iCandy is a UK-based family company with three generations of experience in the pushchair market. So, when it comes to travel, these people think like mums (and dads!).
The iCandy Peach Blossom Twin travel system is suitable from birth until your little ones are toddlers. The Peach Blossom Twin takes the chassis of the iCandy Peach, a single stroller, and adds two carrycots or two seat units or two car seats. Think pick and mix for baby travel. The Peach Blossom Twin puts the seats in a slightly stacked, tandem-like arrangement, rather than side by side.
Made from corrosion-resistant, polished aluminium, at 8.9kg (with wheels and shopping basket) the chassis is super lightweight and folds by simply pushing the handle toward the base unit. No buttons, no fiddling, no tears. In terms of its total weight, it's 14.82kg with chassis, wheels and seat units; 15.7kg with chassis, wheels and carrycots; or 15.4kg with chassis, wheels and two car seats.
The soft sponge-like height adjustable handle has four height positions - good for dads over 6ft. Add lockable front swivel wheels, puncture resistant rear tyres and an extra large shopping basket and you may think you have found perfection.
The carrycots are safety tested and certified to BSEN 1888 for the UK and Europe and are approved for overnight sleeping, so no there’s no need for a Moses basket on trips away and they fold down to save room in the car.
In order to convert the single Peach into the Peach Blossom Twin double buggy or travel system, you use adaptors to add the two seat units or Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix car seats. As a travel system both babies face you and the seats are stacked using the lower and upper positions. The Blossom Twin can also be used with one car seat and a seat unit or carrycot.
This is an expensive travel system but as a result, the features ooze luxury. Included in the initial £850 price are the carrycots, seats units and rain covers. You buy the car seats (Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix) separately to make this double buggy a travel system. These cost £115 each, plus £29.99 each for car seat adaptors.
What we love
The iCandy Peach Blossom Twin travel system is this year’s must-have. For a start it is a dream to handle. The one-handed folding system really is a one-handed folding system, so there’s no need to curse, kick it or sit on it to get it flat.
When my baby Minnie and her friend Maggie, both 7 months, went for a stroll they seemed comfy and cushioned. Both ladies can, at times, be ‘pushchair resistant’ (arched back, crocodile tears etc…) but there were few murmurs.
The manufacturer claims that the Peach Blossom Twin has the footprint of a single stroller. And, despite having two on board, it is super slimline and does handle beautifully. We negotiated pavements, steps and tight corners with ease. And, doorways were not a problem.
Adding the car seats or seat units is easy and is made even easier by the one-handed seat removal system. What’s more, the slots for the adaptors are colour coded so that you can never put the wrong adaptor in the wrong hole. Genius.
What to watch out for
The iCandy Peach Blossom Twin comes with two seat units, the lower one for children up to 15kg and the upper one for children up to 20kg. iCandy’s thinking behind this is that one twin will be bigger than the other. However, Minnie’s dad and his identical twin brother, being genetic clones of each other, have since birth been pretty much the same size!
The seat and carrycot configuration is not ideal: the newborn twin carrycots face in towards each other so only one baby is facing mum or dad at any one time and the carrycots are small. In pushchair mode both seats face away from the parent and it is particularly difficult to get the child in the lower seat out.
There are a few other niggles: the Peach Blossom Twin only has a leg rest for the upper seat, the bumper bar does not have a swivel mechanism which means you either take it off completely, or wiggle your child into position behind the bar. And, you have to take everything off – adaptors, seat units, car seats - to fold it flat. A cosy toes included in the price would be a nice gesture (they are £64.20 each), as would the car seat adaptors (£29.99 each).
Who is the iCandy Peach Blossom Twin travel system best for?
Style-conscious twin parents who want a high-end, innovation-driven travel system their newborns
The iCandy Peach Blossom Twin is expensive multi-mode twin travel system that integrates carrycot and stroller in an effortless design. It’s slimline compared to some other doubles around, with a true one-handed folding mechanism. However if you invest, be aware that you’ll need space to store the component parts.
