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£860.00
Helen Greatorex 'Living With' the iCandy Peach
I'm Helen, married and have 2 children. When not off on maternity leave I am a Teaching Assistant in a primary school and support the delivery of ICT. I am lucky in that I only work 2 days a week and also have the benefit of the school holidays. As a family we enjoy holidays by the sea, to Center Parcs and to Northern France on Eurocamp breaks with our extended family. My hobbies are reading, eating out with my friends and entering competitions in the hope that I will win nice treats for my family (you never know?).
Living With Review
Jump to a Month: March 2012 | April 2012 | May 2012 | June 2012 |
August 2012 | Six month summary | September 2012 | October 2012 |
November 2012 | December 2012 | January 2013 | February 2013 | Final Summary 2013 |
First impressions:
My first impressions... Upon unpacking the iCandy Peach it took me longer to remove all of the bubble wrap and cardboard than it took to assemble the pushchair, also the fact that I didn't need help from my husband probably impressed me the most!
The pushchair looks amazing, we are trying out the iCandy Peach in Tomato and within minutes of it being out of the box I was literally begging the whole family to join me for a walk to the post office so as to give the buggy its first test drive.
Once my little boy was settled and ready (I did initially attach the bumper bar, but decided against using it this time – it's just a simple click to fasten/ remove) we were off. There is very little pushing needed as this does more or less push itself as it is so lightweight. The handle is extendable, not necessary for me but useful for taller people! My only tiny concern is that we picked up a few small stones from the pavement and these left small dents in the back wheels, hopefully nothing to worry about but I will keep a close eye on this.
March the 14th 2012.Off for a quick trek into town and my first opportunity of putting the pushchair in the boot of the car. When I left home I got it into the boot really easily, but when it came to coming home I had a real struggle with it. More practice needed me thinks! However a plus point was that as I was pushing Isaac around I heard several people comment ‘Oh look that's the new iCandy...'
March the 15th 2012.
Grandma had my son for a while this morning while I went food shopping, when I got back she commented on how comfortable he seemed in the pushchair and how it fits his shape really well. This was in contrast to when my little girl was in a buggy - she said she always seemed to be uncomfortable in it. Whereas he is very content and snug.
March the 19th 2012.
Off to take my daughter to nursery - our little man is all prepared and ready to go with his favourite toy 'captain' which handily attaches onto the iCandy bar with ease!
March the 22nd 2012.
Went for an outing with my friend yesterday in the lovely sunshine – it was a bit too bright for my son and my current parasol doesn't fit the iCandy frame as this is quite wide and chunky. I will have to get a new parasol especially if we keep having these lovely days. Thankfully he fell to sleep really quickly. When she pushed him for a bit she commented on just how light it was to push.
March the 26th 2012.
So bright and sunny today that I have finally bitten the bullet and bought the matching parasol to the pushchair, it's a little bit of a con that you have to buy a special clamp as well just so you can attach it onto the frame though :-(
March the 31st 2012.
Ok ... So just as my matching iCandy parasol arrives the sunshine disappears. Well at least it looks pretty!!
Gutted.... Just noticed scratches on the chassis and I've only collapsed it a handful of times to put it in the car :-(
Used the rain cover today and wow best one I have ever used as I usually have to battle to get them on, this one went on and fits so well. It's just a shame it takes up so much room in the basket and there's nowhere else to store it.
April the 8th 2012.
Job for this week... Clean the seat liner. It's got more bits in the bottom creases than a little yuck!
April the 11th 2012.
Went out yesterday to our local reservoir- which is a drive to get there. I had a real struggle to fit the pushchair and my daughters bike in the boot of our new car (its an Audi a4 so not a small car by any means). Took ages to sort ... its a shame the seat compartment is so bulky as the frame itself folds down really neatly!
April the 13th 2012.
After my walk earlier in the week I've just got the pushchair out of the boot of the car and the wheels are ditched!!!
Took ages to brush them down as the mud hadn't properly dried, also the front wheels are quite awkward to clean as they are mostly covered up by the plastic frame.
April the 18th 2012.
Weather torrential rain here today, luckily my little boy was snug in his pushchair under the rain cover, my little girl had her umbrella so that just left me to get soaked which I did. Not sure about the hosepipe ban here anyway :-)
April the 21st 2012.
Been out and about using the car a lot this week so plenty of putting in and getting out of the iCandy, 2 things I have noticed - it seems to get heavier every time I lift the frame into the car (probably just me being a complete weakling) and the second thing that I never put it in the same way twice so it always seems a real hassle to get the frame and seat part in the boot without it getting in the way of the parcel shelf.
April the 25th 2012.
Finally got around to washing the iCandy peach liner. Im really surprised just how much space it leaves when this is removed!
Can see why this might put people off as it could come across like it's not big enough for baby but this certainly means it is.
April the 28th 2012.
Been using my iCandy a lot inside lately to put my son in while I'm getting dinner ready or doing jobs downstairs as it's handy enough to strap him in and get on. The only downside is the bumper bar does get in the way when putting him in and it is quite stiff to remove.
This morning in the school playground one of the mums who is expecting asked me about the iCandy and how it compared to my old pushchair (Mamas and Papas Sola). I gave her my humble opinion for what its worth!
May the 3rd 2012.
Had a 10 minute battle with the harness this morning. The top fastening clip is so stiff to reattach - I even got the manual out to see if I was doing it right (unfortunately there was no mention of it in there!) brute force required.
May the 10th 2012.
Loving how easy it is to push the iCandy, it takes no effort at all. Taking my daughter to nursery means I can push one handed and still keep hold of her hand - although most of the time she loves to push my boy too!
Feel a bit like I haven't reviewed my iCandy peach for a while so here goes... First of all we are recently back from a Eurocamp holiday to Normandy in France (can highly recommend these types of holidays with young children) the only downside was not being able to take the iCandy pushchair! The main reason we chose to leave it behind was the amount of room it would have taken up in the car - even with us taking a top box. It was sorely missed while we were away although I suppose strollers are there for this reason and they do flatten considerably more than the bulky iCandy.
Since our return I have come to appreciate it more, it turns with ease, my son feels and looks very secure and comfortable. As he is now 8 months I am considering when the time is right to face him outwards so he has a view of something other than me (although selfishly I really like to keep an eye on him!)
June the 26th 2012
July the 6th 2012
My little boy is looking pretty grumpy - hardly surprising as his view for most of this week has been from behind the plastic rain cover !!!
Maybe next week it will be summer again?
July the 12th 2012
Lately every time I collapse the iCandy I end up getting black grease marks on my hands from the underside where the pins slot into the holes for the handle bar adjustment. Have wiped it down several times but rather annoyingly the marks have come back - done an internet search and it does seem to be a bit of an issue for other people too.
July the 21st 2012
- It is very well made, (definitely suitable without the carrycot attachment from birth in my opinion) as baby is very well secured and cosy
- The build quality is great! it feels really solid and you can trust that it won't let you down as some cheaper pushchairs and strollers can quickly get worn out wheels and broken bits
- There are always plenty of admiring looks and comments that come along with this pushchair, I have said it before but it is definitely the designer pushchair to own.
- Colourways are bright and colourful, even though I have a boy and we are using the tomato colour it does not feel at all girly and really is suitable for either sex
- Easy to slot into a forward facing or rear facing position and has a nifty design to adjust the positioning of the seat too, especially ideal for when your little one has just dropped off to sleep and they need to be laid flat!
- Quick to fold down once you get the hang of it
- Rain cover is really simple to put on
- Very bulky and takes up a lot of space in the boot of a car, mine is completely full with little room for anything else.
- The chrome frame is easily scratched
- The accessories are expensive to purchase and it is a bit of a con when you have to buy a clamp just to be able to attach the parasol to the frame of the pushchair as it is another expense
- The basket space seems big when you first get the pushchair but if you are taking the rain cover out with you (and lets face it who wouldn't???) this takes up a lot of room in the basket which leaves little space for anything else
- There really should be somewhere for the rain cover to go when not in use, perhaps underneath the pushchair if there was a pocket it could slot into this which would make life easier
- Every time I use the iCandy I get a dirty black grease mark from where the holes slot into the chrome frame for the handle adjustment, this is very annoying
- Finally it could do with somewhere to put shopping bags - maybe a built in hook.
What's the first thing any little boy does when he gets in his Pushchair… Takes off his socks of course!!
September the 7th 2012
Just thought I'd show just how 'little' room there actually is in the bottom basket of the iCandy - all that is in here is a blanket, the rain cover and my boy's bag of things! You could maybe get a few more bags in but there is a danger of things falling out (which has happened to me before).
September the 17th 2012
Well yesterday was my sons christening! He had a great time but because of the time of the service (12:30) his naps were totally out of sync. Luckily for the 'do' afterwards we put him in his iCandy and he had his dinner in it and promptly fell to sleep all cosy and surrounded by crumbs in his posh outfit!
September the 21st 2012
This is the most irritating thing I have found about this pushchair. The amount of grease on the handles underneath that usually ends up all over me unless I remember to wipe it over with a wet wipe!!
September the 27th 2012
Got stopped today by a mum at my daughters school who also has the iCandy peach also in tomato! She said she had been looking at my chassis to see if it had marked up the same as hers and yes it has. That was her only complaint about the pushchair oh and hers also leaves black marks from the underneath :-(. She did advise that I buy the footmuff as it is really snugly for baby so think that might be something we get soon for when the temperature drops.
One of the very first reviews I did on the iCandy pushchair was about the wheels and how they seemed to pick up small stones quite easily. Well a good few months on they still are about the same... Yes they do still pick up stones and pebbles and when they are taken out they leave an indentation but other than that they are just as firm as the first day they were used. This is a real big thing for me as one of the previous pushchairs we owned the wheels had to be replaced after only 6 months as the tread had worn away. No similar problems here!!
October the 12th 2012
Here is one happy boy on his way to fetch big sis from school!!
Happy and cosy in his pushchair.
October the 19th 2012
Ok so I finally took the plunge and turned my little boy to be forward facing in the iCandy. I really don't like it :-( but that's because I love watching him and talking to him. He however seems to really like being able to nosy at everyone and everything. So it's definitely the right time!
October the 24th 2012
Searching in my loft the other day for something (which I didn't actually find) I came across a red cosy toes that I used with my daughter when she was in her stroller. So I thought I'd see if it would fit the iCandy and yes it did and the colour matched really well too. Ok so it's not the all singing all dancing iCandy design but does the job - it needed a slight alteration for the waist straps to fit but Grandma is a dab hand on the sewing machine and it was soon fixed and is now doing a good job keeping the little guy all warm and snuggly. Just in time for the cold dark days ahead!
Thought I would attempt to try and polish the scratches out of the
chrome frame on the pushchair using some Brasso. Here are my before and
after shots. I couldn't get the deep scratches out but I'm pleased with
how shiny it looks again -just need to find something to make the black
look as good now...
November the 7th 2012
Had a quick walk up to the post box this afternoon. The little man fell asleep as soon a we had left.. so I dropped the seat back into the lay flat position. It seems very strange to be pushing him like that now that I've moved him to be forward facing!! Still don't like not being able to see him but when he's awake he seems to like all the attention !
November the 16th 2012
Was out shopping yesterday with the little man and everywhere we turned there was an iCandy peach, in all the colours - I must have seen 6 and this was in our small local shopping centre. When I first had mine they were very few and far between and now they're more popular than One Direction :)
November the 23rd 2012
One day this week when I collected my little girl from school, she pointed out that there was a pushchair just like ours (same colour too!) in the school playground. As I have previously mentioned they seem ever popular with the Mums around here as the no1 choice and I can see why... getting the Christmas decorations out the loft this weekend we also got down the first pushchair we used 4 years ago and it is a busy contraption to look at with straps hanging here and there, buttons to click into place and no where near as stylish as the iCandy peach, which the more you look at it the better designed it appears. All streamlined and not at all fussy. It would be my first choice time and time again.
Well I can tell its been the holidays as the iCandy hasn't been out of
the boot of the car for two weeks and today when I've come to use it I
had a right job putting it up - I'd got it out upside down and couldn't
work out what was going wrong??
Well back to normality now so will be using it daily from Monday... No excuses.
January the 18th 2013
The other day we decided to go for a drive followed by a walk with Grandma and Grandad and as we were going in my car and were a bit short on boot space the iCandy peach was left at home and we had to take a stroller. Although this is obviously nowhere near the quality of the iCandy I am starting to feel that now that my son is getting bigger and starting to walk I can see there may be more benefits to using a stroller rather than a pushchair - as his independence grows he will be able to get himself in and out and obviously the space when folded is massively different, my Mum also commented that she though he might be getting a bit too big for the pushchair. The peach does have a seat liner that can be removed to make the seat area larger so this in itself is not a big problem. I don't feel that it is the right moment yet to completely move to the stroller but that time may not be too far away.
February the 27th 2013
This is the first time in ages we have been out and about using the iCandy (mainly due to the fact that chickenpox have been a visitor at our house) so we have been quite housebound for a few weeks. But what a lovely day today for a walk the sun was shining and the little man was a smiling happy boy - but then he always is...
I have been asked to write a final summary of my year with the iCandy Peach pushchair. Firstly I don't quite know where the time has gone, but have great memories of myself this time last year excitedly unwrapping a brand new ‘posh' pushchair, and cajoling everyone out of the house for a walk to try it out. We have come so far, but I guess when I look at all the things my little boy can do now that he wasn't able to then I can see that a year has passed by quite quickly. Our little boy is now walking, has a real sense of his place in our family and is starting to say his first few words. The iCandy has been with us through it all and it has been such a really useful pushchair, so sturdy and well made, and as it spends most of the time in my kitchen when not in use has become a home accessory also!!
The peach looks amazing with its bright colours and chrome frame and is a real head turner with other Mums (and Dads) and has been the talking point of many conversations. When I had my first child I didn't really know what all the fuss was about with pushchairs but being part of this Living With Team I can really see that actually a pushchair is an integral part of the first year/s of your child's life. As babies fall asleep frequently in their pushchair it is important that they can be comfortable and cosy in their temporary cot. The pushchair also has to help Mum out when the shopping needs storing and even has its uses when big sisters book bag needs to hang of the frame on the way to school. All in all it has been such an enjoyable experience as it has really made me think about what we have been doing and has helped capture many moments….
Pros-
1) The build quality is excellent, it is extremely well
made – the Rolls Royce of pushchairs.
2) The lie flat option is great, just hold the side buttons in and it drops back so that baby can sleep in a really comfortable position – making it fully useable from birth without the additional carry cot (in my opinion).
3) The peach is so easy to manoeuvre, easily turns one handed and is not heavy to push in the slightest.
Cons-
1) The cost to buy is expensive and all the extras add up as well, i.e. If you wish to buy a parasol you also need to purchase the adaptor to fit it to the frame.
2) The seat and frame are bulky when collapsed and will take up a lot of space in the boot of any car (unless you drive a bus).
3) The rain cover takes up so much room in the basket - it could do with a storage flap that could quite easily be built in to the underside of the seat to keep it out of the way when not in use.
Overall rating 4 ½ out of 5
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