Cosatto Giggle Quad Travel system review

The Giggle has been Cosatto’s signature travel system since 2012, offering parents a 3-wheeled buggy that takes their child from newborn to preschool with carrycot, buggy seat and car seat options.

The design has evolved over the years, taking in feedback from users to refine the concept. This latest incarnation – the Giggle Quad – has a fourth wheel, greater capacity and what the company say is “added oomph”.

Costing up to £825 for the ‘Whole Nine Yards’ bundle including a car seat, Isofix base and accessories (or £525 for the basic package of chassis, carrycot and seat unit), the Giggle Quad is a mid-budget buy. You might want to save pennies with a cheaper option like the £350 Journey Edit, but you’d probably need to buy a second buggy once your child turns two and the materials are not as high quality. The £299 Joie Mytrax Flex Signature is also much cheaper with a superior weight limit (25kg), but its look is functional rather than head-turning.

Tested by:

Alex lives in York and has two sons – Ralph, 3, and newborn Max. She tested the Cosatto Giggle Quad with both children, on the nursery run and on trips to the local shops, on the cobbled streets in York and on country lanes outside of the city.

First impressions?

Good! I was worried that we would hate the fabric as Cosatto’s designs are bold, but it was actually very stylish. Not only that, but the buggy felt solid and good quality – a premium product.

What’s in the box?

Chassis, wheels, carrycot, buggy seat, hood, buggy bar, pram toy and rain cover. We also received a footmuff separately, a car seat with padded liner in an additional box and a pair of car seat converters.

Is the Cosatto Giggle Quad pram easy to assemble?

Yes, an easy, 10-minute job. The chassis is in one piece and you just clip the wheels in, then pop on the carrycot or seat, add the hood and bar, and you are ready to go. Should you get stuck, the instructions are detailed, if a bit small, with clear diagrams, and include extra information about putting together the component parts, should that be required.

How is the Cosatto Giggle Quad different from the Giggle 3?

Cosatto market the Quad as the Giggle with ‘added oomph’, with the basic price just £25 more than the Giggle 3 (£675 on Amazon). The obvious difference between the two is that the Quad has four wheels, but it is also a slightly sturdier version of its three-wheeled sister.

Although roughly the same size when folded, the Quad’s seat has a 20kg limit compared to Giggle 3’s 18kg, while the basket can take up to 3.5kg compared to 2kg and is bigger, with two zip-up pockets. The downside is that the aluminium frame weighs 8kg instead of a lighter 7.2kg – although the Giggle Quad is still pretty light!

What age range is the pushchair suitable for?

From newborn to a fairly generous 20kg (3st 2lb), which is up to 4 years old. However, the 90cm-long seat unit was too short for my 17kg son to sit in truly comfortably and he has only just turned 3.

He is on the taller centiles, so if you have a lofty little one, I think you will struggle to use it up to the weight limit.

What do you think of the Cosatto Giggle Quad’s carrycot?

Love it! It’s spacious (measuring 85cm long by around 42cm wide), easy to attach and detach from the chassis, and kept my newborn Max protected and cosy. The mattress is comfortable, offers plenty of support and is made from a premium fabric. The matching lining is easy to unzip and wash, should you need to.

It is suitable from newborn up to 9kg (1 st 6lbs), which is roughly 6 months old, unless your baby is already sitting up unaided. It can also be used for occasional overnight sleeping, and although we didn’t try this, I would feel happy using it overnight.

Most importantly, it got the ultimate endorsement from Max, who went in it very happily and generally fell straight to sleep. I didn’t use a carrycot with my eldest, opting for a lie-flat seat unit instead, as friends often told me how their babies hated their carrycots. So the fact Max liked lying in it, despite not liking his crib, spoke volumes.

How do you rate the Cosatto Giggle Quad's seat?

Measuring about 90cm long and 44cm wide, the seat unit is really easy to fit onto the chassis in both parent-facing and forward-facing modes – you just click it into the brackets on the frame. Although the seat is good quality, to me it felt a little hard.

However, the matching footmuff is incredibly comfy and I would probably use the buggy with this fitted for extra cushioning. The back of the footmuff can be rezipped from the leg cover and has a fleecy side as well as a contrasting monochrome side, either of which would look nice and add more padding.

The seat also wasn’t long enough for my 3-year-old to sit in comfortably for an extended period. As a result, we didn’t let him nap in it using the full recline mode, but I didn’t feel it looked especially comfortable for smaller toddlers to sleep in, either.

He did fall asleep in it one afternoon on a rainy dash to the shops, but he was exhausted and slept sat up. There was no way he would have stayed asleep if I’d tried to recline it. In fact, the only time we attempted to fully recline it with him in it, he screamed blue murder! It would probably be fine for babies up to 18 months.

Does the seat recline?

Yes, there are four positions from upright to full recline. You do this by pushing in a button on either side – the same buttons you use to remove the seat. You need both hands but it is very easy.

Is the Cosatto Giggle Quad seat reversible?

Yes, and it is very easy to do. You just press a button on both sides to release the seat, turn it round and click it in.

It meant I could switch the buggy between children without any fuss, allowing me to take Ralph to nursery in the seat unit while carrying Max in my Boba wrap, then switching to the carrycot or travel system later on.

What did you think of the 5-point seat harness?

It feels very secure but it is a bit of a faff to put on and do up. The shoulder straps need to slide into the waist straps before clicking into the crotch strap. This can be rather fiddly, especially with an uncooperative child in the seat.

On a positive note, the shoulder and crotch pads were really comfortable for my child. There are also 3 height options for the shoulder straps and they are easy to adjust by unzipping the fabric at the back of the seat unit. The buggy bar adds an extra layer of protection.

How is interacting with your child in the pushchair?

I found it easy to see Max in the carrycot, but only if the buggy bar was not attached. Otherwise, it obscured my view of his face, but a taller person may not have this trouble – I’m 5ft 4ins.

When the seat is attached in parent-facing mode it sits quite high on the chassis, so you have good eye contact with your child and can easily chat to them.

Is the Cosatto Giggle Quad easy to manoeuvre?

Yes, it’s one of the strengths of this buggy in both carrycot and buggy-seat modes. Although it is a substantial size and feels sturdy, it is light and almost glides down the street.

For me, the key test of a buggy is whether you can easily push it one-handed. I could comfortably push the Giggle Quad with one hand while also carrying my older son’s scooter in the other and a bag of shopping – and this was equally true on the bumpy, cobbled streets in York city centre.

It’s got a smooth and easy kerb pop too, and doesn’t feel heavy to lift over kerbs and obstacles. I didn’t really struggle getting it through doorways or up steps, although it is quite wide (61cm at the rear wheels), so can be a little unwieldy.

How does the buggy ride on challenging surfaces?

It mainly fares well. I found it pretty smooth on grass, the cobbled streets of York city centre, country lanes and other uneven surfaces. The one time it struggled was on both dry and wet sand on a day trip to Bridlington.

I think it may also struggle on muddy surfaces. The tyres could probably do with a thicker tread to tackle harder terrains. I like the fact you can unclick and remove the tyres to clean them, though.

What is the Cosatto Giggle Quad like on public transport?

My C-section delivery meant I was unable to drive for a few weeks and had to catch the bus to the local children’s centre for check-ups. The Giggle Quad was very easy to manoeuvre onto the bus and store in the wheelchair area, even in carrycot mode, although I needed to position it in the direction of travel rather than sticking out sideways into the aisle.

I think the rear wheels might be a little wide to get comfortably down the aisle of some buses, and you might struggle to fit it into the relevant storage space on busier services.

When I lived in London, there would often be one or two buggies already on board that you would need to slot in next to. I think the Giggle Quad would struggle in that situation.

Is the pushchair easy to fold – and unfold?

Yes, incredibly so.

• It can be unfolded one-handed, but needs two hands to collapse it
• You need to unhook a clip to unfold it
• To fold it, you press a red button on the right of the handles and slide additional black buttons towards you on each side of the frame. It is a simple, smooth action
• When folding, the carrycot and car seat must be removed first, as should the seat if you’re using it in parent-facing mode
• In world-facing mode, the seat can remain attached

How compact is the pushchair when unfolded and folded?

The chassis measures 93cm x 61cm x 27cm when folded. With the seat attached, the folded buggy is 93cm x 61cm x 50cm. When erected, the dimensions are 100cm x 61cm x 120cm, in both modes.

How easy is the Cosatto Giggle Quad to lift?

When folded, the chassis is still fairly big so can be a bit cumbersome to put in and take out of the car boot.

The seat and carrycot units are light and easy to lift up and into the car.

How much does the Cosatto Giggle Quad weigh in each mode?

In carrycot mode, it weighs approximately 11.3kg, while in seat mode it is about 10.5kg. The frame is 8kg without the carrycot or seat attached. It feels very light in all modes.

How easy is it to store?

Although the frame folds fairly flat, this is not the buggy for a flat or house with narrow hallway, particularly because you have both the seat unit and the carrycot to stash.

We were lucky to be able to wheel it into our dining room and leave it fully erected. But it would have been totally impractical in our previous home; a 2nd-floor, 2-bedroom flat.

Another minus is that the folded frame does not stand up sideways or lengthways on its own.

Does the Cosatto Giggle Quad fit in the boot of your car?

Yes. We have a Vauxhall Astra with boot dimensions of 110cm x 80cm x 50cm. I could fit the chassis and carrycot in, with a little room to the front and one side to spare. We didn’t need to take off any wheels.

It’s more compact in pushchair mode (especially if you detach the seat from the frame) and if you are just taking the chassis to use with the car seat, that is not bulky at all.

If I removed the parcel shelf, I could very easily fit it in sideways to make more space.

Is the brake effective and strong?

The brake is in the middle of the axle between the back wheels. It is very easy to operate and you can put it on and off with your foot on top of it rather than having to flick it up from underneath – a plus during sandal season or if you have a clean, white pair of trainers!

On the downside, my 3-year-old quickly worked out how to flick it on and off using his hands, which is rather terrifying when you have a newborn sleeping in it!

It meant I was paranoid when we went out that he might take the brake off without realising the danger of doing so.

Does the Cosatto Giggle Quad's hood provide good protection?

The same hood works for both the carrycot and seat. It clips onto the frames very easily and is held in place at the back with Velcro. It is pretty smooth and quiet to fold and unfold – I certainly never woke a child using it.

The coverage feels pretty good for the seat unit (even though my eldest’s head was popping up into it), but I did think it was a bit tall for the carrycot. There were often times where the sun was behind me and streaming in on Max’s face, and there was no way to shield him from it, even with the little pop-out sun visor at the front.

One positive is that it offers UPF100+ sunshade protection. There are little toy loops on the shade but I didn’t use them as they were tiny, too small even to attach the fox toy supplied with the Giggle Quad.

What do you think of the Cosatto Giggle Quad’s basket?

The basket has a weight limit of 3.5kg and an open basket area plus two enclosed zip-up pockets at either end. It was promising at first glance but disappointing in reality.

• I loved the larger zip-up bag at the handlebar end to keep valuables like a purse and keys out of public gaze and also keep items dry in the rain
• There was also a discreet zip-up pocket at the front of the main basket, which I used to store the car seat adaptors
• Additionally, the seat unit has two mesh storage pockets on the back, for things like a phone or water bottle

However, the open basket has two design flaws – it is very low to the ground and also has low sides. I found that my shopping fell out of the sides so I couldn’t utilise the full space available and, worse still, I lost a camera bag one day (thankfully without the camera in it) – it must have tumbled out without us noticing.

Also, the low bottom bumped on the 19cm step into our house. Cue more fruit and veg tumbling out!

I like to go into York city centre on foot and also pick up my food shopping daily at the local high street rather than do a weekly supermarket shop, so this was a big negative for me and would be for many urban families or people without a car.

Do you use the basket differently in carrycot and seat unit modes?

Not really, especially as there are the 2 different parts. The main basket is easiest to access when the seat is in parent-facing mode.

It’s slightly less easy with the carrycot, purely because the carrycot is quite long and you need to bend down to get under it and into the basket and bag.

What do you think of the rain cover?

It’s ample, robust and gives excellent coverage in all modes. It totally covers the carrycot and also worked well on the buggy seat, even with my 3-year-old bursting out of the chair. His feet were kept nice and dry, which has not always been the case with some other buggies.

The rain cover is really easy to put on too – there are two Velcro hooks on either side that wrap around the frame.

The only downside is that it is fairly bulky when folded down, so takes up a good bit of the basket when not in use. Some kind of storage bag would be a nice addition.

How easy was the Cosatto Giggle Quad to use with a travel system?

Pretty easy. You just need to slot in a pair of Giggle Port Adaptors on the frame (for sale separately for £24.95) and then the seat clicks on fairly smoothly. I did find lining it up with the adaptor slots a little jerky to start, but I soon got used to it.

To take off the car seat you press a little button on each side, so you detach one side at a time rather than the whole thing in one smooth motion. Not that Max was bothered – he slept through it.

What do you think of the Giggle Port Group 0+ car seat?

The Giggle Port Group 0+ is a rearward-facing seat that takes your child from newborn up to 13kg and can be strapped into the car with the three-point seatbelt or clicked onto an Isofix base (included in the Whole Nine Yards bundle or sold separately for £124.95).

I found strapping it in straightforward, although it was a little bit of a stretch for the seatbelts of our Vauxhall Astra! The seat is spacious and well padded, with a cosy insert in contrasting fabric that Max liked to gaze at.

I found the 5-point harness very straightforward to put on and adjust so that my son was comfortable and safe.

The hood is wide and gives okay sun coverage, although a slightly deeper hood would be nice.

It doesn’t have the smoothest motion, either. The handle is sturdy and the seat is pretty easy to carry, weighing roughly 4kg. I like that the seat covers are removable and machine washable.

My eldest once had a horrendous nappy explosion in his car seat and being able to clean it up easily is a godsend. One thing to note – the Seedling design Giggle Quad is designed to be used with the Hold Group 0+ car seat instead.

What do you think of the design of the Cosatto Giggle Quad?

Cosatto’s designs are not for the minimalist or colour-shy, but the Giggle Quad could just convert you. There are six nature-inspired patterns available and our Charcoal Mister Fox was really charming and unisex.

It was a total head-turner too – I’ve never had so many admiring comments about a buggy while out and about, and I’ve pushed a fair few fancy models in my time, including a Stokke Scoot, Babyzen Yoyo and Bugaboo Bee5. From buses to shops, everyone from school kids to 90-year-olds were cooing over it. I absolutely adored the monochrome linings and inserts – and so did Max. Even at 2 weeks’ old, the black foxes on a white background on the carrycot sides, hood and car seat lining drew his eye.

The fact that Cosatto consider what would appeal to babies as well as parents in the design is very admirable and unusual. The fabric quality is superb – it did not get hot in the sun, despite being a dark grey, and gave good protection when we were accidentally caught in a rain shower without the rain cover.

The leatherette handle was smart and comfortable to hold, and I also liked the copper accent to the black frame. It is very well considered.

Does the pushchair feel robust and long-lasting?

Absolutely. Although light it is in no way flimsy.

Who would the Cosatto Giggle Quad be most useful for?

The Giggle Quad is the perfect buy for first-time parents who need all the essentials and want a quality product at a decent price. It would take you right through from newborn to pre-schooler potentially, depending on the size of your child, and last a second child too, unless you plan an age gap where you need a buggy that converts to a double.

Families who have a little bit of space for storage at home and use the car a fair bit would be best suited to this one.

We lived in a second-floor, two-bedroom flat in London when my eldest was a baby and this would have been too cumbersome to store and get in and out of the building with, plus the basket wouldn’t have allowed me to pick up much shopping.

Is the Cosatto Giggle Quad value for money?

It’s not a budget buy but it is very good value given the fantastic quality of the materials and design features. The Giggle Quad would last 2 children easily, if not more, while Cosatto’s 4-year guarantee ensures any problems will be repaired.

The ‘Whole Nine Yards’ bundle, costing £825, includes carrycot, seat, car seat, Port adaptors, Isofix base, changing bag, footmuff, rain cover and toy.

This makes it a reliable investment for first-time parents as you know you’ll be fully kitted up from newborn until your child is out of a buggy and won’t need to spend extra, aside from a new car seat.

What accessories are available?

If you don’t buy the bundle, and just buy the buggy, for £525, you can purchase a matching footmuff and changing bag at £69.95 each.

Cosatto also has a range of parasols for £39.95 offering UPF100+ protection which come with an umbrella handle attachment plus buggy clamp, although not of all of the pram designs have matching parasols.

Where can I buy the Cosatto Giggle Quad?

It’s available from Amazon, Cosatto, Kiddies Kingdom and Uber Kids.

MadeForMums verdict:

The Cosatto Giggle Quad is a savvy purchase for first-time parents in particular who want an easy-to-use and durable traditional travel system but like a more modern, funky look. It’s beautifully built and made to last, with lots of thoughtful touches. However, it might not be ideal if you live in a small space and enjoy an urban lifestyle that means getting around predominantly on foot or by public transport.

Read More…

• Best travel systems for newborn babies
• 10 of the best convertible pushchairs
• 10 of the best forward and rear facing buggies