Best Baby Walker 2020: Shopping Guide &#038; Review

$24.99

Available in three different color schemes, Baby Trend’s 2.0 baby walker is an Amazon’s Best Seller in the category for good reasons. It features different height positions to grow with your child, while the padded seat provides increased comfort and safety. In addition, the toy bar is removable to allow your baby to use the tray come mealtime. This baby walker is very easy to store, too.

Kolcraft Tiny Steps 2-in-1 Infant & Baby Activity Walker – Seated or Walk-Behind, Jubliee

Most Versatile Baby Walker

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$49.99

Are you looking for a model that your little one can use for longer than just a couple of months? Then Kolcraft’s 2-in-1 activity baby walker is exactly what you need. You can convert it from a seated activity walker to a walk-behind toy when the time is right. It features fun and educational toys, as well as a height-adjustable seat. This JPMA-certified product comes with a one-year warranty.

Safety 1st Dino Sounds ‘n Lights Discovery Baby Walker with Activity Tray

Best Baby Walker: Amazon’s Choice

Safety 1st Dino Sounds 'n Lights Discovery Baby Walker with Activity Tray

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$33.99

This dinosaur-themed baby walker is affordable, safe, and entertaining, so it’s no wonder that it has become Amazon’s Choice in the category. You can easily remove the two activity trays to leave space for an eating area, and the grip strips provide enhanced safety on uneven surfaces. The padded seat is machine washable, and its height is adjustable.

Joovy Spoon Walker, Adjustable Baby Walker, Activity Center, Greenie

Best Baby Walker for Eating and Playing

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$89.99

Our last product is Joovy’s Spoon walker, which is designed for children weighing a maximum of 30 pounds. Its extremely wide base prevents children from getting their fingers stuck and from passing through doors. It features a super-sized tray on which your little one can eat and play with their favorite toys. This baby walker presents an elegant design.

Shopping Guide: Everything You Should Know About Baby Walkers

In recent times, there have been several controversies regarding baby walkers and their benefits for the development of our babies. So, what should you believe? The best thing you can do is inform yourself and make a decision based on that knowledge. In the following section, we have answered the most frequently asked questions regarding baby walkers.

Contrary to what most people think, ride-on toys and baby walkers are very different products.
(Source: Suwannaphoom: 97943785/ 123rf.com)

What are the benefits of baby walkers?

Whenever you make a purchase for your little ones, you focus on them and how they can make the most of that new item. Like with most other toys, finding the right baby walker is all about the perfect balance between play and didactics. Here is what they have to offer:

Your baby exercises and strengthens the leg muscles through daily use of the walker.
This product allows children to move autonomously, arousing curiosity in their surrounding environment.
The activity table most walkers integrate helps develop your baby’s most basic intellectual capacities.
Baby walkers are a safe place for children to play.

Not only will you be promoting the physical development of your child, but you will also be helping their emotional development (through autonomy) and cognitive development (depending on the activities included in the walker). In fact, they are one of the most complete toys for babies aged six months and over.

Can walkers really help babies to walk?

This is one of the great myths that both pediatricians and field experts are tired of fighting. The name is certainly misleading, but the reality is that these products are not designed to help your child learn to walk. Let’s have a look at the main functions of baby walkers:

They allow the child to move freely around the house.
They help strengthen the leg muscles.
The child is entertained by the games they integrate.

This is all baby walkers will do. They are essentially an interactive toy that also offers the possibility of safe movement for the child. However, under no circumstances do they teach them how to walk. If this is what you’re after, you may want to turn to ride-on toys rather than baby walkers.

Like with most other toys, finding the right baby walker is all about the perfect balance between play and didactics.
(Source: Möller: 358305/ 123rf.com)

What is the difference between a baby walker and a ride-on toy?

Contrary to what most people think, ride-on toys and baby walkers are very different products. It is essential that you understand this, as the misuse of either toy could be harmful to your child. You can compare the two in the table below:

	Ride-on toy	Baby walker
Baby’s feet situation	On the floor	Practically in the air, with the toes barely touching
Fastening system	None	Safety belt
Goal	It promotes the child’s balance.	It holds the baby up.
Does it help babies to learn to walk?	Yes	No
Growth stage	When babies can stand up (even if supported)	Younger babies

As you can see, the two toys have nothing to do with each other. On the one hand, the ride-on toy gives your child freedom of movement and helps support and improve the motor skills they already possess. On the other, the baby walker is simply a structure to hold the baby and with which to move around in a more restricted manner.

At what age can my baby start using a walker?

This is a question we are constantly asking ourselves with any product for our children. And it’s normal, because these articles come with a recommended age for good reasons. This guarantees that the toy won’t be harmful to your child in any way.

In this specific case, babies are not advised to start using their walkers until they can hold their back in a straight position. This will generally occur between six and eight months of age, depending on the child. You should check with your pediatrician if you have any doubts.

Up to what age can they use walkers?

As we briefly mentioned, baby walkers are designed to strengthen the muscles in your child’s legs and help them get into the habit of standing – not learning to walk. This is why it is imperative that they stop using it at the appropriate time so as not to impede your baby’s natural development.

In other words, your child should wave goodbye to their walker the moment they can stand up on their own – whether you support them or not. The walker will have fulfilled its function, and you now have to let your baby make the necessary efforts to maintain balance and practice on their own in this new growth stage.

What do baby walkers need to be safe?

Safety is another primary concern for any parent. While any children’s article is designed to prevent endangering our little ones, there are certain aspects that you should be familiar with before making your purchase. Here are some tips on how to find a safe baby walker:

Start by looking at the wheels. These are the base of the walker, whose aim is to allow your baby to move around. The wheels should be hard and sturdy, and of course, not get stuck when in movement.
They must feature a seat belt to keep the child in the right posture and prevent them from falling out of the walker.
The best models come with anti-tipper barriers. Note that not all models have this feature, but it is particularly handy for restless children. You should never underestimate your baby’s strength.
The latest models also integrate a safety brake system for steps. We can assure you that this will help you avoid many frights.

In any case, you should never forget that adult supervision is fundamental. While baby walkers are designed to give your child autonomy and to allow them to move freely around the house, you should always keep an eye on them to prevent any accidents. Keep in mind that children do not have the slightest sense of danger.

Do baby walkers require special maintenance?

No, all you have to do is keep them as clean as possible. In fact, this is a measure intended to protect your child’s health rather than the walker’s condition. Nowadays, manufacturers integrate seats with a fabric cover that you can put in the washing machine. In addition, you can wipe the activity games with a damp cloth to remove dust.

Buyer’s Guide

Have you been having a hard time finding the baby walker that best suits your baby and their needs? Don’t worry, we all go through this. In the end, what matters is that you can make an informed decision. To do this, the best method is to analyze the key shopping criteria that will help you identify the very best baby walkers on the market. In the section below, we will delve into the following aspects:

Recommended Age
Design
Durability
Manufacturing Materials
Safety

Recommended Age

The very first thing you need to make sure is whether or not your baby is old enough to start using a walker. Remember that children must know how to hold their back straight and get into a standing position on their own before we can introduce these products into their lives.

The contrary is just as true. When babies can hold themselves in a standing position, be it with the help of a support point or not, it is time for them to move on to ride-on toys. Generally speaking, the recommended age for using a baby walker is between six and eight months.

You should always keep an eye on your child to prevent any accidents.
(Source: Suwannaphoom:(Source: Patryk Kośmider 55970415/ 123rf.com)

Design

This shopping criterion actually refers to two fundamental aspects of baby walkers. On the one hand, the article must be aesthetically attractive for your baby, so that they want to play with it. In this sense, you will want to favor models with bright colors, sounds, and lights.

On the other hand, you should also pay attention to the activities included in the product. As you may have noticed from our selection, these can be very varied and even focus on specific themes (racing cars or the sea, for instance). Regarding this aspect, simply consider your child’s personality and choose accordingly.

Durability

Your little one will be moving back and forth with this product all day, every day. This is why resistance and durability are crucial. The baby walker you purchase must be sturdy and resistant to any blow that it might receive as your child gains confidence and autonomy.

In that regard, you are advised to opt for a plastic model. The characteristics of this material make it durable and very easy to clean. All you need to do is wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth, and the product will look as good as new.

Did you know that new safety parameters were implemented for baby walkers in 1997? They are now wider to prevent them from passing through most doors, and many feature brakes that stop them at the edge of a step.

Manufacturing Materials

We’ve just touched upon that topic, but let’s go a bit deeper into it. The material your baby walker is made from must be suitable for your child. On the one hand, it must be respectful of the baby’s skin; as we know, it tends to be easily irritated, especially in the area on which they sit.

This is why it is generally covered by a soft, comfortable fabric that you can throw in the washing machine whenever necessary. Going back to the previous shopping criterion we looked at, it is also essential that these quality materials can resist the intensive use that your little one will make of this product.

Safety

Last but not least, let’s discuss the absolute necessity of buying a safe product. Any childcare article has to go through testing and safety evaluations before being released on the market, but it is always a good idea to double-check on your own.

Once you have found a model that satisfies these requirements, we still encourage you to inspect it closely when you receive it, before your child can use it for the first time. In fact, you should check it regularly for any potential anomaly. By this, we essentially mean making sure that there are no parts that can come off or slots in which your baby can accidentally put their fingers.

Any childcare article has to go through testing and several safety evaluations before it can be released on the market.
(Source: Thatsaphon Saengnarongrat: 48153465/ 123rf.com)