The forerunner to the Peach – the iCandy Pear – flew off the showroom floor scooping numerous awards for its design on the way. This new model looks set to follow in the Pear’s footsteps.
The iCandy Peach is a single pushchair that’s suitable from 6 months to around 3 years and retails for £499.99. To use it from birth, you can purchase the Peach Main Carrycot (£149.99). The USP of this stroller is that the chassis can be adapted to transport another child by adding adaptors and an extra seat unit. This solves the problem of what do as your family grows and deserves great applause. The Peach Blossom Converter (£159.99) lets you make this upgrade from a single to a tandem, known the Peach Blossom.
iCandy prides itself on its attention to detail and rigorous testing. As a result, the Peach features a super light chassis (8.9kg with wheels and shopping basket, or 12.4kg with wheels, shopping basket and seat unit), corrosion-resistant, polished aluminium metal work, one handed folding mechanism and one-handed seat removal. Add to this full suspension, front swivel wheels and puncture resistant tyres and you have a good-looking, easy to use stroller. A range of accessories - such as a foot muff, parasol, cup holder etc - is available at extra cost. The Peach can be converted to a travel system, using a Maxi-Cosi CabrioFix car seat (£115) and car seat adaptors (£29.99).
The seat unit is forward and rear facing and has four recline positions. iCandy works with the National Literacy Trust, whose Talk To Your Baby (TTYB) early language campaign encourages parent-facing pushchairs. According to TTYB, facing the parent encourages interaction and, depending on the amount of time spent in the buggy, may help speech and language development. It’s seems a shame then, that if you convert the Peach to a twin or tandem the seats can’t both be parent-facing.
The seat unit hood extends as your baby grows and there is a handy pocket at the back of the seat – good place to put all those things you lose on a regular basis: keys, phone, brain…
What we love
Pushing the iCandy Peach Stroller feels a bit like ice-skating - the ride is so incredibly smooth. As a mother who is always late, I tend to push my stroller with vigour and as a result, it is starting to wear. The iCandy Peach feels very robust and thanks to the chunky rear tyres is easy to push off road, even at speed and in haste.
Minnie, 7 months, loved the height and upright position of this stroller; she usually protests at the sight of the pushchair but during the test she was happy to be strapped in and on the move.
The shopping basket is huge, compared to some of the tiddlers out there, and the open design lets you transport bulky items. The seat unit sits well clear of the basket giving you even more room.
When folded the chassis is very compact and stands upright against a wall or in a corner – good news if you live in a shoebox like me.
What to watch out for
When you are spending a penny shy of £500 on a pushchair (bearing in mind you’ll have had to buy extras to use it from birth or as a travel system), it seems mean to make you pay for basics like a foot muff. And at £64.99 it is an expensive foot muff.
The seat units are not huge but the hoods do extend. Minnie was very comfy in the seat but when I tested the iCandy Peach Stroller with her mate Jack, 15 months, it was a snug fit and I’m not whether it would last until Jack was 20kg (around 3 years old), as claimed by the manufacturer.
A minor niggle is the bumper bar, which is a struggle to release and doesn’t swivel.
Who is the iCandy Peach Stroller best for?
Parents with cash to spare that want a sleek, well-designed pushchair that functions beautifully – and can grow when their family does.
Mums and dads have waited in anticipation for the iCandy Peach in all its forms. This is an impressive pushchair that delivers on style and function. The one-handed folding mechanism and one-handed seat release are key features of an almost flawless design. The element of bling may not, however, be to everyone’s taste.
