Is a Doona car seat worth it?

[incognito1991]

When my second is due, my DD will be 2.5. I understand car seat safety and timings of how long babies should be in car seats etc. I have been looking into them as they seem convenient even for wheeling in/out of the house, on my parents street parking is difficult so sometimes have to park down the road and walk up, or quick shop/drs appointment whilst holding 2.5 year old hand. Did anyone have a Doona? If so, was it worth it and would you say the Doona x is worth the price hike compared to the rest?

No, everyone I know who got one for these reasons felt that it sort of encouraged longer than safe periods in the car seat and ended up not using it much. That said you know yourself your routine, how much you're in and out of the car etc. Personally I'd spend the money on a couple of comfortable carriers as second babies are much easier hands free!

I had one because a) I have back problems and can’t carry a standard car seat with handle and b) my car was so old that it didn’t have Isofix and the Doona was so much easier to install with just a seatbelt (though you can get an Isofix base) while rear facing. It was a godsend for me and I used it daily. We have another car seat in DH’s car which we use for longer trips and admittedly I only used it for the nursery run/into town/short trips. It’s very easy to fold up and down and was a good size for public transport. Downsides for us were that it’s not as high up as a standard pram, it doesn’t have a built in basket for storing things when out shopping etc, although you can buy one. Also, I had a long baby so we only used it for about 12 months max before he got too big for it. Make of that what you will, but for us it was great.

I really rate mine. I use it daily for the school run and it is so much easier. That being said my baby is a tall 8.5 month old and I’m not sure she’ll be in it much longer. Wish I had one for my other 2 kids. I have a bigger pram but honestly haven’t used it, just the doona and the carrier.

I would probably get the stokke yoyo pram and use that with car seat for the time you want to move baby in seat to house. The pram frame folds tiny and then you can use pram until 3-4 years also ( plus buggy board for eldest if needed). Then you can use a much lighter car seat of choice - can use lie flat one also if you prefer

And get a sling for other times.