Launched earier this year, the new and improved Doona costs more than £500 (The Independent)
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The Doona is a cult parenting product beloved by celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, Gigi Hadid and Novak Djokovic.
Essentially, the Doona is a car seat on wheels – meaning you can move your little one from seat to stroller seamlessly. There is no other product like it on the market, hence why it is a big hit with celebs and us regular folk alike.
Earlier this year, almost 10 years to the day since the first Doona launched, the brand introduced its updated car seat, the Doona X, to the market, with the latest design offering significant improvements.
The Doona X has three different recline positions – sit, relax, and lie back – a new and improved mechanism allowing for a smoother transition from seat to stroller, and updated safety functions.
However, with a hefty £549 price tag (plus £159 for the Isofix base you’ll need to install it in your car), it is not cheap. Is it worth your money? I tried it, to find out.
The Doona X’s predecessor, the Doona i, was a firm favourite in our household. I used it daily until my first child was about six months old. She came home from the hospital in it and, seeing as we live in an area where you need to drive, I used it a lot when popping out to the shops, running errands or going to baby classes and maternity leave meet-ups.
I took the new Doona X for a spin, to find out if it’s worth the investment (Lizzie Edmonds)
The Doona i was particularly useful in those early months, when we’d have less of a solid routine – my daughter would fall asleep in the car seemingly instantly, so, the Doona was great for getting her out of the car without waking her. The Doona was therefore rigorously tested by me in the exact context for which it was designed.
When the Doona X was launched earlier this year, I wanted to try out its new features, while still focusing on the smoothness of transition from seat to stroller. I tested the Doona X over the course of a week, with my newborn son as the tester this time, while heading out and about in an urban setting. Keep scrolling to find out how I got on.
Doona X
Suitable for: Infants 0+ (from 40cm to 85cm in height) up to 13kg (roughly 12-15 months)
Assembly required: None, other than installing the Isofix base (sold separately) in your car
Dimensions: 44cm x 72cm x 46cm folded; 44cm x 89cm x 101cm unfolded
Weight: 8.3kg
Direction: Rear-facing only
Why we love it
Simple assembly
Smooth transition from car seat to stroller
Breathable and washable textiles
Adjustable headrest
TUV and FAA aircraft approved
Take note
It’s heavy
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Assembly
Assembly of the Doona was a doddle. It’s simply a case of opening a box and away you go. Of course, putting an Isofix base into your car for the first time can be testing for the sleep deprived new parent, but the Doona’s base is no trickier to install than any other car seat base, thanks to its easy traffic light installation system. You can also simply fix the Doona into your car using the seatbelt, which is great when travelling by taxi or when abroad (more on that later).
Safety
Car seat safety is paramount. The Doona X adheres to the latest ECE R129 regulations, which, since 2013, have set the safety standard for child car seats. The R129 runs alongside the ECE R44 standard, which is now being phased out, with sales of such car seats ceasing within the next few months.
At the end of last year, there were updates to R129 standards, meaning car seats now have to go through more rigorous testing. Consequently, the Doona X is safer than ever and also comes with the SIP (side impact protection) add-on device, to comply with the R129 updates. This new feature offers extra protection for your baby, by absorbing energy, in case of a side-on collision.
Historically, the main criticism of the Doona has been that it encourages families to keep their babies in a car seat for long stretches of time. Guidance suggests a young baby shouldn’t be left in a car seat for more than two hours, with newborns ideally removed after just 30 minutes. This is because it is advised that young babies should always sleep on their backs, on a firm, flat surface, to reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Doona says the new lie-flat function helps with this – in that, as soon as you are out of the car, you can adjust the seat so that your baby is lying flat while the Doona is in stroller mode. However, it is still sensible to remove your baby from the Doona every few hours.
Design
Updates to the design of the Doona include the new soft-release system, which means going from car seat to stroller is now smoother than ever. Essentially, it is a very simple motion – at the push of one button, the wheels slide out from underneath the seat, and vice versa. The textiles used are breathable, removable and washable and the adjustable headrest is handy for your growing baby.
Practicality
The whole point of the Doona is to offer a practical solution to the often fiddly business of being out and about with a young child. It is built for ease. It is also great for travelling and is TUV and FAA aircraft-approved, meaning your child can sit on it in an aircraft. Pushing your baby onto the aircraft and straight off again and then into a hire car or taxi is almost priceless, especially if you have multiple young children.
However, the Doona X is a heavy car seat, which obviously detracts from its overall practicality. At more than 8kg when empty, it soon becomes very heavy as your child grows.
The Doona X is a great bit of kit. Is it an essential item when you have your baby? No. Can you live without it? Yes. Should you get one? If you can afford it, yes. Will it make life that little bit easier when you’re in the trenches of having a newborn? Absolutely.
