The Best Baby Walkers And Safer Alternatives To Entertain Tots (2023)

The best baby walkers of 2023 look a lot different than the walkers of your childhood. As your baby starts to take those first steps, many parents seek out certain toys with the good intention to help baby reach such a big milestone. But pediatricians and pediatric physical therapists would prefer we avoid purchasing the sit-in, wheeled baby walkers of yesteryear. In fact, the Academy of American Pediatrics (AAP) warns against the wheeled walkers, particularly because they can allow otherwise non-mobile babies to reach hazards in the home and to even fall down stairways, causing injury. All of that said, there are plenty of fun push toys, wagons, baby seats and engaging activity stations that serve as fabulously fun alternative best baby walkers.

The AAP further suggests play yards, baby seats and even high chairs as places for babies to safely hangout in during playtime. We also recommend a smartly installed baby gate to keep kids from tumbles and dangerous areas.

Some research also suggested that sitting in those baby walkers of yesteryear might have slowed a baby’s walking development. Elizabeth Morel, owner of Little Movers PT, a pediatric physical therapy office in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, isn’t surprised by this. “Babies tend to lean to one side in the seat because they have poor core control,” she explains. “This usually coincides with the early in-utero preference, and it can lead to even more asymmetry over time,” she says, adding that sitting this way puts uneven pressure on babies’ underdeveloped hips. Morel says the best baby walker alternatives are activity tables and bouncers that don’t put pressure on baby’s core and lower body.

As for push toys, they’re generally OK, too, says Victoria Regan MD, a pediatrician at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, “Using a mobile push toy can be fun for children and is generally safe once they’re able to walk, usually between 9 and 15 months of age,” she says. “Again, they should be used with parental supervision.”

These best baby walkers and alternatives below meet our experts’ criteria. You might also want to read our stories on the best balance bikes, or the best toys for 9-month-olds, 1-year-olds and 2-year-olds, depending on your child’s age.

• Best Baby Walker Alternative Overall: Haba Walker Wagon
• Best Value Baby Walker Alternative: LeapFrog Little Office Learning Center
• Best Splurge Baby Walker Alternative: Manhattan Toy Double Decker Celestial Star Explorer
• Best Wooden Baby Walker Alternative: Tender Leaf Toys Baby Block Walker
• Best Baby Walker Alternative Activity Table: Melissa & Doug First Play Children’s Jungle Wooden Activity Table
• Best Musical Baby Walker Alternative: Hape My First Musical Trotter
• Best Baby Walker Alternative With Extras: Melissa & Doug Shape Sorting Grocery Cart

How We Chose The Best Baby Walkers And Alternatives

I spoke with two pediatricians and a pediatric therapist to get to the bottom of their baby walkers dos and don’ts. Unsurprisingly, none of them recommend the wheeled, sit-in variety. Instead pediatricians, such as Regan recommended: “We now only advise stationary ‘baby walkers’ (activity centers) if a parent really wants to get one,” as well as push walkers. Tapping into this advice, I combed through parents’ favorite push walkers, activity tables and stations and bouncers and pulled together a list of those bestsellers that most matched the experts’ recommendations, reading reviews closely and looking only at those with the best ratings.

Are Baby Walkers Safe?

Traditional baby walkers (seats with trays on wheels) have been redesigned so that they’re safer to use, but the AAP still warns against them. The pediatricians and pediatric physical therapist I interviewed don’t like them either. “Several infant deaths occurred in the past from baby walkers as well as many emergency room visits due to falls, even after the ‘safety’ modifications made in the late 1990s,” says Regan. “They do not help a baby’s development and definitely do not help them learn to walk. We now only advise stationary ‘baby walkers’ (activity centers) if a parent really wants to get one,” she says.

If you’re eager to find a safe, healthy stationary baby walker, make sure the one you choose is age appropriate and certified as safe by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association, Regan advises. “Never use one when your child is less than 6 months of age,” she says.

Do be aware that spending lots of time in a stationary, seated baby activity center like an exersaucer isn’t ideal for your child’s development. The seat is often too big to offer proper support and it may not be the correct height from the floor. That encourages the “overall use of inappropriate muscles and compensatory patterns,” explains Morel, which can lead to asymmetry and toe walking. To improve the situation, make sure your baby’s feet can stay flat on the floor with a slight bend in the knees, she says; you can put a flat object like a book or mat underneath if needed. You can also roll up a towel and put it in the sides of the seat for support to help prevent compensatory leaning.

For push toys, she adds, you can weigh them down or put rubber bands on the wheels to slow their roll and help babies keep up.

Can Baby Walkers Encourage Walking?

In short, no. “Many parents think walkers will help their children develop and learn to walk,” says Anthony Hudson, MD, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “Walkers can delay when a child starts to walk.”

Morel explained on aspect in detail: Mobile and stationary baby walkers and push toys encourage babies to put their weight in their tiptoes, which can affect how steadily they walk without support. Push toys in particular can impact babies’ balance. “They work with momentum,” Morel says. “That often leads to tiptoe walking to keep up. And when you use hands on handles the core turns off.” That can hinder baby from building the strength she needs to walk unassisted, so it’s best to keep an eye on any of this behavior developing in your child.

What Are The Benefits Of Baby Walkers?

Many baby walkers and alternatives like stationary activity centers have toys and music that help babies refine their senses and motor skills, as well as learn numbers, shapes, colors, letters and first words. The best ones “have attachments that may entertain your child and could help reinforce developmental skills like reaching for objects, using pincer grasp,” says Regan. The benefit mostly is for parents, who get a short break from entertaining baby as you did with an infant swing when they were younger.

What Are The Different Types Of Baby Walkers?

Although traditional baby walkers (seats with trays on wheels that let babies push themselves around) are still available, the term baby walker now encompasses stationary activity centers (with or without bouncy platforms) and activity tables without seats, as well as push toys that babies use while standing up and walking.

How Big Does A Baby Have To Be To Use A Walker?

The age range for baby walkers and alternatives vary depending on the height and features. To safely use activity tables or centers, make sure your baby is physically ready. You’ll know when they’re able to pull up to stand and have the core control to maintain it, says Morel. Push toys should be used only by babies who already have begun walking on their own.