As a father of four children, I always look for products that make parents’ lives easier based on my experiences. While my children are now out of the toddler stage, I still love to share items I wish I had purchased when they were younger. The Doona Car Seat And Stroller All-In-One fits that bill.
Unlike traditional stroller attachments that allow parents to remove their toddler car seat from its base and place it atop a stroller attachment, the Doona Car Seat and Stroller allows the the stroller to remain attached to the car seat.
While not cheap at $550, this all-in-one car seat and stroller may benefit certain groups of parents, especially those who travel regularly and parents who lack additional trunk space for a secondary accessory.
I stumbled upon the Doona when looking for high-rated strollers on Amazon, and with more than 15,000 reviews and a 4.7-star rating, it doesn’t get much better.
Doona Car Seat And Stroller All-In-One Walkthrough
The first thing I noticed about the Doona + Car Seat & Stoller is that the actual operation of the stroller is simple. Remove the car seat and stroller from the included base, press the stroller release button on the back of the car seat, and the wheels pop out for immediate use.
Once the stroller wheels are locked, move the roll bar to the front and adjust the handle length to provide a comfortable grip height.
When you’re ready to place your child back into the seat, push down on the same release section, and the wheels fold back into their storage area on the car seat.
Traveling With The Doona Car Seat: From Uber To Air Travel
While using a base is excellent in your vehicle, it doesn’t do much good when you have to hop into an Uber or Taxi; in those cases, Doona has provided a simple seat belt latch system that securely attaches to any back seat and with safety in mind.
Here’s a video from Doona showing how to attach your toddler’s car seat to any vehicle easily.
I can particularly see the Doona Car Seat And Stroller All-In-One serving city parents well, transitioning from walking to Uber and even more easily carrying a child up and down Subway stairs. Sure, you can strap in any carrier-friendly toddler seat to an Uber, but you also have a stroller to worry about.
Air travel is also a massive plus, with everything tucked away in a single unit. Doona is FAA-approved for air travel, which means you can carry your baby or toddler onto the plane, attach them to a seat, and then remove them from the aircraft at your final destination.
My wife and I once traveled with two new car seats we purchased explicitly because they were smaller than our standard seats, and then we needed two separate strollers. If you travel regularly, a single unit will allow for less carry-on costs and provide for a more seamless experience.
Doona Car Seat & Stroller Safety
As parents, we’re all concerned about the safety of our children. I can fully understand how there may be concerns about using a car seat that is different than what we typically experience.
Doona has received a 5-star NHTSA (USA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) safety rating, the highest rating given to car seats. According to Doona, this is also the “only car seat to have been tested and certified as a rear-facing car seat, a stroller, and an infant carrier.”
Doona has incorporated 3-layer side impact protection, and the car seat and stroller feature an anti-rebound bar and 5-point safety hardness. It is also made with approved baby-safe materials, and the canopy provides SPF 50+ protection on sunny days. The car seat has also passed all EU safety requirements, making it an excellent choice for overall crash safety.
As a bonus, the Doona car seat & stroller all-on-one features an adjustment wheel on its base, allowing parents to easily adjust the car seat base so it is level before clicking the car seat into the base station. And just like car seats from Graco, Britax, Evenflo, and other manufacturers, it provides a simple button to adjust the snugness of its 5-point harness. It also comes with washable inserts to make cleaning the unit easy.
Doona Car Seat & Stroller Size Requirements
The Doon Car Seat & Stroller All-In-On was built for babies and toddlers and allows for weights between 4 pounds to 35 pounds and 7 inches to 32 inches.
Based on U.S. standards, at 3 years old, girls weigh between 25½ to 38 pounds and measure about 34¼ to 40 inches tall. Boys typically weigh between 26¼ to 38½ pounds and are about 35¼ to 40½ inches tall.
If your child grows quickly or has gained significant weight, the Doona will likely be a suitable option until they are at least 2 years old. If your child is on the smaller side of weight and height standards, the Doona car seat & stroller combo could be your go-to car seat and stroller for upwards of three years.
I’m not sure if I would pay $550 for an infant car seat, but when I consider the $260 Joovy stroller my children were pushed around in and then the $100 I paid for their car seats, the extra $190 for the convenience this option provides, seems like a smart buy and parents online are largely in agreement with the value of the purchase.
You can learn more about the Doona Car Seat & Stroller All-In-One here.