Traveling with infants and little kids is hard. And with all the gear necessary to take your little one on a trip, it's easy to see why many parents feel flustered and decide it's not worth the hassle. Thankfully the people at Doona are working to change that with their Car Seat & Stroller combo.
This car seat is my number one recommendation to new parents - especially those who love to be on the move. It easily folds and unfolds within seconds, converting from a rear-facing car seat to a stroller and back again - all without waking up its occupant. And the accolades associated with safety can put any parent at ease. As a travel writer and fairly new mom, the Doona has made it substantially easier for me - especially if I'm traveling just the two of us.
This all-in-one travel system takes the place of two large pieces of gear - the car seat and stroller - no more having to push one and lug the other - along with your luggage - through the airport. With just a rotation of the handlebar and a click of a button, this stroller easily folds down into itself to be lifted into a car. Although it may take a couple of practice rounds to easily convert the system (i.e. my husband in the hospital parking lot coming home with our newborn), it is well worth the five-minute learning curve to fall in love with this piece of equipment. Plus there are plenty of YouTube tutorials to help any flustered new parents.
A LATCH base is included with each purchase, making this car seat ideal for everyday use as well. But it also has the option to safely be strapped into any car as a rear-facing car seat without the base when you're on the go. This made my recent week-long travel to New York a breeze as my daughter and I rented a car to see multiple cities. I didn't have to worry about the uncertainty that comes with rental car seats. And as we were traveling just the two of us, it was so much easier to manage carrying everything through the airport by myself.
There's also a car seat protector and infant insert that comes standard with every purchase. But additional accessories can be purchased, like a sunshade extension, rain cover, winter cover and airport travel bag. I opted to add the airport travel bag to help keep the car seat protected when I check it at the gate.
This car seat and stroller combo has passed all U.S. and E.U certifications for car seat compliance as well as meeting the requirements for strollers and handheld carriers. It is also approved by the FAA for air travel, has multiple fail-safe measures in place to prevent misuse, is made with baby-safe materials and more - helping put even the most cautious new parent's mind at ease (i.e. me).
Seems too good to be true? The only downside to this car seat and stroller is you become spoiled with the system. My two-year-old daughter recently outgrew the height limit of 32 inches just before her second birthday - however she's also been in the 90+ percentile for height since birth. Now I'm in the process of finding an equally good product for the toddler stage.
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