Jade Brooks 'Living With' the iCandy Cherry

Living With Review

Jump to a Month: March 2012  | April 2012 | May 2012 |
June 2012 | July 2012 | August 2012 | Six month summary | September 2012 | October 2012 | November 2012 | December 2012 | January 2013 | February 2013 | March 2013 | Final Summary 2013 |

First Impressions:

Nothing could contain my excitement when the courier delivered 2 iCandy boxes - my Cherry had arrived! After pulling everything out I located a really accurate instruction book and following the step by step guide, within half an hour I was up and running! I could not believe how light the pushchair is, even with the carrycot on. No effort or force is needed to push it and steering is a breeze, just point in the direction you want to go and it's there! And the colour, mulberry, a deep purple - perfect! 

Freddie also loves it! So far we have used the carrycot, of which he spent most of the time admiring the white lining, and more recently because the weather has been so lovely, the seat unit parent facing. He loves being able to look around but still see who is pushing him plus judging by the amount of naps he has had in it, he finds it cosy too.

Matt, my other half and I have had countless arguments about who gets to push when we have been out and about. Even at 6 ft 4 the handlebar is plenty high enough for him to push at ease and even walking long distance with a full shopping basket full of mother's day presents for granny made no difference on the steering.

Yesterday was a manic day of me errand running and generally running late for everything - but I found getting the pushchair out and up from the boot of the car and seat unit on a breeze. It took mere seconds for Freddie to be strapped in and off we went! Equally as easy to fold down and ample space in my focus boot so by the end of the day we were just about running on time!

March the 16th 2012

Hey everyone! Who says women can't build flat packs?! Gorgeous iCandy cherry arrived this morning at 10.30 and by 11.10 it was up (thanks to 2 great instruction manuals). Currently Freddie is sat in the carrycot having a nose about! He loves it, as do I!

March the 19th 2012

Hi everyone, lets just say our iCandy cherry has been well used this weekend. It has actually been a struggle to prize my partner Matt away from it! Even at 6ft 4 the handlebar is high enough for him to push at ease! Yesterday we took Freddie for a long walk and this pushchair is certainly a pleasure to push - it is so light and easy to steer even with a 16lb baby and a basket full of shopping and birthday and mother's day presents for granny (and the raincover!).

March the 30th 2012 

With all the glorious weather we have been having what could be better than a picnic by the river with friends. Here is Freddie relaxing in his cherry. He will quite happily sit in it and play for hours! The big shopping tray carried the tent, picnic and rug.
After being in the sunshine so much I know I will need to invest in a parasol. The hood isn't large enough to block the sun from Freddie's eyes so ended up having to put a blanket over the pushchair.

April the 4th 2012

Hi Everyone,

Fred and I popped into the office this week to say hi and sort out some paperwork. Poor Freddie- I think the office girls were more interested in the cherry than him! They all loved the colour and I even lost my pushchair to my friend who insisted on pushing him to the pub for lunch. I don't think she could believe how easy it was to steer and it was a struggle to regain my position as proud mummy!!

April the 8th 2012

I have just realised that I can do a full 360 degree spin of the cherry in our hallway! No reversing out and bumping out if the front door for us now- fantastic!  

April the 11th 2012

After all the lovely April showers we have been having over the past few days we finally had to bring out the raincover. What a perfect fit! Easy to put on in a hurry as it just velcros around the chassis and even has ventilation holes at the side to let fresh air in. Freddie certainly seemed happy and was completely dry which is more than can be said for us! 

April the 16th 2012

Freddie got his first taste of a disco Friday night. We took him in his iCandy and used the carrycot. He now only just fits in it but still loves it! He slept in it for a good 2 hours and it meant that we could just pick him out and put him in his cot when we got home. He certainly was snug in there as the hood shielded him from the lights and the cover kept him cosy! 

April the 19th 2012

Been and done the mammoth food shop today, took my friend and her boy too. Got back to the car and realised the cherry was in the boot! Then figured out if I removed the bumper bar from the seat unit I could fit more carrier bags on top! Plus there was plenty of room in front to put the rest. 

April the 23rd 2012

Only upon reading the cherry review on the Pushchair Expert website did I discover there was a zip up pocket on the back of the seat! Naturally I investigated straight away and sure enough I had missed it, the pocket was there. No longer will I have to dig deep in my changing bag for my keys- so handy!! I'm still trying to figure out why I never found it before?! 

April the 28th 2012

Well what a miserable wet week! Trying to dodge the showers we have been out a few times. I have now mastered the art of getting the cherry out of the boot single handedly. If you release the clip that keeps the frame shut you can literally pull it put of the boot by the handle bar and the frame puts itself up! It's so light you can do it with one hand. The seat unit is also so light and can easily be put on the frame with one hand too. Great of you're in a rush to get out of the rain!

May the 5th 2012

The cherry Carseat adapters this week and today is the first day I've been able to use them as now back at work ( booooooo!). Here is a pic of Fred in his carseat looking cosy!
Couldn't believe how easy this will make life!

You can leave the adapters on the pushchair as it folds with them on and you literally click the carseat onto them. I have the Maxi-Cosi cabriofix which have a release button on each side to remove. I can tell I will be using these alot!

May the 8th 2012

Well the cherry had its first proper off road testing this weekend. A rare dry spell in Sunday saw us heading to a car bootsale.

We took Freddie in his Maxi-Cosi carseat as he always falls asleep in the car. Gave daddy a lesson in how to connect to the frame (even he did it on the first attempt!) and off we went through the long grass to grab some bargains.

I was quite surprised how well the cherry coped across the deep grass, and up and down the busy aisles, although it was a bit of a bumpy ride for Fred. I think the lightness of the frame made it easier to push (and daddy's strong arms!). Fred didn't seem to mind too much though as he slept the whole way round.

May the 22nd 2012

What a lovely day....so nice after the bad weather recently.
We made the most of it, took Fred to my buggy fit class at the playing fields this morning. This class consisted of jogging with the buggies, squats using them and circuit training (babies say this one out!). The cherry coped very well at high speeds on the grass and was easy to steer around the field.

Freddie happily sat and gurgled to himself (and laughed at mummy!) whilst we were doing circuits. He loves the feel of the material in the seat and spends more time holding that than a toy.

I noticed before I went out this morning that one of the plastic spokes on the front wheel had popped out. I managed to clip it back in but I will be keeping an eye out for anymore in the future

I have also had to pack the carrycot away this week. Like Lisa I had a pramette before and found the carrycot much less hassle. All you have to do is click it on and off the frame rather than messing around with inserts and hoods etc. Freddie is simply too long for it now and I have to say I will be sorry not to be using it anymore.

June the 15th 2012

What a manic few weeks. Now back at work and trying to organise the last few bits for our wedding next week! In a bid to get fit have been going along to the local buggy fit group with Freddie. Here is a picture of him chilling out in his cherry whilst I do the workout. He has now figured out he can put his feet up on the bumper bar which he quite often does. Have started putting him forward facing as he loves to look about but also love that if needed I can quickly swap to parent facing by two buttons and with Freddie still strapped in. Although he is fairly heavy now so I'm not sure I'll be able to do that for much longer!

July the 1st 2012 

July the 17th 2012

With the awful weather we have had we haven't been able to get out much over the last couple of weeks so the cherry has had a bit of a break!

It did serve a great purpose when I took Freddie to see his nanny in hospital as we went for a wonder and she pushed the pushchair as she needed some support. I had a good look over the cherry this week as I have been using it for over three months now and was fairly impressed as it still looks fairly new! The wheels are wearing well and the seat is showing no signs of being worn.

Sadly the Maxi-Cosi carseat has had to go away as my extremely tall 7 month old is just too big for it now. Luckily the adapters for the cherry are so small they are easier to store than the carseat!

So from now on we're only in pushchair mode.......

July the 31st 2012

We have been out with the iCandy cherry quite a lot during the nice weather.

I invested in an iCandy parasol and clamp a while ago and have to say its not the easiest to use! It is very wobbly and just doesn't seem to stay where I put it. I am also quite annoyed as I noticed the clamp has actually split meaning even less stability.

In hindsight I would've invested in an iCandy palm sunshade instead. Still, at least Freddie has something new to play with!!

August the 16th 2012

Making the most of the summer holidays by lots of outings with my friends and their children.

We went to Mead Open Farm last week which was great! Freddie happily sat in his pushchair waving his flying fleece flag as we watched the lamb national and we even won a medal!

The cherry coped well on the grassy areas as well as the dirt tracks. It was easy to manoeuvre in the barns where there were children and rabbits running wild - we managed not to run anything over at least!

We had more of a struggle on the gravel in the carpark but the cherry is so light it was easily dragged backwards to the car. It was also great for carrying our picnic too!

August the 30th 2012

Have been experiencing a few slight issues with my cherry wheels these past couple of weeks. As you can see from the photo below the spokes on the front wheels appear to keep splitting apart from the frame. They easily pop back in together but this has happened at least twice in a couple of weeks. Am maybe wondering if it's my driving skills that cause it or if it's just general wear and tear? Although it doesn't affect the general steering of the pushchair whatsoever, for me I just don't think it looks nice or well built when they do pop out!

Six month summary

• The carrycot is easy to put up and has a lovely thick mattress which any newborn would be comfortable in
• Once finished with the carrycot collapses into a compact position thus can be stored easily
• The carrycot is very sturdy when fitted to the frame due to an extra bar that is clipped to the shopping basket
• I love the fact that this travel system is compatable with a Maxi-Cosi car seat (either cabrio fix or pebble)
• The adapters to allow our cabrio fix to fit onto the frame were lovely and small, meaning we could either keep them in the changing bag or the shopping basket of the pushchair
• The pushchair was still fairly light and easy to manouevre even with a fairly heavy carseat (and baby!) in
• I love the Mulberry colour of the seat unit and shopping basket, it is a great colour for both girls and boys
• The frame itself is easy to collapse and after a few practices I could easily fold using just one hand
• Having the option to have a forward or parent facing seat is a blessing for any parent
• The shopping basket is fairly large, I can easily fit a couple of bags of shopping in
• The material the seat unit is made out of is wearing well, there are no pulls or holes in the fabric and it can be easily wiped if anything is spilt
• The cherry is extremely light and easy to glide around in small spaces, even granny comments on how nice it is to push (when I let her!)
• It can handle most terrains. It is good on grass, smooth on concrete and not too jiggly on rockier terrain!
• The bumper bar is an added bonus, it can be removed but it is great for clipping toys too or just for your little ones to relax and put their feet up!
• The brake works great, it doesn't move an inch once its on (as I have experienced by tripping up a few times!)
• The zip up pocket on the back of the seat is a fab feature, for storing keys or a purse if you are just nipping to the shops - you can barely notice the pocket meaning your things are secure

• As some of you may have read on my previous posts I have had a few problems with my wheels. They still work great and where they have split does not affect the pushchair in anyway, I would just expect for the amount of money the Cherry costs, a little better build quality
• I sometimes find it fairly tedious to have to remove the seat unit before collapsing the frame. Especially if it has been raining, I do like to put the wheels in the boot first so as to not get the seat unit dirty, however if the floor is wet I can't actually put it down to do this
• Now I am back at work and having to carry more paperwork in my boot I have come to think that the cherry does take up a fair bit of space - more in width than height, meaning that most of the floor space in my boot needs to be clear for it to fit in fairly flat (I drive a focus and they have a pretty good sized boot for a hatchback)
• If I were to buy the whole system including the carrycot, I would make sure they were all in the same colour. We were given a berry blue carrycot and once attached with the mulberry shopping basket it was a bit of an odd colour combination!
• I bought an iCandy parasol and clamp to fit the cherry - I would necessarily buy this again as in hindsight I think a generic one would have fitted. I found the parasol would not stay where I wanted it to and the clamp has already cracked as it is just made from plastic

September the 10th 2012

A lovely sunny Sunday afternoon, what a good way to spend it with a nice stroll to our local park!

September the 18th 2012

Up until now I have been very strict about Fred eating in his pushchair. However, he is getting that bit older now and harder to entertain when he is stuck in there for long periods of time.

This weekend we've seen custard creams and carrot crisps eaten in there and the consequence was that the mucky pup has got it everywhere.

So this weekend I'll be attempting my first full clean of the cherry.....watch this space to see how I get on!

September the 25th 2012

It scrubbed up well.......

Much easier than I thought it would be to clean. Hoover and a damp sponge seemed to do the trick!
Although noticed I had missed a bit when taking photo so had to sponge it off. Overall very pleased, no fading or stains and even the bumper bar looks good again until the next time Freddie has a munch! Am hoping his toys will deter him a bit (another handy use for the bar).

September the 27th 2012

Today was a forgetful day for me!
Went to visit my friend 25 miles away and forgot the cherry!
So pushchairless and not relishing the thought of walking to collect my friend's son from nursery carrying Freddie she leant me her very basic stroller.

After pushing that I will never take my cherry for granted again! The no frills ride even made Fred grizzle. In comparison the cherry is easy to steer and comfy to push without giving me a stoop! That'll teach me to forget!!

October the 6th 2012

Rotten weather and illness has plagued us this week but today we managed a trip to the supermarket. Here's Fred cheekily grinning whilst waiting for daddy to pack the shopping. Luckily the shopping basket could hold the beers to take to a friend's BBQ tonight!

October the 8th 2012

What a lovely couple of rainy days- not!
We braved the car boot sale at the weekend and we were glad to have taken the raincover.
In our haste to cover up Freddie we must've done something wrong as when we checked to see if he was ok he was rather steamed up! Still at least he stayed dry.

October the 14th 2012

A poorly baby means we haven't been out much this week.

We did decide today that we would take Freddie out for some fresh air. We went for a walk round our local carboot sale then onto the supermarket to pick up a 'few bits'. Nearly a trolley full later and looking in the boot we had to load up the back seats. The Cherry and my boxes of work were claiming the boot space today!

October the 21st 2012

Yet again we've all had bugs this week so haven't been upto much. We did however pop out to dinner last night. Originally Fred was sat in a highchair but was fidgety and cross. So we got the cherry out and he settled straight away. Here he is enjoying his pudding- the Cherry doubles up as quite a good feeding chair!

November the 5th 2012

Brrrrrrr you can tell winter is on its way! Luckily enough I happened to stumble across a lady selling a mulberry cosy toes for a cherry! So I snapped them up and here they are ready to keep Freddie snug. I love them, they match perfectly and are fleece lined.  

November the 13th 2012

Well I finally managed to drag Matt out Christmas shopping this weekend! The crowds weren't too bad but I can only imagine it'll get busier from now on. The Cherry coped well with both the shopping and the crowds (well we managed not to run over any toes!). Some of the aisles were a squeeze but we managed to escape them and Fred was sat highly amused in his cosy toes.

November the 18th 2012

Yet more illnesses have blessed poor Fred this week so the cherry has spent more time in our hallway than out pounding the pavements!

I'm trying to decide at the moment if the rear wheels are slightly buckling. The more I look at them the more I think they are sloping slightly inwards at the top. From pictures it is hard to tell but it'll be something I'll be keeping an eye on.

November the 26th 2012

Well the horrid weather has stopped us getting out as much as we have wanted to this week.
We braved the elements on Saturday and with a bit of teamwork I think we had the cherry up in a matter of seconds which was great as it was pouring with rain! It did take a few more seconds to get it back in the boot though as Matt had been to get some building materials and I'd filled the Cherry's basket with yet more shopping!

December the 1st 2012

My friend and I decided to go and see the Christmas display and do some shopping in MK this week. Freddie loved it, so much so that after lunch he dosed off for nearly 2 hours!

Here he is snug as a bug in a rug in his cherry with his lovely fleece lined cosy toes.

December the 6th 2012

Yet another round of Christmas shopping today, just me and Fred. I have to say I got a bit of buggy rage today!

Don't get me wrong, the cherry is fine, it was the people in the card shop that annoyed me! Clearly the aisles are just not wide enough to fit a buggy down with ease - I had successfully managed to get in, grab my cards and wrapping and was making my way to the end of the queue when a really horrible lady just stood in my way. Trying to barge past me as I was reversing up the aisle the temptation was there to run over her feet but like a nice person, I let her pass me.

Once we finally got to the end I was pleased to find that the rolls of wrapping fitted very well in the shopping basket and hardly stuck out at all. And Fred had fallen asleep so that was another bonus!

December the 14th 2012

The pushchair has been fairly redundant this week as we've had a 1st birthday to plan for! Cannot believe my baby is one!
The more it has been parked in the hallway, the more I have noticed that the rear wheels are sloping in which I'm guessing means the axle has bent? Maybe time to see if it can be fixed before it gets worse. 

December the 26th 2012 

Merry Christmas everyone!
Freddie has been overwhelmed with yet more presents.

Today we braved the boxing day sales and it wasn't too bad! I also found out whilst trying to load the car that the base of the Cherry stands up by itself- how has it taken me this long to find that out??! The Cherry- standing all on it's own. Great for when you have lots of shopping, baby and buggy to load in the car!

January the 7th 2013

Happy new year!

Back to work and back to reality! Daddy was on babysitting duties last week and took Freddie out for lots of walks in the Cherry. Think he loves walking him more than I do! In fact I think he goes rallying as the wheels come back covered in mud. They are very easy to clean though just a nice soapy sponge and they're good as new!

January the 22nd 2013

Well the snow finally hit us over the weekend leaving the footpaths around our village icy and lethal! As the car was in the garage today I took Fred out in the cherry to my fitness class. I was actually really shocked at how the Cherry coped. I thought the smaller wheels and the lightness of it would make it slide and get stuck all the time but in fact I found it really easy to walk on the icy footpaths. I have to say it is even easier than pushing our baby jogger city mini! It was a bonus really as all I had to concentrate on was not slipping over myself! Here is a pic of Fred cosy and asleep (again!) on our walk home.

February the 5th 2013

Time flies so quickly and cannot believe how much my baby has grown over the past few months. I know he is going to be a tall boy (his dad is 6ft 4) but I really noticed when putting him in the cherry the other day. As you can see from the picture it won't be too long before he's hitting the hood!

February the 15th 2013 

What a random week weather wise.
We have spent our time dodging showers this week, the raincover got used a lot! So much so it resulted in accidentally having one of the velcro tabs (that secure to the frame of the pushchair) coming off! So will need to practise my sewing skills this weekend to put it back on.

February the 20th 2013

We thought spring had arrived this week, in fact it's the first time the cosy toes have come off the cherry this year! Here is Freddie ready for his nice walk in the sunshine, happy his feet were free!
Kept the fleece seat liner of the cosy toes on though, it's so soft it must make Fred feel so comfy.

February the 28th 2013

I cannot believe that nearly a year has gone by since we took delivery of the Cherry! How my thoughts have changed. Before Freddie was born we decided on a clumpy stroller and had a huge pram...I never even thought of looking at something like the Cherry. But now, if I ever had another child I would seriously consider buying another one. A year on, it's still looking great (apart from a slight slant on the back wheels), its easy to assemble and Freddie is so happy sitting in it for long periods of time! A great all round pushchair (even in the snow!).

March the 8th 2013

The poor Cherry hasn't been used much in the past couple of weeks as we have just been so busy... I am hoping the weekend will bring some clear skies so we can go for a nice walk. May even try it on a few farm tracks! 

March the 16th 2013

A rare break from the rain today saw us nipping into town for some shopping today. Here we are ready to shop (well I was....I think Freddie was too busy having a nose around!). Rest assured we had the rain cover in the shopping basket but still had plenty of room for our purchases!

Final Summary 2013