Doona or uppababy mesa car seat

amother

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:17 am

I am conflicted. I read so many reviews and need help finalizing which car seat we are going to buy. My husband works from home so I do not need to take the baby out with me when I go food shopping or errand running. For walks and outings I want my baby in a bassinet or a regular stroller, not the doona. I hear that the mesa straps are pretty tight and I am worried it will be too tight to soon for my baby. Especially since the baby will need to wear a coat earlier in its life. I don’t hear that people have that problem with the doona. What I like about the mesa is that it easily clicks into the vista and that the vista has storage and can hold a second child. The doona does not have much storage at all and cannot accommodate a second child so if you need to take both kids somewhere you either hold the seconds hand and push with the other hand. Any advice????

amother

Arcticblue

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:21 am

It’s not safe to wear a coat in a car seat. The straps need to be directly on them to work properly in an accident. When they wear a coat there is a large space they can slide out of and be severely injured. You should get the shower cap style bundle me, or layer the baby with blankets. Thin blanket tucked in around baby over the straps and then thick blanket over it.

amyisroelchai

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:27 am

Mamother Arcticblue wrote:

.
Thank you so much. I didn’t know that.

amother

Petunia

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:34 am

I love the doona for the stroller functionality. Im in and out with the baby and dont need to take out attachment from the trunk. Basically, its simple to use and takes up less space in a car.

But as a car seat itself, it's not better than others. Most kids are out of it by a year, latest 1.5 years. You have to think of functionality during that first year.

Before the doona was around, I used a regular car seat with uppababy stroller. I liked that it pushed like a regular stroller and didn't need to have an extra stroller in my house/car. I also always had the option to transfer my baby into a regular seat whenever we went anywhere.

amother

Natural

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:40 am

Doona is a game changer I had a regular car seat with my first ( nuna pipa) and you can’t compare. The extra few minutes of opening the trunk and getting out the base of my regular carriage and then remembering to take it with me whenever I go out and having to detach the top of my carriage got very annoying.

I bought this for my car seat it’s amazing
https://www.7amenfant.com/prod.....95136

It lasted well using it for my next kid it looks brand new
There’s different options the one I bought is not so popular but I love it. It’s open in the back so you can securely strap your baby in and it’s very warm. I open it when I get in the car or store so my baby doesn’t overheat ( it’s simple to open and close)

amother

Blushpink

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:43 am

I have a Doona and I don’t understand the hype. Yes, it’s cool that you don’t have to grab a stroller from the trunk, but there are so many cons. The thing is insanely heavy. My baby is already 16 pounds at 5 months, so when she’s in the Doona I’m shlepping 32 pounds!!! It’s back breaking.

IMO once you’re already dealing with a baby and all of their things (car seat, diaper bag, toys etc) it’s not such a big deal to get the stroller frame from the back. Also, there is zero storage on the Doona and it’s super low to the ground. It is not breathable at all. My baby sweats like crazy when she’s in there, even for a short time.

The Doona also seems to only make sense for a first born, if you only take the baby out alone, or if your children are not close in age. I cannot imagine leaving the house with two kids who need a stroller and using a Doona.

This choice really depends on lifestyle and what you care about.

Just want to mention that I’ve never lived the other life of a typical car seat. So this is basically just my opinion on the Doona. I don’t know for a fact that I would like the other more.

amother

Arcticblue

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:43 am

amother Natural wrote:

This one isn’t so safe. You need one that has nothing behind the baby. Anything between the baby and the car seat is not safe and can cause the seat to malfunction in an accident. You can only use the type that go over the top and have nothing on the actual seat

amother

Natural

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:53 am

amother Arcticblue wrote:

There a huge hole in the back ( the baby’s back is on the seat) it’s made specifically for car seats.
Look closer at the pictures you will see. The reason I like this one over the other type is because I can adjust it depending on where I am. In the car he only gets one layer on as a blanket. Outside hes swaddle tightly and warm so I don’t need to buy a coat and the whole time his back is against the car seat with nothing in between

amother

Arcticblue

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 9:58 am

amother Natural wrote:

I know it has a hole but it’s not big enough and too much is under the baby.

amother

Natural

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 10:47 am

amother Arcticblue wrote:

I know it has a whole but it’s not big enough and too much is under the baby.

The hole is the size of the baby. I never tried but you can prob pull it off with the baby in the seat. My baby’s are very big my 4 month old is 18 pounds ( their long and big) I get used to it having to carry massive kids. Yes the doona is heavy but I’m only picking it up to put into the seat then I’m done carrying it. The regular car seat I would have to carry it from the car to the house which is much further.

I agree my baby does get sweaty and has to move to a regular car seat at 10 months I get the graco one that’s from newborn and on it’s great and affordable. My 3 year old is still in it.

amother

Diamond

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 10:50 am

amother Blushpink wrote:

I hate the doona for that reason. I have steps to get into my house and if I babysit someone who has a doona I need to haul it up and down the steps. A typical car seat weighs much less. Doona is great if you fly a lot and you don’t want to gate check a stroller. But for day to day it’s just annoying imo.

amother

Hibiscus

Thu, Aug 18 2022, 11:01 am

I have the mesa and I am extremely happy with it..I leave it in the car
When my baby was younger I brought it from the house to the car- not a big deal
Now I either put it on the stroller base if going into a store or I use the stroller
No issues at all with the straps, very simple to adjust

Window

Fri, Aug 19 2022, 1:07 am

https://csftl.org/uppababy-mesa-review/
Seems like it’s a good seat! It’ll be a lot easier to install than the doona and the No rethread harness is a great feature!
Just so you know, the mesa isn’t the only car seat that clicks into the vista. You can get stroller adaptors to many types of car seats. Personally, I got the cheapest Graco and it’s one of the lightest seats on the market.
If you really want to splurge and get a top seat, have you looked into the clek liing? It’s one of the safest seats with the most safety features, and much cheaper than a doona.
Also, if this is your first, I’d recommend reading up on car seat safety. A coat in the car seat basically defeats the whole point of the car seat. A car seat is meant to keep a fragile baby safe in an accident, cv, when it’s used correctly.

blueeyedtwin

Wed, Aug 31 2022, 10:10 pm

I got the mesa car seat. The vista stroller is amazing….has a huge basket and comes with a bassinet which was great for the first three months. If you’re concerned about the baby being warm in the car seat and don’t want to use a jacket because of safety concerns/buckles being too tight then get the cozy ganoosh. It goes over the car seat and really keeps the baby warm. We used all last winter!

LovesHashem

Wed, Aug 31 2022, 10:20 pm

We have a car seat with a snap n go frame. I like it because it's so much lighter than our uppababy for schlepping in and out of the car, and if you are going in and out somewhere it's just much easier.