Doona - Doona i

+1. The Doona is one of few baby items that is worth every penny.

He probably won’t fit in the doona. Infant seats can not rear face, even on a plane. I would bring a cosco seat and use it on the plane. That’s what we did when we took our 18mo to Europe. She did end up being held for sleep but she was in her seat otherwise. Good luck!

Wife and I had a “stroller off,” and I wanted the Doona, and she wanted to get a uppababy whole shebangabang… So we bought both. Uppababy Bassinet on wheels was great with a newborn/infant… but once baby grew out of bassinet/didn’t care for it, we basically use nothing else but the doona… If I were to do it solo, I’d have been perfectly happy with the Doona… she still thinks we really benefited from the bassinet part of the uppa… but I don’t think so… it was a silly pointless luxury. Anyways… food for thought.

It is the perfect stroller. We travel often, and it’s been the best thing ever. It’s a stroller! It’s a car seat! It goes in a plane!

The Vista is great--I definitely wouldn't travel with it, though. I was a serious Doona hater until my baby was about 4 months old and we started to travel with him, and it was SO worth it. All the complaints are valid (it's a dumb little stroller and I looked ridiculous at 5'10" pushing it around; it's not the lightest-weight option; they grow out of it in a year) but ultimately were unimportant, because I simply would not have taken all the trips I took, especially alone, if I'd had to deal with more complicated gear. If your daily driver is a travel stroller, anytime you want to actually travel anywhere with it you've got to get the carseat out, get all the crap out of the storage basket, fold the stupid stroller, install the stupid carseat, get yourself into the car, then do it all again in reverse when you get out--and that's not adequately describing the emotional stress you feel as a new mom leaving your baby in the backseat of a taxi while you go put the stroller in the trunk. With the Doona, because there's no storage, I had all our stuff in a backpack, and just had to fold it down and lift it in to install, and I never had to be away from the baby for even a second. I know that sounds like a small thing, but it's not when you're a new parent. If you're traveling together it's less of an issue, but there were so many little trips to museums farther uptown or to the beach in the summer that I just wouldn't have taken otherwise. It made the first year so much more fun.

We loved our Doona and are using it for #2 now! Our first got to 19 months before they outgrew it (small kid lol).

We loved our Doona! Our LO was on the smaller side so we were able to use it until they were 19 months. We are using it for #2 now. FYI the weight/height limit is 30lb or 32 inches or if there is less than 1 inch of space between the top of their head and the car seat shell, whichever limit they reach first.  Also to note, don’t get any knockoff car seats. There are another legitimate brands that make a car seat/stroller, in the USA there is the Evenflo Shyft DualRide which is cheaper than the Doona.  https://www.safeintheseat.com is a great resource and they even have a car seat finder! 

Buy a car seat that is designed to be used with or without a base. Doona is one option but they are expensive. Uber drivers in NYC are accustomed to families with babies; in my experience they have been patient while I take 2-3 minutes to strap the car seat in.

I understand the frustration but to be frank, there are dozens of airplane models across dozens of manufacturers across dozens of carriers and none of them are building/buying their plans with fitting every type of car seat in mind. We took our Doona on the last trip with our 13mo old and booked him his own seat. The Doona is listed at 17” and Air France economy bulkhead is 17”. It just barely fit and then the seat belt also just barely stretched enough over to buckle. Our kid spent maybe 2hrs of the 9hr flight in his seat. If you’re set on using a car sea and spent thousands of dollars on flights already then your best best is probably just spend a few hundred bucks to buy a Doona and take that instead of the Cosco Scenera Extend. Regardless of the travel struggles, enjoy your trip with the kid. It’s awesome to watch them learn about the world while traveling to new places.

It’s very pricey but the Doona sounds perfect for you. It’s great for walking then you can just fold it down into the car seat if you need it. It’s compact which would be great for public transport. There are some knockoffs or dupes for it I’m sure.

I lived in the city without a car so practically even though it was pricy I went with the Doona car seat and a bugaboo stroller since I really rely on it. If you’re someone who likes getting out I recommend putting money into the stroller if it’s in your budget. For comparison sake I barely used my crib. Also a thick playmat because I live on the floor now.

For Ubers in a big city I cannot recommend the Doona enough. I’m in Chicago without a car and it was totally worth it

If you’re staying in the south of France and taking private drivers to events, the cost of a Doona shouldn’t be an issue for how much easier it will make your trip. If you don’t need it when you return, you can sell or donate it. They’re great for planes as well - always better to have a car seat on a plane. Even if you didn’t book a seat for the baby, the flight attendants can often put you next to an empty seat and you can put the car seat in the empty seat, which is much easier and safer.