Seated walker: these take up the most space and often double up as play stations, with buttons, lights and noises to entertain your baby. When choosing a baby entertainer or baby activity walker, look out for features that can spark your little one’s curiosity. Playful music, flashing lights, mirrors and bright colours stimulate baby’s senses, while entertainers with animal toys or baby walkers with steering wheels can help encourage imaginative play. Bat-at toys, teethers and bead chasers are great for your child’s developing hand-eye coordination and other fine motor skills. Some baby entertainers, like the Fisher-Price jumperoo, feature seats that spin 360˚ so baby has even more to explore. Laura Cooke spent nearly 19 years writing for local newspapers before going into freelance journalism. She has written for a range of publications including the i Newspaper, Business Insider and Stylist, and has researched and written a large number of baby product round-ups for Mumsnet - from the best baby thermometers to the best outdoor toys. Laura lives with her husband and two young daughters in the south of England. Why you should trust us

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.The front panel is covered in an array of fun music and sensory activities to keep your baby stimulated and there’s also a handy storage tray to keep the accompanying accessories in one place.

Evidence shows that babies who use a seated baby walker actually sit, crawl and walk later than those that didn’t and also score lower on the Bayley Assessment which looks at a child’s mental development and language development as well as motor skills. When powered, this gizmo offers an array of cheerful farmyard noises, songs and counting options, along with other sounds and lights, shapes, buttons, spinning wheels and a little plastic phone for them to talk into. Never leave your baby unattended. Babies can move at one metre per second with a walker so before you know it they could be in trouble without you there to rescue them.

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. However, in a seated baby walker, babies lose opportunities to learn important movement and perception skills such as distance and depth, and key concepts such as in or out and on or under.

We’re not in the business of shaming toys, but if you feel your house is getting overwhelmed by mountains of plastic then how about a nice wooden alternative? Combining the best features of sit-in walkers and their push-along counterparts, the Babylo Combo is three products in one. As discussed, it’s not a good idea to buy a sit-in baby walker for your baby and a push-along walker is a better option. 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.

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Mumsnetters are big fans of push along walkers, particularly as they promote independent walking and are recommended by bodies such as the National Childminding Association and physiotherapists over a seated option. From this list, we chose a shortlist of the 10 best baby walkers that we felt offered a range of design, functions and price points, to ensure there was something for everyone. About the author Seated baby walkers do not help a baby to learn to walk, although that is not to say that they don’t entertain a baby. 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? Finally, we cross-referenced all of the above information to make a longlist of the best baby walkers currently on the market.

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. 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. Little ones can push this colourful baby walker along as they learn to stand and practise those early steps. The wide base creates a stable support to help baby balance as they begin to strengthen their core. The VTech First Steps Baby Walker has an easy-grasp handle that’s sized just right for little hands to grip, while the textured wheels provide added stability. VTech First Steps Baby Walker is fab, front panel detaches for playing on floor then can be used as a walker when baby is a bit bigger.” (Rated by Mumsnetter moaningminniewhingesagain) 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?

Some will be on their feet from as early as eight months whereas others are happy to sit and crawl until 18 months. Don’t leave them in the baby walker too long. It’s a fun way to encourage your baby to walk, but it won’t actually help the process. They’ll have to do that by themselves, using furniture to help. So make sure they spend most of their time on the floor in a hazard-free zone – preferably barefoot – and keep baby walker time as an occasional 20-minute treat. 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. 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. 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.