When do Doona car seats expire?

Doona's expiration policy

Doona sells one kind of car seat in the US: the infant carrier that folds into a stroller, currently the Doona+ and the newer Doona X, plus a LATCH base. Doona's own car seat guidance states that the expiration date for Doona is six years after the manufacturer's date, and that you should not use your Doona after that date. Doona does not publish separate numbers for the Doona+, the Doona X, or the base.

The US user guides are a different story. Neither the Doona+ guide nor the Doona X guide prints a lifespan figure anywhere, so the six-year number comes from Doona's published guidance rather than from the manual. What the guides do spell out is the information you need to identify your seat: the model number and the manufacturing date, both required when you register.

The clock runs from manufacture, not from purchase, so a seat that sat on a shelf or came to you secondhand has less life left than its time with you suggests. When a Doona is done, Doona's advice is to cut all straps, harness components, and padding and write EXPIRED clearly on the shell before disposal.

Where is the expiration label on a Doona seat?

Doona calls it the traceability sticker: a white label on the back of each product, both on the car seat and on the LATCH base. That sticker carries the product details Doona asks for at registration, and the user guide asks for the model number and manufacturing date. Doona's general guidance adds that a car seat's expiration is usually on the manufacturer's label or sticker on the back or bottom of the seat, or stated in the instruction manual.

After a crash

Doona gives two different answers, so read carefully. The Doona X and Doona+ user guides apply the NHTSA test: never use the seat after a moderate or severe crash, and a minor crash allows continued use only if the vehicle drove away from the site, the door nearest the seat was undamaged, no passenger was injured, no airbags deployed, and the seat has no visible damage. Doona's own car seat safety article takes a harder line, saying that a seat involved in an accident, even a minor one, is not safe to use and must be replaced. The stricter version is the safer one to act on.

Flying with a Doona seat

Both US user guides carry the statement that this restraint is certified for use in motor vehicles and aircraft, and Doona's safety page says the Doona+ and Doona X are FAA certified. The base never flies: only the car seat is certified for aircraft use. Use it on a forward-facing aircraft seat with a lap-only two-point belt. Doona's aircraft installation guide adds that the seat is approved for use in aircraft by TUV Rheinland. Doona makes no boosters, so the booster restriction that grounds other brands does not come up.

The Doona X is certified to FMVSS 213a and 213b, the newer standard, while the Doona+ is certified to FMVSS 213. Both are US-market seats distributed by SP Distribution.

To register or report a problem, send your name, address, model number, and manufacturing date to SP Distribution LLC, 10100 NW 25th Street, Suite 201, Miami FL 33172, call 1-844-477-9539, or register at doona.com/register. For recall information the NHTSA hotline is 1-888-327-4236.