When your baby makes the transition from crawling to “cruising” with the help of furniture and walls, it can be fun to give them a taste of freedom with a baby walker or seated walker. There are plenty to choose from, whether you’re looking for a tasteful retro wooden push-along or a bells-and-whistles activity centre. Also included are a removable walkie-talkie and number pad, light-up piano keys, a turning book and manipulative beads and cogs.

Kids can explore the hands-on activities in both the walker and ride-on modes to see fascinating sights, hear silly sounds and touch interesting textures. Finally, we cross-referenced all of the above information to make a longlist of the best baby walkers currently on the market. Sit-in baby walkers and bouncers encourage babies to stand on their tiptoes. The NHS says this can delay walking if they are used too often. What are the benefits of a baby walker? Despite this, you’ll find them for sale in almost every baby store in the country, and they have been certified safe by the European Committee for Standardisation. This standard was amended in 2005 (look for BS EN 1273:2005 when buying a seated walker) to make baby walkers safe, and manufacturers are now obliged to make the baby gear move more slowly. They’ve also added safety features to protect babies from steps and trapping their hands or limbs. We recommend the VTech First Steps Baby Walker as the best push-along baby walker for your child. Thousands of happy parents report that this walker is both great quality and excellent value for money and has proved a useful walking aid for their children.When purchasing a push along walker the main consideration is that the toy is the right height for your child. Some walkers have adjustable handles to assist with this, so look for this feature. However a sit-on walker can be lots of fun and can give babies their first taste of independence and help to reduce frustration. Just remember to use them no longer than 20 minutes at a time, as recommended by the NHS, and always under close supervision. What month should a baby start using a walker?

Second, it’s a seated walker. Once you remove the footrest, your baby can start exploring and pushing themselves around as they grow in confidence and get more strength in their legs. Baby walkers help your child to get their first taste of independence and encourage them to take their first wobbly steps into toddlerhood. Most push and sit in walkers come with fun toys to keep kids engaged. What are the disadvantages of a baby walker?

Baby walkers hinder or, in severe cases, prevent the child from crawling and keep the child in an upright position which interferes with the natural brain development of the child. Looking for more baby products? We've also written an in-depth guide the best baby nasal aspirator, as recommended by real parents on the Mumsnet forums. Are baby walkers safe? When it’s not in use, it also folds down. Chances are that many parents end up buying a seated walker and a push-along one, which cost more than buying this all-in-one model.

Seated walker: these take up the most space and often double up as play stations, with buttons, lights and noises to entertain your baby.

Before we recommend new products, we always ask our trusted Mumsnet users, of which there are more than 7 million each month. That’s a lot of honest, impartial advice. Expert guidance Third – and this is what elevates the Babylo Combo from others in this list – you can remove the seat completely and replace it with a bar to transform it into a push-along walker. One that’s more secure and enclosed than other push-along walkers, while still offering the benefits of activities. Some will be on their feet from as early as eight months whereas others are happy to sit and crawl until 18 months. The brain works in a criss-cross pattern with the left brain controlling the right arm and leg and the right brain controlling the left arm and leg. Crawling is an important activity in encouraging this criss-cross pattern in the brain to develop, although don’t worry if your baby doesn't crawl – many miss out this stage. We know how overwhelming it can be to research baby equipment online. With so much choice available, it can be difficult to know where to start. This is the reason we test every baby walker in this roundup to ensure we provide the most honest and hands-on review of a product.

Generally, however, as babies approach their first birthday they will have begun to pull themselves upright where they can, and some will be starting to ‘cruise’ around which means that they are moving on their feet while leaning on furniture. Combining the best features of sit-in walkers and their push-along counterparts, the Babylo Combo is three products in one.Probably the most fought-over toy at your local playgroup, you’ll recognise this baby activity walker – although you may not have realised its full potential until you see it loaded with batteries and with the toys attached. Physiotherapists have also warned the use of baby walkers could actually hinder a child's ability to learn to walk and the NHS recommends they are only used for up to 20 minutes at a time.