iCandy Peach 3 – Review

I’ve thought about reviewing our buggy several times over the past 2 years, but now that I have 2 children I think I’m actually in the best position to write a proper review.

 

We bought the iCandy Peach 3 travel system when we had Charlotte in 2017 and we are still using it now, both for her and for Hannah. At the time we said we’d future-proof our purchase so we went with the Peach because it had the option to convert to a double buggy if necessary, and it was also easy to steer and easy to fold.

 

The travel system includes the chassis (wheels), buggy seat, carrycot (the pram), adaptors and a rain cover. The store we bought it from also included a compatible car seat (in this case the Maxi Cosi Pebble) which could clip into the chassis, as well as an Isofix base for the car. It was by no means cheap – I think the entire package came to €1,300 – but the plan was (and is!) to have this system for a good few years so it made sense to “invest” at the beginning.

 

 

The carrycot is a nice length so baby isn’t cramped, and it has a zipped cover to keep out the elements. One of the great things about the carrycot is the mattress – it is approved for overnight sleeping, so we didn’t have to worry about bringing a travel cot anywhere with us.

What I don’t like on hindsight is that the hood doesn’t extend far enough to shade baby’s face from the sun, so I often find myself out walking and having to turn so my shadow is covering Hannah, or else drape a muslin over the opening to shield her from the sun. We did buy the parasol to go with it, but it can be a pain if it’s windy as well as sunny as the wind will move it around a bit.

 

 

 

 

I love that I can sit the car seat into the chassis of the buggy, because it’s not always practical to bring the carrycot with you when you’re going out. And if baby is asleep when you get to your destination it’s nice to be able to take the seat out and still be able to wheel her about without waking her up.

 

 

We started using the buggy seat from about 6 months (when Charlotte was able to sit up with some support). It has 3 positions and it can be used in the flat position for younger babies if you wish. I like that you can attach it to the chassis in two ways – parent facing (inwards) or zoo facing (outwards). The hood and handle from the carrycot detach and can be used with the seat, or you can purchase a second set (€68). It has a 5-point harness which is great and gives good support from the shoulders – important if your passenger falls asleep while out and about.

This seat is supposed to do until the child is about 4 years old, but Charlotte is a tall girl and I’m finding she’s already filling it at just over 2 years old, but we’ll see how it goes.

 

 

The Peach is very easy to fold – hold in the button on the handlebar, push the handlebar down, and pull up the strap inside the shopping basket and it folds together. It can be carried on the shoulder using that strap, and while it’s not super light it’s still relatively easy to carry. It does fold neatly but it takes up a good bit of room in your boot, especially since the seat or carrycot need to be stowed separately to the chassis.

 

Overall I do like the Peach 3 system, but it’s quite basic in itself and I wish I had done more research before buying it. If you want the full experience you need to spend money on the extras. Some things I would have liked to see in the bundle but were extra (and pricey!) were:

• Cup holder – handy for carrying baby’s bottle, or a drink for yourself (€15)
• Parasol – the hood of the Peach 3 doesn’t extend so a parasol is a must (€31)
• Screen – has UPF 50+ protection over the head, shoulders and legs, it keeps the wasps away, and also stops baby from throwing toys out of the buggy! (€28)
• Footmuff – considering we live in Ireland a footmuff is absolutely necessary, but I bought a universal one instead of the iCandy one (€83)
• Travel bag – we bought this to prevent scratching or damage when we went abroad on holidays, and it worked well (€100)

Also, to convert the Peach 3 to a double buggy you need to purchase the conversion adaptors (€44), and depending on the age of the children you may need another seat or carrycot unit as well as the relevant adaptors for those.

Charlotte was 2 when Hannah arrived so Charlotte was happy in the seat and Hannah was using the carrycot. However, you need to purchase a smaller version of the carrycot or the seat in order to use the buggy as a double. Because of this we haven’t actually bothered to convert to a double yet.

 

My score for the iCandy Peach 3 system: 6/10