a few more minutes without having to undo a carseat, click it into a stroller that you slammed in the back of your car and now there is no room for groceries for your errand on the way back. And as we all know, that space and that time is precious.
If you break down the math to 1 use per 365 days in a calendar year, that’s $1.50 per use. The convenience factor is worth $1.50 to me.
Where can I buy a Doona stroller
You can buy a Doona Stroller at a lot of places! We got ours from our registry through Babylist (we made it a group gift so multiple people could donate to the purchase).
It’s available at Nordstrom, Amazon, Pottery Barn Kids, Doona’s website of course, Target and Dillards among the top places to buy (because of their return policy).
If you’re in Atlanta and want to see the stroller in action, you can check it out at Born Baby in Buckhead and Ponce City Market and Happy Mango on the Westside.
