Yeah, the Doona is problematic for several reasons. But, the worst part is it is very very very heavy. If I could go back and do it all over again here are a few options I would do if money were no object
I have a Cybex Balios S Lux with Aton G Swivel car seat and Cot a Lux Bassinet. I love them! My mom group has an Uppababy Vista V3, Mockingbird Single to Double, Uppababy Cruz, Bugaboo Fox 5, and Babyzen Yoyo. I personally think that my Cybex setup is nicer and smoother than any of their strollers.
However, we travel a lot and the Balios is on the larger side and the Cot s Lux is big. But, it is not bigger than any mentioned above besides the Yoyo. Because they're bulkier, there isn't a bag you can put the frame with or bassinet attachment with and it would be near impossible to fly with, in my opinion, because they'd get damaged.
So, I went ahead and got a compact travel stroller to use when I'm out and about with the baby by myself and when we are traveling. I also got a secondary car seat for air travel that is lighter. I went with the Joolz Aer 2 with the Nest 2 Seat (bassinet basically) and the Nuna Pipa Aire. It's got a one hand fold, very light, very compact (overhead bin approved), nice feel, easy to use, etc.
If you ever go jogging/walking on trails/live somewhere with uneven sidewalks (which I do), it is worth noting that you need a "jogging" stroller (3 wheels, all larger). Even the Balios, Vista, etc. are not going to handle these conditions very well - especially not until baby is 6+ months and can use the seat instead of the bassinet option. I wish I would've gotten a jogging stroller too for when I want to do these things. I've tested several and am looking into getting one.
If I had to go back and do it all over again with no budget, I would do this:
1. Nina Pipa Aire Car seat
2. Joolz Aer 2 with Nest 2 Seat OR Uppababy Minu V3 with Minu Bassinet
3. Thule Urban Glide 3 (there is a bassinet attachment and it has car seat adapters for Nuna)
Basically, I do don't think it's possible to have a travel system that "does it all" so it comes down to what is important to you. But, I promise at some point you will want a more compact and lightweight option because WHEW things start getting heavy as they get heavier and there's nothing worse than your child screaming in the car while you struggle to collapse and breakdown their stroller and put it in the back.
Build quality, fabric quality, baby liked the Cybex better, base was easier to install. The Nuna is a good car seat too! But I personally think the Cybex is superior and the fact it's much cheaper seals the deal for me
I wish I bought the rotating Cybex Anton G Swivel. It has a safer European style routing to use when traveling without the base. I ended up going for the Maxi Cosi Peri, which has a load leg on the base but no European routing when used for travel. I didn’t anticipate how often we’d use the car seat without the base between grandparents and different caregivers cars and I wish I went with the Cybex instead
I had one like this for my first baby and immediately regretted it. She didn’t fit in it properly for ages & I had to always get her fully out of it to go into a shop-the amount of times I had to wake her up to do this was so annoying. This time we’ve gone with the cybex cloud and got adapters for our pram. The fit is sooo much better and I don’t have to wake her to nip into a shop!
We’re starting with the Cybex Aton because it’s compatible with our stroller, but we have a Chico 180 rotating convertible one for later! Since we won’t be putting it on a stroller
Congratulations! I'm going through the same decisions as you after many weeks of research, and have just had some success on the stroller and car seat front! Nuna/Cybex were our frontrunners and we liked the elegance of the Silver Cross. We eliminated Uppababy early on for a multitude of reasons. Hopefully this saves you some time:
Upon researching car seats, you'll see that the Clek Liing is the most thoroughly safety-tested seat on the market. It's handsome and made in Canada too. However, the price makes it prohibitive for some, and it requires adapters for most strollers.
After numerous visits to Snuggle Bugz and West Coast Kids, we learned that the Cybex infant car seats have the same safety rating as the Clek. The Gazelle stroller is very thoughtfully designed and felt sturdier and more equipped for "real life" than the Nuna Mixx. It holds more weight underneath and comes with extra features that other companies sell separately, such as a cup holder and shopping basket. I also appreciate that it stays wheels-down when folded so that you don't end up with slush and salt on the handle and your clothes when loading it into the car through the winter. The car seat clicks in and out as easily as the Nuna ones (which are amazingly simple) so we felt the advantages of the Nuna were all present with the Cybex and then some. Snuggle Bugz had a bundle promo for stroller and car seat, so with the discount, our choice was obvious.
Note: the Nuna stroller handle is the best of all - it has no knob or button in the middle which was a huge advantage for both comfort and ease of folding
I've heard from many parents that infant car seats get totally filthy, so if you decide to pick one for style, friendly reminder that you're only getting 6 months of use and the "look" may not hold up. You're better off picking a stroller style you like and spending more money on that. Good luck!
Top Travel Car Seats on Reddit
1
Cosco Kids
Scenera Next DLX Convertible Car Seat
78% positive of 238 users
Super light, cheap, great for air travel, but outgrown fast.
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