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? 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.

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?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. 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. 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. 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. Paediatric research has shown that sit-in baby walkers may have an impact on baby’s development and impact on gait and posture. Can baby walkers delay walking?

Finally, consider the footprint of the baby walker. Most do not fold up and will take up space in your home. What is the best baby walker?

Seated walker: these take up the most space and often double up as play stations, with buttons, lights and noises to entertain your baby. Encourage baby’s first steps with the VTech First Steps Baby Walker. This 2-in-1 baby walker and activity centre is designed to help tots find their balance, with a playful activity panel for fun along the way.

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. Combining the best features of sit-in walkers and their push-along counterparts, the Babylo Combo is three products in one. 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.A baby walker helps to give your little one a sense of independence. The toys and activity centres that come with baby walkers help with mental and visual development. As well as being lots of fun to play with! How do you choose a baby walker? The best baby walkers to use on carpet are the Zimmer frame-style models, but they don’t offer the support or safety that enclosed seated walkers do.