We take a look a Cosatto's latest funky set of wheels, The Giggle. Should it be taken seriously or is it just a laugh?
Quick Summary: The Giggle is a fabulous pushchair placing style and must been seen looks into the hands of those with smaller budgets. here are a couple of things that let the Giggle down. Firstly the design of the release mechanism for the seat and carrycot really has not been executed very well. As one of the elements you will almost certainly use every day, it will frustrate you at times. In addition, the front wheels touching the basket and the handle touching the ground (when fully folded) will increase the worn look at a rate not in sync with the rest of the product. It’s not all bad though, far from it! The Giggle is a real breath of fresh air in world of pushchair design. Cosatto have delivered a fun to own, quality product that will perform all that is required. The inclusion of gate opening bumper bars and the 180 degree handle adjustment lift the functionality above that of an average product. We think you should really take a look as you will be impressed.
Whats good?
- Great style
- Well made
- Value for money
Whats not so good?
- Long fold
- No additional car seat adaptors
Frame
The Giggle frame is relatively light at 6.1kgs and really looks the part with its colourful accents or slick gloss black if you choose the Golightly colour way.
It’s a simple design to look at, with clean lines and zero fuss. The basket is fairly well sized and easily accessible from both sides but a little more tricky to access it from the back or front with the carrycot or seat in place.
Handle is not height adjustable, but rotates through 180 degrees. Simply depress the buttons either site of the handle and swing it to a position that suits. I love this design as it allows me to swing the handle up and hold it right at its outer edges, this makes turning really easy on all sorts of surfaces… You will certainly find a position that suits you whatever your height.
The Giggles flip flop friendly brake is simple in its design and this shines through in the way it works. Push the back down to put the brake on, push the front down for off. As brakes go, more pushchairs should adopt this method. It just works no matter what footwear you sport.
The same cannot be said for the seat release. The seat to be removed before folding the pushchair if you are in parent facing mode (it can stay on the pushchair if it is forward facing). To do this, you first have to push in a round plastic lug on each seat post with the tips of your index fingers. At the same time, with the lugs pushed in, you must pull the seat or carrycot up and away. The actual action (pushing the lugs in) is not so bad as the force required is fairly low, however, I cannot imagine how frustrating this will get on a cold winters day when you fingers are frozen. The holes you must push your fingers through are only 21mm in diameter so, if you have long false nails, stock up on replacements… Sorry Cosatto, but this needs much better execution.
The frame itself is impressive, well made and feels stiff and sturdy giving it an overall air of quality. Cosatto have faith in their manufacturing and the Giggle is not left out, coming with Cosatto’s 4 year guarantee.
Fold
The Giggle fold, is easily achieved. You will need to remove the seat if you are in parent facing mode…. Stand behind the handle, press the little button on the right hand side handle stem and pull the two release levers towards you. The chassis ‘breaks’ at the front and the handle drops to the floor locking in place.
To achieve the maximum compact fold with seat removed(97cm x 25cm x 60cm), you need to fold the handle down and tuck it under the back of the now folded pushchair. The only downside, is that when tucked under, the handle touches the ground lifting up the rear wheels – not great if you want to look after your handle foam and keep it clean and undamaged.
In addition, when folding, the front wheels on the Giggle fold up towards the front of the basket, coming to rest having pushed the front of the basket right up and away. If you have dirty wheels, you will have a dirty basket.
Once folded, the Giggle frame comes in at a lengthy 97cms, however, it is pretty flat at only 25cms tall.
Unfolding is simple and fuss free. Slip off the release catch, pull the handle up and towards you with your foot on the brake bar and pull the catches towards you. The frame will then open fully, locking into place as you release the catches.
Seat Unit
The Seat unit sets the frame colour off when fitted, with matching anodised aluminium framework round its extremities.
To attach the seat, drop it onto the upstanding seat lugs on the frame, to remove – well, see above. It does not have an adjustable footrest, but it has a flexible space for little feet, covered in protective material which will suffice.
The 3 position recline is operated by colour coordinated buttons on either side of the seat, press them in and move the seat to the desired position, either laid flat, lightly reclined (chilled out!) or ‘up and at em’ (approximately 45 degrees). In each location, the seat locks in place with a resounding and reassuring clunk.
Fabrics on the Giggle seat do not disappoint, either with their great design, or with their quality. They feel both durable, and comfy and give the impression that they will last forever, which is great considering you could use these wheels for up to 4 years!
The seat has a couple of convenient pockets on the back which are ideal for keys, purse, phone and even a snack or drink or two.
The harness is a 5 point affair on the main seat unit, with the middle belts clipping into the centre buckle. The upper shoulder belts clip to the centre belts. The buckle itself works well and has the added bonus of clipping and holding one strap at a time. Great if you have a struggler!! To release, a firm press is required, but this is a perfect solution for budding Houdini’s.
Ratcheting forward almost silently, the Giggle hood provides excellent shade from sun or showers. It folds to 90 degrees to the frame and looks splendid when up.
The last thing to mention is the gate opening bumper bar. Well done to Cosatto for including this, why more manufacturers don’t add this feature is beyond us. Threading a fed up toddler into a pushchair on a windy, rainy day, is NOT fun, better to pop them in the seat do up the belts and clip the bumper bar in place.
Lastly, strap adjustment is a pretty standard affair, undo the zip on the back of the seat and re-thread the shoulder straps into one of the 3 locations available.
Carrycot
With a hard base and a foam mattress the Giggle carrycot is suitable for overnight sleeping, however the mattress quality would have me thinking twice about too many nights on the trot.
Once again, Cosatto have fitted the gate opening bumper bar to the carrycot, what a great idea! Flip the bar out of the way, settle your child, zip the carry cot up and snap the bumper bar in place. We love this feature (as you can tell).
The carrycot, carry’s over the anodised aluminium detail from both the car seat and the frame, complimenting the frame it sits on perfectly. In fact it should be said that the Giggle really does look great with the carrycot in place.
Putting the hood up is a virtually silent affair and it provides plenty of protection for your babies torso and is well sealed from the elements, should you be pushing into the wind.
The internal liner and mattress of the carrycot can be removed in seconds as they are held in place with Velcro, making it simple to strip it out and pop it in the wash at the recommended 30 degrees.
Accessories
If you want to use the Giggle from birth with a car seat you will need to purchase the optional Giggle car seat. There are no adaptors for seats from brands such as Maxi-Cosi or Britax currently available.
The Giggle car seat comes with corresponding fabrics (as it should) and looks great perched on the frame. It has a fair amount of padding and foam around the head, the head hugger adding to this, so should perform as required in the unlikely event of an accident.
Conclusion
The Giggle is a fabulous pushchair placing style and must been seen looks into the hands of those with smaller budgets.
The quality of the frame and fabrics is excellent making the Giggle a set of wheels that really could last from birth to toddler.
There are a couple of things that let the Giggle down. Firstly the design of the release mechanism for the seat and carrycot really has not been executed very well. As one of the elements you will almost certainly use every day, it will frustrate you at times. In addition, the front wheels touching the basket and the handle touching the ground (when fully folded) will increase the worn look at a rate not in sync with the rest of the product.
It’s not all bad though, far from it! The Giggle is a real breath of fresh air in world of pushchair design. Cosatto have delivered a fun to own, quality product that will perform all that is required. The inclusion of gate opening bumper bars and the 180 degree handle adjustment lift the functionality above that of an average product. We think you should really take a look as you will be impressed.
