Convince me to buy a Doona

amother

Catmint

Mon, May 15 2023, 11:21 pm

I will not convince you to buy one at all I got one for my last baby I regret it so much
They are so heavy!
Therapist are saying there’s a rise in torta collis from the doona my baby is one of them!
My baby actually hated it!
If I run to shop there’s nowhere to put bags!
They are hard to fit into smaller cars

amother

Crystal

Mon, May 15 2023, 11:38 pm

amother Catmint wrote:

My baby had torticollis from fetal positioning. She needed extensive PT. I would have done anything to prevent it.

amother

Lightgray

Mon, May 15 2023, 11:43 pm

I’ve used a doona for all my kids. The first one I got 7 years ago it was very new on the market. People in lakewood saw me with it and were like what is that. Or “is that the new car seat with wheels?” Lol. So it wasn’t like I got it cuz it was a fad or everyone had it. It was super weird looking to me since I wasn’t used to the look but I got it because I wouldn’t havta deal with the also ugly snap n go like my sister had. You just take it and go. But if I lived in New York where you’re errands are all in one place and you’re mostly walking (I think that’s how it is? Never lived there), then I’m not sure I would get it. Specifically in lakewood where going to 5 stores means driving 6 times, it just made a lot of sense. It is a bit heavier than the other car seats but I didn’t really go on stairs with it. My house is 2 steps up. Babysitter 3 steps. And I just wheeled it up or down the stairs anyway (I didn’t bump it, I wheeled it as in I half carried it while I went down so the baby didn’t actually bump around if you know what I mean). I can’t compare to the snap n go as I never had that but it definitely looks more annoying. Snap n go definitely looks like it makes lots of errands more dramatic. I do remember being very excited the doona was coming out before my due date back then because of this.

amother

Daylily

Tue, May 16 2023, 12:05 am

amother Catmint wrote:

I shared about the Guttmann’s explaining the downside particularly of the doona. They literally posted this tonight. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cs.....kZg== They talk about development but are promoting their baby on track course and they bought this point up just tonight. Buyer beware.

amother

Linen

Tue, May 16 2023, 3:09 am

Okay. I'm one of those people who don't even know how to drive but I have a doona. Why? Because I got it super cheap second hand and I have a very bad back. I'm also short of stature. I wish I could baby carrier my babies, but it's not possible for me. So I use the doona when my babies are small (6 months and below) because it's the easiest way for me to get them around and not as heavy as a regular stroller. I only take them out a little bit in using it as a regular stroller to walk my other kids to their daycare and bus stops.
It's physically not possible for me to push a regular heavy stroller around or to carry a carseat using the handle. This is very lightweight, small height, and has wheels! It's perfect for me.

Iymnok

Tue, May 16 2023, 4:08 am

Is it really so hard to open a tiny stroller like a yo-yo? Or is it the seatbelts?
We got a very nice convertible carseat (newborn-36kg). I store the yo-yo in front of the carseat and transfer my baby. Once I get used to the seatbelts, it should be a quick thing.
DD loves her car seat, (as much as a 1m old can) she calms down as soon as I nestle her in. But it’s not a position I would want her stuck in. Babies need to move!

LovesHashem

Tue, May 16 2023, 5:18 am

Iymnok wrote:

We don't have a car so I feel like the few times we get rides/rent the snap n go isn't so bad. It's convenient because if baby falls asleep you don't need to take them out and move them and strap them in again etc.

If I had a car and I knew we would be out and about somewhere for more than 1.5/2 hours I'd probably bring a travel stroller.

amother

Marigold

Tue, May 16 2023, 8:32 am

amother Teal wrote:

A doona is only more convenient than a snap n go, if one is disabled, or is so so lazy that they can't walk afew extra steps to the trunk. (Though you can keep the frame on the floor under the car seat.)
Otherwise, a snap n go is more convenient as it has a basket to keep stuff. The doona carseat is also very uncomfortable and sweaty for babies. Most people that have it, have it for style & keep their babies there way longer than they should be, because they need to get their money's worth.

I used the snap and go for my first three babies, and am currently using a Doona now. I debated back and forth for a long time as to which to get. Our old car seat expired and I gave away the snap and go when we moved so I needed to start from scratch. I am so happy with my decision to get a Doona! I live out of town so I didn’t need to get it for peer pressure sake. I got it Black Friday for $450, still expensive but I’ll take $100 off!

I wholeheartedly disagree with the laziness comment. When it’s pouring rain (as it often is in my climate) it is amazing to skip a step. When in and out of the car for carpools and errands, the Doona is so useful. My baby seems comfortable in it, but I would never use it instead of a stroller or leave a baby in it during the day! That’s not good no matter what travel system you use! I also haven’t noticed my baby any more sweaty than the rest of us while in it and we live in a very hot climate.

Obviously no basket is super inconvenient, there’s no getting around that. But to me it was worth the trade off for the other positives. When I’m grocery shopping, I either carry a basket for groceries or pull a cart behind me. It works for me though it’s not ideal.

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, May 16 2023, 8:44 am

I'm not going to convince you. But I can tell you I love mine!
For my first 3 babies I had the bugaboo bee folded the seat over completely and added an adaptor for my grace car seat effectively turning it into a snapngo. It was very inconvenient. It also was deteriorating my stroller quickly.
With my 4th I got the doona. I think it'd an ugly stroller.
Yes it's technically a car seat on wheels but it's a stroller. It's something on wheels you use to transport your children in.....
So I got the one with the gold spritz. At least that's pretty.

I absolutely LOVED it. I live in a very residential neighborhood. You need to drive to get anywhere.
It was so so so convenient. My kid is a bit chubby with a wider build/shoulders. So I only got to enjoy it for 8 months. But was still so worth it.

I used it the same way I used my other car seat. My baby is a year. It's still in great condition. No accidents or anything. I'm contemplating selling it. Or maybe keeping it for next baby?

Btw, sometimes paying more is less. I have a bugaboo B and I'm currently using it for my 4th child. I've had to replace 2 cheap and easy to replace parts twice over the years (ebay. $15 or less). But other than that it's still in great condition.
My sister on the other hand used to buy other strollers. It lasted one child maybe 2. The last 2 kids she bought maclaraen. Paid $350 a piece and at some point it was too difficult to push so she threw it away. Buying another one for the next baby. So she paid $700 for a stroller and it wasn't such an easy push and only used it for 2 kids. Vs I paid around 550(at the time I bought it) and already enjoying it for my 4th baby. And I probably will use it for at least one more baby.

amother

Cerulean

Tue, May 16 2023, 12:35 pm

Pros of a doona.
You dont have to remember to put the stroller frame into the car together with carseat.

Easy for when your running in and out of car on errands and need to get baby in and out quickly and don't want to take extra step to the trunk to take out a stroller frame.

Very small so easy to maneuver in crowded rooms. Doesn't take up much space so it's not so conspicuous that baby is in the room if it's an upscale event.

Cons.
Very heavy with a baby in it. Hard to put in and out of car!

So light it tips over easily. Scary!

Baby sweats in it.

No basket .

Babies hate it. The position is terrible for newborns . Develop head tilts and tortacollis.

Narrow for older babies.

amother

Brass

Tue, May 16 2023, 1:41 pm

I used a nuna car seat with a very lightweight easy to fold nuna carriage (nuna trick). So it’s not just a snap j go vs a Donna. There are other options. I keep the carriage near my baby in the seat so when I get out of the car I just open the carriage (one handed), pop the 6 lb car seat in and I’m good to go. If my baby falls asleep in the car I can carry just the (light) car seat into my house (up two flights of stairs). I would not be able to shlep a heavy doona up the stairs

amother

Aster

Tue, May 16 2023, 2:17 pm

Am I the only person who almost never goes out shopping with a newborn? My carseat pretty much stays in the car (occasionally will bring it into the house if the baby fell asleep). I also don't like bringing the carseat to the babysitter because I don't want my baby to spend time in the carseat. For me, there is no benefit to the doona.

amother

Mauve

Tue, May 16 2023, 8:51 pm

amother Aster wrote:

You dont do carpool?

I dont do the grocery shopping, but what all the other errands?

amother

Aster

Tue, May 16 2023, 9:14 pm

amother Mauve wrote:

You dont do carpool?

I dont do the grocery shopping, but what all the other errands?

I don't carpool a lot (my older kids are school aged) and try to leave the baby at home with someone else if I have to run out. But I'm also a complete introvert. I don't do the grocery shopping either and almost all my errands are online! For the few times that I need to take the baby with me, the snap n go is no big deal. It seems that I'm an anomaly though.