Talk to me about a baby walker. The ones they push.

[cultkid]

Do I need a wooden one? They look better but they are more expensive.
The plastic ones look bad but I think my baby would find it more interesting.
Any suggestions totally welcome

---

This thread is a little old now so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but if you’ve landed here looking for recommendations, we’ve recently updated our best baby walker page with lots of great options rated by parents, plus it includes info to help you decide if a walker is right for your baby. We hope you find it useful.

They aren’t recommended because they cause an unnatural walking posture and can result in long term hip problems. They actually delay learning to walk because the child doesn’t learn to balance. I wouldn’t buy one at all.

I had a wooden one but it wasn’t very good. It toppled when he put weight on it. The plastic one we got (v tech I think it was) was much more sturdy

Buy the vtech walker. They're very easy to buy second hand for around £5-£10 and providing it doesn't get damaged (or lose the phone) you'll be able to resell at the same price.

@Davodia the push type walkers that the OP is referring to do not cause hip or developmental problems. That is the sit in sort.

@cultkid I’m debating whether to bother with one myself. My Dad actually has my old wooden one complete with blocks that is over 40 years old!! So he’s going to tart it up for us and see if she likes it

I think the recommendation now is to get a wooden one because they offer more traction on carpets and floors, so won't move too fast for your dc. Look for a second hand one on facebook marketplace, ebay or gumtree, as they often go for around £10 on there x

We had the vtech one too. Did the job!

Not good for baby's feet or hips, inhibits babies learning to walk more than it helps them. Friend who is a health visitor hates them with a passion. You're better off getting some sort of play table that baby can pull up on and walk around whilst holding onto.

I don’t think it matters if it’s wooden or plastic as long as it’s sturdy. Some are very badly designed and tip over easier. I will warn you the V-tech ones which make noises are very annoying ( we were given one second hand)
Both my kids really liked the fisher price dolls stroller It’s really stable when they are first getting on their feet but because a dolls stroller they continued to use it when the got older.
www.smythstoys.com/uk/en-gb/gift-finder-18-36-months/fisher-price-princess-stroll-along-musical-walker-and-doll-gift-set/p/148260

The ones with lights and sounds are great to the batteries go.
Look at how sturdy they are, a wooden trolley type is less sturdy but has more play options as they get older.

Mine had a wooden one and a plastic one. He went off the wooden one after he put too much weight on it and it fell over. The plastic ones are very very sturdy. We got ours for £10 on facebook and sold it for thr same afterwards.

Like PP my DS also has a nearly 40 year old wooden brick trolley! Loves it! Also has a wooden one from beaming baby which has a speed control for the wheels so it doesn’t run away with him!

I was given the vtech one from my sister as she had it for my niece. My little one likes all the flashing lights etc but doesn't really use it as a walker as she wants to play with the front.
Op get a second hand one if you feel like baby needs one. I wouldn't be spending lots of money on one x

We've ended with a plastic one, an ancient brick truck and a naice one shaped like a bus.

Plastic one is only one that's any good, naice wooden one wasn't squat and stable enough and ancient brick truck is a bit quick and he can't manoeuvre it round corners.

Go for an ugly plastic one, as pp's have said you can pick them up second hand or ours was £20 (nothing suitable on fb at the time!)

He used it happily from 10-11 months and since then has walked on his own and uses the walker to run...doesn't seem to have inhibited his movement at all!

I am going to get an ugly as fuck plastic one that he will adore
My house is a dive anyway these days with everyone at home
What's a plastic walker going to add to it
At least it hasn't got bits and he might leave the shoes in the hall alone 😑

My DS had a wooden one with blocks for his first birthday. He's now nearly 2, has been walking confidently since 15 months, and still gets his trolley out almost every day.

Today he was pretending it was a lawnmower. Last week it was a buggy for his teddy. The blocks get a lot of use too, although they do end up spread all over the floor, but he's become very good at tidying them up when he's finished.

My girl had the vtech one but never pushed it - she just liked the gadget bits. She also had a wooden one which got used for years as a pram for various toys. Probably used the wooden one more because she also had 4573 other gadget toys.
The wooden one came with bricks. I think we still have them somewhere (she is 12 now).

We have the vtech once with the annoying flashy lights and noises. Personally I think it’s too light, if DS puts his weight on the handle it would tip back. So puts mainly stays propped against something so he can play with the annoying bit on the front.

We got a wooden one from Ikea. It was cheap.

Also, some posters really need to read the thread properly. What a waste of time advising you not to get a sit in walker

Waste of time. Honestly don’t bother. Most people end up with them as 1st bday presents, by which time the baby is walking or on their way there. Mil bought our youngest one for her first birthday, she was walking unaided at 13 months so it was pretty defunct after that, total waste of £30! They learn just as well walking round the furniture sofas etc

We had a little play kitchen one from elc that ds absolutely loved.
I was given a plastic one but found that it went too fast when he was just getting started.

We got this one (not this exact one as the design changes). I cannot describe the joy that my child got from it! I bought it when they were around age 1 and we used the interactive station on it. When clipped back on they used the walking part to raise themselves up to play with the interactive part. When they were a few months older, they toddled (sometimes ran ) with it. It was so worth it for our family. It is great that you can buy them secondhand as it will be so much cheaper. I was lucky and got a special offer price on ours. I gave it to a friend when our child was too old for it however it was loved and used for a couple of years! I really think that your child will love it and personally, I get tired of people dissing certain toys as ‘plastic tack’. My child also got a wooden walker with blocks from a ‘no plastic tack’ family member and played with it only a handful of times (and it never evoked the same joy as the vtech. Watching them pushing it along resembled a token gesture)

The period they are interested in a support for walking is very short. If you get a little shopping trolley they‘ll still be playing with it two years later.

Utter waste of time. The walker can go too fast and the baby falls over (endlessly).

@makingmiracles

Waste of time. Honestly don’t bother. Most people end up with them as 1st bday presents, by which time the baby is walking or on their way there. Mil bought our youngest one for her first birthday, she was walking unaided at 13 months so it was pretty defunct after that, total waste of £30! They learn just as well walking round the furniture sofas etc

My sons Walker was probably one of his favourite toys for a good year. Even after he walked unaided he loved pushing it around.

Ewan the dream sheep and that bloody giraffe, on the other hand, were an utter waste of money yet were basically the second coming for many people on here... all children are different.

My son had the push along the vtech one. He also had a wooden one but preferred the VTech.

He was walking by 10 months.

He is now 18.

I can officially confirm that it did not cause hip or foot development issues.