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Bored with seeing black buggies everywhere and want a colourful, more fun design for your buggy? Are you a fan of lots of kit? Expecting a baby and want an all-singing, all-dancing travel system that does it all? Then the Cosatto Giggle 2 is a great option.
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One of the most recognisable brands on the market because of its products’ distinctive design, the Cosatto Giggle 2 is the latest buggy and travel system model from the British brand, whose slogan is “baby stuff with personality”.
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With a new two-week-old baby, a 24 month toddler and my old Bugaboo Bee looking a bit tired, I was keen to test the Giggle 2 buggy.
So what’s the difference between the old Giggle and Giggle 2?
The original Giggle, which landed on the buggy scene at the end of 2012, came under fire for various safety features, including the folding mechanism.
This was followed by the updated Cosatto Giggle New Wave version, which many mums felt handled badly on bumpy surfaces. The latest Cosatto Giggle 2 buggy has been updated for improved stability, the new buttons to release the carrycot and seat unit to the chassis are easier to use.
The seat unit now has four levels of comfort (it used to have three), the chassis is now compatible with the new Hold car seat, not the older version Giggle car seat and the brake mechanism has been improved for better performance and durability.
How easy is the buggy to push?
Not as easy as you’d expect it to be after two revisions. Although the newer model has improved stability and steel reinforced front housing in the front wheel, I did still find the buggy a bit cumbersome and not that manoeuvrable at times.
Comparing the Cosatto Giggle 2 to other more sporty-style buggies, which also have three wheels, going up and down big kerbs felt like hard work, as did walking through some muddy woods near our house.
It has suspension and big wheels at the back, but it just felt slightly unyielding at times. And when testing with my almost three-year-old in the main seat, she was a bit too big and heavy for it, so it felt even heavier and took a lot more effort of push!
Taking the buggy down to the shops with my little one and then to pick up my eldest from pre-school, I got lots of compliments on how the buggy looked. In the long-term, I do wonder whether I might get bored of the design but it’s fun, funky and definitely different, and cosy toes is a four-way reversible one.
How is it on public transport?
It was a smooth ride on flat surfaces and pavements and I took the buggy a few stops on the Tube, which was easy and fuss-free and the wheels are rubber, so you never have to worry about punctures.
However, when I took this on the bus with my newborn and the carrycot and chassis combination it felt very big and couldn’t get down the aisle of the bus. So, of course, I had to get off the bus and get back on going through the back doors.
How does it work as a travel system?
The Cosatto Giggle 2 can be used as a complete travel system with the Cosatto Hold infant car seat.
Suitable from birth, it lasts until your little one is 13kg (approx. 12-15 months). Again the design is stylish and fun choice and much more interesting than a normal black car seat.
It fitted easily and firmly top the chassis and in the ISOFIX in our car. And if you don’t have ISOFIX anchors there is a Universal base, a belted-in base that fits in most cars. It was seamless, safe and simple, a perfect addition for parents who travel by car a lot.
How does it fold?
It folds well, but it’s not a one-handed operation. It folds in two parts, you have to take the carrycot off of the chassis before folding. But then it is smooth and easy to do, and you can simply pick up the chassis and even put it over your shoulder.
Is the buggy compact when folded?
No. While the buggy does fold down it takes up a lot of room when folded. With the seat unit attached it easily fitted in the boot of our Golf. Admittedly, it takes up the ¾ of the space in our boot and it’s even bigger with the carrycot attached.
And as every mum knows, sometimes when you are rushing in from the rain, you just need to park your buggy in a hallway or indoors somewhere out of the way, but that’s not really an option with the Giggle 2, it’s going to take up space,regardless.
Has Cosatto fixed the ‘collapsing’ fault that was reported on older versions?
Yep, the older safety issue regarding collapsing the buggy has definitely been ironed out.
It is easy to put up and fold down using two buttons with levers either side of the frame.
How comfortable is the pushchair?
Very! My newborn looked very happy and cosy in the carrycot and I look forward to putting her in the main seat, which has four recline options, can face either way and has a five-point safety harness.
I also loved the zip-off liner in the carrycot, which was particularly useful for taking my baby in and out without disturbing her too much. As the inside liner is held in place with Velcro, it means it is easy to remove and wash after your baby has inevitably been sick in it.
And for my peace of mind the aluminium chassis frame is both lightweight and sturdy. But as I mentioned earlier, the seat unit is a bit on the small side when it comes to larger toddlers. Admittedly my oldest is nearly at the maximum age limit of 3 years, but it still seemed a bit too small for her.
I find this very weird, as the buggy frame itself is huge, so why Cosatto didn’t utilise all the space inside the frame to make a bigger seat is a mystery to me.
This also goes for the basket, which is a decent size and can fit an average shopping bag but considering the empty space under the pushchair it could be much bigger.
It certainly is! The box was packed full to the brim and included free accessories like a changing bag with messy bag and cosy toes, which I felt was great because these extras on other buggies can really add up cost-wise.
The changing bag in particular was great with loads of compartments for all baby’s bits and bobs, the Cosatto team really have thought of everything; there are also toy loops in the sun canopy of the carrycot, which allow you to hang dangly toys to amuse your baby while you are out and about. So this was a very appealing choice.
What about the four-year guarantee?
For most parents, a buggy is one of their biggest expenses when having a baby so this is a great addition to any buggy package and gives excellent peace of mind.
All you need to do is register within 28 days of purchase and it is free of charge.
How was assembling the Cosatto Giggle 2?
Assembling the buggy was easy and the instructions were handy. The swivel wheels simply popped on.
I had it up and running in about 15 minutes,between one screeching newborn demanding to be fed and my toddler wanting to play.
What's in the box?
Opting for this travel system, any prospective parent would not need to worry about anything related to travelling out and about; everything you could every need (or think of!) is included in the box;
Carrycot
Seat unit that faces forwards and backwards
Hold car seat (ISOFIX compatible)
Car seat adaptors
Two bumper bars
Fitted rain cover
Any additional extras?
Cosatto Hold 0+ car seat £135
Cosatto Hold Universal Base £105 or Hold ISOFIX Base £130
MadeForMums Verdict?
Overall, I enjoyed using this buggy which is a fun choice and has everything you would want - or need - from a travel system.
However, it still wasn’t as smooth or easy to use as I had hoped and it takes up a lot of room.
Georgina is a writer, editor and journalist with over 20 years in the industry. She regularly contributes to the likes of Family Traveller, Metro and other titles, writing about parenting and travel.
