V-Tech First Steps Baby Walker
On test with the babyworld boys…..

Length of test: 7 months (from pre-walking to running!)

See
what else we’ve been testing>>

My grandad put this together for me in record time, which was lucky
for me as I couldn’t wait to have a go! I was about 12 months at
the time and a little unsteady on my feet so the walker really helped
to support my legs and encourage me to walk.

The
thing I liked about it most was the fact that I could turn corners
and twist it into a different direction so easily. It’s very supportive
and light which is essential for a little person like me – heavier
toys get on my nerves a bit and I usually end up having a bit of
a paddy if it won’t go in the direction I want it to.

Caro had to put this together for me, which she found quite hard
because I wouldn’t leave her alone! If I hadn’t been there, I think
it would have only taken about 5 minutes. I love it, and have used
it to help me walk. When I first got it, I was standing OK but not
walking properly.

I think this gave me the confidence to get moving a bit more, and
kept me going over longer distances. It was really easy to manhandle
around the floor, even when I’d backed it into a bit of a corner
and got stuck. I wasn’t too bothered with it for a while as I was
so thrilled with walking all by myself, but it’s still great fun
now because it keeps me a little steadier when I’m bombing around
the house like a loony.

I’ve been known to throw my walker down the stairs
a few times and although it’s slightly scuffed, it’s still in one
piece. I’m not quite sure where my telephone has gone but the toys
and interactive features on the front of the walker are all working
fine. I usually prefer wooden toys but I do love my walker – I’m 20
months now and it’s still one of my favourite things to play with.Fabulous quality to survive the things I do to it.
It gets pretty badly smacked about and has been chased several times
by the dogs. I haven’t broken anything on it yet, even the phone which
gets thrown around and trodden on quite regularly. It’s solid, with
rounded corners and nice big handle. It’s also really stable, even
without the front panel which contains a lot of its weight.

The walker has some fun features that I like playing
with (though simply bombing around the lounge/garden/park is by far
the most exciting part) and I sometimes like to sit on the floor and
nod my head to the songs. The shapes and musical keys also help me
to learn about letters, numbers, colours, animals and words – I particularly
like it when I press ‘c for car’ as I can repeat it over and over
again.The front panel comes off and is a toy in its own right.
I don’t really use it much like this but I think it would have been
fun when I was a bit smaller and not so happy ‘upright’. I really
like the fun sounds and lights – you can choose musical or number/letter
activities. The tunes are funky and the voice is English rather than
American. I especially like playing “puppy says” and Caro likes the
fact that there are two volume levels.

I’d give it 9/10 for enjoyment. My mum and dad laugh
at me a lot when I’m playing with it as I like nothing more than running
as fast as I can until I bash into something! I’ve not hurt myself
though – it’s a very safe toy and has a sturdy, easy to grip handle
that I can hold onto. If I’m tired, I usually ask mum to take the
panel off the front so I can sit and play. Mum also lets me play with
it after I’ve had my bath – she finds it’s a good distraction as I
don’t like having my nappy changed very much.Immense!!
We call this the Zim-zim-Zimmer – I love whizzing around with it and
chasing Caro, Sandy and the dogs. When I’m feeling a bit calmer, I
often sit down and play some tunes or bang some buttons to see what
they do. I also like to have chats on the phone and frequently get
Caro to answer it for me.

This toy will last for ages. I’m now starting to show
more of an interest in films, balloons and playing with my friends
but I think I’ll use it for another couple of months yet. My mum thinks
it’s a great investment – especially for babies from around 10 months.It’s already proved itself as a solid toy – the batteries
haven’t even worn out yet. I think it will do the job for any of my
product testing apprentices that may or may not come along.

A brilliant buy. This toy has a great shelf life and
is robust enough to survive two, perhaps three babies! It helped to
increase my confidence with walking and I’ve found it so much fun
to play with. My mum and I would recommend it to anyone.Fantastic value for money – it’s a toy that will be
played with prior to walking, it can help with cruising and developing
walking and it’s still fun when you’ve licked the walking thing -
Boredom factor NIL!

Parental note: I’ve been most impressed with everything
about this walker and it really is something that Xander plays with on
a regular basis even now. I’m not usually a huge fan of plasticy/sounds
n’lights toys but this has proved itself as versatile, fun, educational
and sturdy.

Where to next:

• See
  what else the babyworld boys have been testing>>
• See all babyworld’s
  product tests
• Visit the babyworld shop
• Discuss baby goods with other parents on our product
  forum