Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: 35 lb Weight Limit and 32″ Height Limit for 1 yr Old

Doona Car Seat Stroller

Overall Rating

 4.8/5

Face Rear

If the car seat industry was a kindergarten, the Doona would be the most popular kid. The perfect blend of styles, specs, and uncompromising performance, the Doona car seat stroller is the people’s champion – not to mention my top pick of the best car seat for infants.

Striking a seemingly effortless balance between installation, portability, weight, and cost, the Doona car seat stroller is the all-rounder of the all-rounders and truly offers something for parents and families. But is it right for you? Here are the 12 important things you need to know about the Doona infant car seat.

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Doona Car Seat Stroller Review - 12 Things You Need to Know

Pros & Cons

The good and the bad

What is it best for

Who we recommend it for

Value for Money

Is it worth the price tag?

Design

Dimensions, weight, color, etc

Safety Rating

Crash tests, FMVSS213, SIP

Performance

Weight/height limits, airplane, etc

Installation

Install with LATCH or seat belt

Alternatives

Other car seats to consider

1. Pros and Cons

Pros

Combine a car seat and stroller
Easy in and out
Support installation without a car seat base
Smooth transition between car seat and stroller
Compact size design for storage and carrying
Friendly and portable to take for air travel
The handle can be used as an anti-rebound bar
2 years manufacturer's warranty

Cons

2. Who Is It Best For?

Will the Doona car seat stroller fit for your child?

The Doona car seat stroller is suitable to accommodate babies between 4-35 lbs with a maximum height of 32-inch tall. It’s supposed to fit infants from birth to 1 year old or 1.5 years at most, only if your baby grows at the average rate of its peers.

The Doona features a unique design with four wheels attached under the seat body, making it easy to turn car seat into stroller in seconds. This exclusive patented design provides the best portability and convenience for traveling families. You don’t need to take an individual car seat along with a separate stroller wherever you go.

Weighing 16.5 lbs, the Doona car seat is much heavier than the lightest infant car seats on the market, but this should not affect its great performance in portability.

Ultimately, I recommend the Doona car seat stroller for parents who’re looking for a child restraint system that packs a powerful punch when it comes to portability like traveling families.

It’s also a great choice for rushing parents looking to take a step up to something with a little easy installation in a taxi, or parents who often take the babies out for meeting friends in the cafeteria.

3. Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: Value for Money

Is the price tag worth it?

When a car seat is slapped with the fairly lofty price tag of $500, it doesn’t feel particularly intuitive to call it a ‘bargain’. But trust me – for what you get, the Doona car seat stroller is worth every dime.

It features a great design with amazing functionalities. The Doona includes four wheels to make the transition from an infant car seat to a stroller effortlessly. This car seat stroller combo design provides the best portability, making it convenient to carry for being able to travel with it or hop in any car, taxi, rental, Uber, etc.

A base is included in the package for easy installation, but it’s not necessary. The Doona car seat stroller allows installation without a base.

Rolling around the Doona car seat stroller for shopping or walking around the community is also achievable thanks to the four wheels and one-hand easy maneuverability.

If you’re the parents who have several kids – especially families with one big toddler and one newborn baby, the freedom to have a free hand to keep the big kid close while pushing the stroller means a lot to you and it’s absolutely an impressive point to you.

The Doona car seat stroller is compact and friendly to small cars. No fussing with a separate attachment stroller as the car seat itself does, it saves time and space, even though it’s a bit more pricey than most travel systems.

Further Information

Best portable car seat for travel

Best folding car seat for travel

4. Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: Design

Dimension and Width

How wide is the Doona car seat?

The Doona car seat stroller has a narrow profile, only 17.3 inches wide. It’s one of our best narrow car seats.

After folding up the wheels and working as an infant car seat, Doona measures 23.6” (Height) x 17.3” (Width) x 26” (Depth). It seems to take up little space and avoids squeezing the space from the front driver or passenger seat. The relatively mini body is friendly for small cars like vans, even if it is installed with the base, which measures 9.6” (H) x 15.7” (W) x 20.9” (D).

Comparing the width of the infant car seat stroller and its base, you’ll find the maximum width is just 17.3 inches at most – the width of the car seat is higher than that of the base.

This means the Doona car seat stroller, no matter whether attached or detached to the base, is truly slim and narrow enough to fit 3 across, making it a perfect choice for families that have several kids, with one being a newborn baby or small infant.

Its 17.3-inch width remains the same in both the folding and unfolding configurations, with the height and depth extended to its max.

Unfolding the wheels and dragging the handle to its highest position, the Doona infant car seat stroller measures 39 inches in height with 32.2 inches in depth. This size is much smaller than a traditional stroller, along with a weight lighter.

It’s understandable that the Doona car seat and stroller combo is only suitable for newborns and small infants in this compact-designed body.

Portability - 9.5 of 10

You cannot get better portability and convenience than this Doona car seat stroller combo! It’s one of the best portable car seats.

It features an ultra-compact body. Then you won’t be surprised that the weight of the Doona car seat stroller is lighter than other travel systems that consist of an individual infant car seat and a separate stroller.

The unique design makes it easily and smoothly convert from car seat mode to stroller mode, making it one of the best foldable car seats.

Instead of taking two traditional bulky items – the infant car seat carrier and stroller, you just need one piece to ride and stroll your baby, no matter where you plan to go, shopping, eating out, dating with friends, etc.

Switching the car seat between different cars is simple, and you’ll like that you can put the base in one car and still strop the seat into another car without the base. The car seat supports no-base installation, thanks to the folded four wheels.

Weighing up to 16.5 pounds, the Doona car seat stroller is a bit heavy and needs a little extra muscle power to carry the car seat with the stroller with one hand, especially with the baby in the car seat. That’s the only negative a few parents complain about.

However, it’s the way that all infant car seats are, which are heavy to take around as well with a baby in it. But the Doona takes all of that heavy lifting out of the equation, you’re only lifting it out of the car to push it for strolling on the ground. The majority of the time you’re pushing it around on wheels.

From this point, the car seat stroller design compensates for its heavy body and more parents love it for its one-piece design to free one hand for taking care of other big kids or carrying other things.

Handle

As a car seat with stroller combo, the handle of the Doona plays one more important role to be the pushing handle in stroller mode. So the handle seems obviously stronger and solid than the traditional handles in the infant car seat, adding a few rein-forced steel for steady and stable carrying and strollering.

The handle can be adjusted to three positions in different modes.

Car Seat Mode

Position C is the best to engage the handle when traveling with your baby in a vehicle. In this position, the handle works as an anti-rebound to give extra protection to the little passenger.

Carrier Mode

If you’re planning to take the Doona car seat outside of the vehicle, rotate the handle to Position A to remove it from the base. This position is also for you to put your child into the car seat, avoiding any taps to your child’s head.

Then place the handle in position B to carry it out of the car, but you don’t need to lift it for long, because you can pop down the wheels and turn it to a stroller soon.

Stroller Mode

After transitioning from car seat to stroller, remain the handle in the Position B for maneuvering the car seat stroller in tight or crowded spaces. Or rotate it to Position C first and then adjust it to its maximum extension Position D.

To keep the Doona car seat stroller combo stable and avoid any tipping over cases, it’s better to remove all the bags and accessories off the handle. It’s made of a combination of plastic and steel, not solid enough to avoid the handle wobbling during the switching time.

How to adjust the rotation angle of the handle for the Doona car seat stroller?

There are two big handle rotation buttons on both sides. You can press them simultaneously to begin rotating the handle and release the buttons to rotate the handle until it is engaged in the desired position, A, B, or C. You’ll hear a ‘click’ sound when the handle is locked in that position.

The handle cannot be rotated when extended to the Position D, meaning extension and rotation can’t be achieved at the same time. This is a brilliant design to avoid any accidental harm.

How to extend and retract the handle?

It’s easy to extend the handle to its maximum length, you’ll see an obvious extension button on the top of the handle and just press it and pull the handle up until you hear a ‘click’ sound, which confirms that the handle is locked at its maximum length, at the Position D.

Vice versa. You also need to press that handle extension button and push the handle down until you hear another ‘click’ sound that means the handle is locked in its minimum length.

The handle can be only extended or retracted when it is in Position C. Handle extension or retraction is NOT possible when the handle is in Position A or B.

Wheels

The wheels play an important role to convert the Doona car seat into a stroller. They are built-in into the car seat body and can be folded to be a car seat and unfolded to be a stroller. The Doona is the only car seat with wheels on the market.

The Doona car seat stroller boasts of its wheels for durability. However, that depends on the real usage conditions it goes through. Working on flat and smooth sidewalks or yards absolutely increases its life. It seems not suitable for rough terrains like muddy and salty, because the wheels don’t look as strong as the wheels of traditional strollers.

The lack of rubber on the wheel results in shocks while walking the Doona car seat stroller on uneven grounds, but this does not influence the overall performance anyway. If the wheels broke out, the Doona official website offers a wheelset of two small front tires and two big rear tires for sale for replacement.

Working in the stroller mode, it needs brakes to stop the Doona car seat and make it go by releasing the brakes. To apply the brakes on both rear wheels, you just need to step on the red brake lock pedal that is located next to the right rear wheel.

To release the brakes from both rear wheels to push it to go, step on the green brake release pedal that is located next to the left rear wheel.

IMPORTANT reminder: Always engage the brakes when placing a child in Doona Car Seat or removing a child from the Doona Car Seat.

Harness

The Doona car seat stroller provides a 5-point harness for protecting your baby while riding rear-facing. The harness looks high quality for the most comfort for your child, with two large and soft shoulder strap pads on both sides for protecting your baby’s skin around the neck and chin

Not just its made materials, but the way and tensity you adjust the harness also affect how comfortable your baby stays in the Doona infant car seat and stroller combo.

After putting the baby in the car seat, you should gently pull the harness adjustment strap until both the lap straps and the shoulder straps are snug around your child’s body. Make sure that both the shoulder portion and the lap portion of the harness have been tightened, but not too tight to result in any discomfort.

Pro Tips

Generally, you can check this by putting one index finger between the harness and your baby’s body. If you can’t put the index finger in the gap between your baby’s body and the harness, it means it is too tight. While more than one index finger’s space means it is too loosen.

The best harness fit for safety protection is to make sure the straps should be positioned at or below the child’s shoulders for rear facing.

Reclines

The Doona car seat only required that it should be properly reclined for installation. There is a red level line on the side sticker to help confirm that this infant stroller combo is installed correctly. When the red level line is parallel to the ground, it’s in the right recline. This is for the car seat installation without the base.

The base has a recline knob and level indicator for installation, but not adjustable for different angles.

It’s a pity that the Doona infant car seat does not support multiple recline angles for fitting babies. This might be a drawback compared to other infant car seats. But not all Reclines allow the parents to find a perfect fit for growing babies. The manufacturer designed this car seat for infants and smaller toddlers below 1 year or 2 years old. As a new car seat brand that manufactured the car seat with an Internet habit, the Doona lacks some advanced experiences for considering all aspects.

Infant insert

The Doona car seat includes an infant insert for your baby to stay safe and comfortable in it. The infant insert was designed for small babies to sit up in the correct position for best protection. Babies are too small to reach the lowest height position of strap slots and need an infant insert for additional height up. Only in the proper position with proper installation, the car seat is safest for the little passenger.

When should you use the infant insert?

You should always secure your little one with the infant insert if the littles weigh below 11 pounds (5 kg) or if the littles’ shoulders are below the lowest shoulder strap slots when sitting in the car seat without the infant insert.

When to remove the infant insert?

Vice versa. You should remove the infant insert when your child’s shoulders are above the lowest shoulder strap slots, when they sit in the Doona car seat without the infant insert.

How to use the infant insert?

Place the infant insert at the lowest part of the seat to provide better support for your child’s back. Then thread the harness buckle and its sleeve through the hole at the bottom of the Infant Insert.

Head support

Babies have fragile necks and torsos and they need extra support to stay stable in the infant car seat. More than the infant insert for the back and body part, the head support is also necessary for protecting your little’s neck.

When placing the head support, ensure the head support straps are wrapped around the shoulder straps and connected to the button snaps, at the back of the head support.

Pro tips:

NEVER place your child in the Doona Car Seat without the Head Support.

Keep using the Head Support in the Doona Car Seat even after removing the Infant Insert.

Materials

Materials might be one reason for its expensive price. You’ll love the Doona car seat stroller at the very first glance. It seems premium and superior in both the design and of course the quality.

The manufacturer boasts that it was made of baby safe materials with no hazardous chemicals and were strictly tested and approved under the US/European standards to reach the highest level of regulation.

Breathable textiles are also important for babies to stay in a car seat. They’ll easily get sweaty and uncomfortable if the materials are not that good. The Doona car seat stroller is great in this aspect, your baby’s back keeps dry even after a one-hour trip in the car.

These breathable textiles are also durable for long-term use. That explains why the Doona car seat stroller has a relatively long life to use.

The infant insert, head support, and car seat inner have thick foams inside to ensure that your kid stays comfortable.

Canopy

The Doona car seat stroller has a large sunshade that is waterproof for protecting your baby from sunshine and rain. The canopy was made of washable stretch material and can be effortlessly removed for washing.

It only needs three easy steps:

Step 1: Pull out the 3 sunshade snaps at the back of the sunshade.

Step 2: Pull out the sunshade spine from the sunshade hinges.

Step 3: Remove the fabric from the spine.

Even though the canopy is big enough to give a great shield from the sunshine and rain, it’s not full coverage anyway. The other two add-ons: Sunshade extension and rain cover are available for additional protection for your baby in case that you need to stroll them outside.

The color of the canopy decides the color of the Doona car seat stroller. There are multiple colors available. Black, Green, Pink, etc. The Doona car seat stroller is one of the best pink car seats for girls.

5. Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: Safety Ratings

Is it safe to ride with Doona infant car seat and stroller?

Side impact protection

After the wheels fold into the body, this combination forms a unique double-wall structure that offers a significant safety benefit. The Doona car seat stroller features two layers of durable and impact-absorbing plastic for side impact protection.

The additional layers of EPS, foam, and textiles add points for enhanced safety performances in the event of a crash.

Anti-Rebound Protection

You shouldn’t forget about the handle, which is a very important design for both car seat and stroller modes. Fold the handle and position it against the back of the car seat, it will provide the baby with exceptional Anti-Rebound protection.

In case of collision, the Anti-Rebound handle absorbs the impact and prevents the Doona from rotating quickly towards the back of the seat, thus dramatically reducing rebound injuries.

6. Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: Performance

Weight and Height Limits

The Doona car seat stroller was designed for newborns and infants. It comes with a minimum weight of 4 pounds, making it good for preemies. The upper weight limit is up to 35 lbs which is the most commonly seen for the majority of infant car seats.

The height limit of the Doona car seat stroller is the same as the other infant car seats on the market as well. It is capable of riding an infant up to 32-inch tall until he or she out grows this car seat.

It’s acceptable for this 35-pound weight limit and 32-inch height limit in the car seat mode, but not good in the stroller mode. The 35-pound weight limit is far less than the 50-pound weight limit of traditional strollers. But considering its super splendid portability, you should understand that the Doona is just an infant car seat and stroller travel system, not for big toddlers anyway.

Age Range/Longevity

With a 35-pound weight limit and a 32-inch height limit, you can imagine that the Doona car seat stroller was not designed for longevity, just like other infant car seats. Typically, it is still suitable for 1 year old infants who grow at a very standard and average rate as their peers.

Some big infants around 18 months old can ride in this car seat as well, as long as they don’t exceed the weight or height limit. So the age ranges vary widely depending on the child’s weight and height. Age is not the leading factor here.

Stage

The Doona car seat stroller can be used rear-facing only, meaning it only lasts for the first stage.

Airplane

Is a Doona car seat allowed on planes?

Absolutely yes. Doona car seat stroller is certified for use in aircraft. With the ultra-portable design and features, the Doona car seat stroller combo is a very ideal solution for air travel.

Flight safety experts encourage parents to use an approved car seat to keep their little ones safe throughout flights. Doona has been approved by the US authorities for air travel and therefore offers the perfect solution for family’s on-the-go.

Further Information

12 tips to use a car seat on the airplane

What types of vehicles does Doona infant car seat stroller support?

The Doona car seat stroller is certified for use in all passenger cars, including SUVs, crossovers, vans, and light trucks. It conforms to all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.

If you want to use the Doona car seat stroller in a taxi, make sure read these tips on using a car seat in the taxis.

Lifespan

How long is a Doona infant car seat stroller good for?

The manufacturer recommends that you discontinue the use of your Doona infant car seat after it has reached 6 years from the date of manufacture. You can find the expiration label on the sticker at the bottom of the Doona car seat stroller.

6-year is not a long-lasting time for car seats, other converters or combination car seats have a 7-10 years lifespan at least. However, considering the Doona is rear-facing only with longevity at most 18 months, the 6 years can be used for at least 2 kids in your family.

You can’t find the lifespan information in the manual. To confirm its real expiration, we contacted the manufacturer and they replied that the car seat has a 6 years life span.

Further Information

Car seat expiration tips

What to do with expired car seats

2-Year Warranty

This is also a great point that makes Doona car seat and stroller outstanding of other infant car seats. It provides a 2-year warranty, one year longer than others.

The car seat was manufactured in accordance with the US safety standards and regulations and it absolutely meet s the highest standards of quality.

The manufacturer provide a 2-year limited warranty against manufacturing and material defects. The warranty period is effective from the day of purchase.

You can also register the car seat on its official website in case of any notice and update for the Doona car seat stroller.

7. Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: Installation

Where is the safest spot to insall the car seat?

The center of the back seat is usually the safest position to install a car seat. This rule applies to Doona.

The Doona infant car seat stroller combo provides two methods for installation – with the LATCH base or without the base.

This is very convenient for families with several cars. You can install it with the base in one car and without the base in any others, making it a preferable option for families on the go.

You can easily and properly install the Doona car seat in a taxi, uber, or plane.

Install with the LATCH base

After installing the LATCH base into the back seat following its user manual, you can follow below steps to install the Doona car seat with the base.

Step 1: Turn the Doona car seat and stroller combo into the car seat mode with the wheels folded and the handle in its vertical position. Then place it facing the back of the vehicle – opposite the direction of driving. The car seat is rear-facing only in the car seat mode.

Step 2: Align the car seat above the base anchor points and slide it down until a click is heard and it is locked in place.

Step 3: Shake the handle to ensure that the Doona infant car seat is properly secured. There should be no obvious shaking or moving from the four sides, front and back, left and right. If you place the car seat into the base properly, it’s steady and stable.

Step 4: Check the base release button – it should turn from red to green once the Doona Infant Car Seat is successfully locked in the base. This step help parents to confirm the car seat is installed correctly, which is really friendly for you to ensure your baby’s safety in the car seat for riding in the vehicle.

Step 5: Rotate the handle toward the back seat of the car, for anti-rebound protection.

Install without the base

In case you need to install the Doona car seat without the base, you need to use the vehicle’s seat belt for installation then. This car seat offers three installation configurations with a seat belt.

Lap-Shoulder Belt European Installation: Shoulder portion of the vehicle belt is wrapped around the back of the Doona. This is the most preferred installation method with the seat belt, and you should make use of this way as possible as you can.
Lap-Shoulder Belt Standard Installation: Follow this method if installing with an inflatable vehicle seatbelt or if the shoulder belt is not long enough to wrap around the back of the Doona carrier.
Lap Belt Installation: Only in vehicle seats without shoulder belt and Aircraft.

Lap-Shoulder Belt European Installation

Step 1: Place the Doona car seat rear-facing on the vehicle seat with the child facing backwards.

Step 2: Place the handle in car seat mode, torward the back seat side for anti-rebound protection.

Step 3: Make sure that the vehicle belt is not twisted and then buckle it.

Step 4: Route the lap portion of the vehicle belt through the lap belt guides located on both sides of the handle .

Step 5: position the Doona Car Seat so the red level line on the side is level to ground.

Step 6: Pull the shoulder portion of the vehicle belt, route it around the back of the Doona Car Seat and thread it through the vehicle shoulder belt guide located at the back of the Doona Car Seat.

Step 7: Check for a secure installation: grasp the Doona Car Seat at or near the lap belt path and push side to side and front to back. The car seat should not move more than 1-inch in any direction.

Engage the vehicle belt locking mechanism and then feed the excess belt back into the retractor.

Lap-Shoulder Belt Standard Installation

The first four steps are same as the European belt-back installation. Difference starts from the step 5.

Step 1-4: Same as the installation above.

Step 5: Pull the shoulder portion of the vehicle belt to tighten the lap portion of the vehicle belt.

Step 6: Route the shoulder portion between the handle and the vehicle seat back. This the major difference between the European and Standard installations. Rounding shoulder strap backward the car seat seems more steady and stable than just putting the shoulder strap between the handle and vehicle seat.

Step 7: Engage the vehicle belt locking mechanism, then feed the excess belt back into the retractor. Check for a secure installation: grasp the Doona Car Seat at or near the lap belt path and push side to side and front to back. The car seat should not move more than 1” in any direction.

Lap Belt Installation

The first four steps are the same as the above two installation modes.

Step 1-4: Same as above

Step 5: position the Doona Car Seat so the red level line on the side is level to ground.

Step 6: Tighten the lap belt by pulling on the free end or by pressing down on Doona Car Seat and feeding excess webbing into retractor.

Bonus tips - correct installation checklist without base

Make sure that the Doona Car Seat is installed rear-facing.
Make sure to deactivate frontal airbags if you install the Doona Car Seat on the front passenger seat.
Make sure the Doona Car Seat is secured using a lap-shoulder belt or lap belt as instructed in this user guide.
Make sure ONLY the lap belt section of the vehicle belt is routed through both lap belt guides located on the handle of the Doona Car Seat.
Make sure the red level line on the side sticker on the Doona Car Seat is parallel to the ground when installed without the base.
Make sure the vehicle seat belt is tightened.
Vehicle seat belt must lock, otherwise use a locking clip.

Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: Manual

The car seat manual should go with the car seat in the package. It’s important for parents to read and follow the manul to use and maintain the car seat. After all, it’s the official instructions and guides from the manufacturer, who know their product at most.

The Doona infant car seat and stroller manual can be aslo found online for easy access and viewing.

Here is the link for downloading the manual in pdf.

8. Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: Specs

Brand
Brand	Doona
Type
Suitable for	Newborns and infants
Positions	Rear-facing Only
Design
Portability (1-10)	9.5. Folding car seat, adjustable handlebar
Weight (lb.)	16.5
Weight limits (lb.)	4-35
Height limit (inch)	32
Dimension	Folded: 23.6 X 17.3 X 26 inches
	Unfolded: 39 X 17.3 X 32.2 inches
Handle	Two-position adjustments
Wheels	two smaller front wheels + two bigger rear wheels
Performance
Age Range	Birth-18 months old
Stage	1st
Longevity	1-2 years old
Installation	LATCH and seat belt
Airplane	Yes
Lifespan	6 Years
Extra Features	Inlcude vehicle seat protector

9. Alternatives

Update: Since Evenflo Shyft DualRide was launched in 2023, now this Evenflo car seat with wheels is the best alternative for Doona Car Seat Stroller.

No similar infant car seat and stroller combo alternatives are available for this model, but if you want an infant car seat, below are some good options.

Doona Car Seat Stroller Review: 35 lb Weight Limit and 32″ Height Limit for 1 yr Old