Below is a list of the best stand up toys to encourage your baby to stand up and walk around.
Before your baby can stand you’ll want toys that help your baby stand up right, strengthening those little leggies’. Once they can stand up and wobble around on their own, push and pull toys will give motivation to practice walking around.
“Baby walking toys are some of the first ‘active’ toys that toddlers engage with, helping them to feel confident and comfortable when they’re taking their first strides,” says Adrienne Appell, trend specialist at the Toy Industry Association.
Different Types of Stand Up Walking Toys
There are many different types of toys created to help a baby stand up or walk around, the most known are stand up activity tables and push & pull toys. My personal favorite type of walking toy is the cruiser ride-ons. If you’re baby gets bored pushing and pulling, he or she can just hop on and cruise around Flintstones style pushing with their legs, helping to strengthen their legs as they push along.
Stand Up Tables
Stand up tables are the starter toys to encourage a baby to stand up on their own in order to play. The flashy and colorful play panels, buttons and other attractive doo-dads are located just above where a baby must stand to reach. The key is to get them hooked on their play panel while they are still crawling, which is why most stand up tables have the legs detached at first, to be installed at a later time so they can play with it before they are old enough to stand up.
Push & Pull Walking Toys
These are designed to motivate your baby to want to pull or push a toy after they have mastered standing up and balancing themselves. For example, a pretend pet walking toy that a toddler can “take on a walk” by pulling a rope string is a great way to engage your toddler’s imagination to move about.
Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Around The Town Learning Table
One of the most popular and best selling stand up toys ever is the Laugh & Learn Around Town Learning Table. Full of activities, buttons and animal friends to play with (and find, through peek-a-boo panels & doors). All these fun things to tinker around with all around the table encourages your baby to stand up to play with them while they shimmy around the table to strengthen those legs.
The table also comes with over 120 songs and phrases! Which seasoned mommas’ will tell you, is way better than a toy that has only 5 melodies or sayings, which will drive you insane through all day repeating of the same melodies or sayings. At least Fisher-Price gives a wide variety to help keep you sane!
Bright Starts Having a Ball Get Rollin’ Activity Table
Pressing buttons is one thing. The fun of dropping a ball down a ramp slide and discovering the magic of gravity is another!
This activity table has tons of stuff to keep your baby busy (and standing.) Over 60 songs , a friggin’ ball ramp, a cool Toucan piano, a friendly Hippo who makes silly sounds when you open and close its mouth, and a book that toggles from play mode to learning mode.
iPlay, iLearn 3 in 1 Baby Walker Sit to Stand Toy
This sit-to-stand toy is designed to first help with standing, then with walking.. then with sketching!
This activity toy pulls out all the tricks to enchant and engage your child! The “game center” comes with all sorts of stimulating games, buttons, sounds and music. More fun is to be had when they figure out they can draw and scribble on a magnetic doodle board, fostering that artistic ability!
VTech® Magic Star Learning Table
The Magic Star Learning Table has six fun activities for your baby’s enjoyment, in either English or Spanish.
When your baby turns the steering wheel, the little bear will drive around the center in circles • Cool interactive book plays nursery rhymes and a Star button plays music and sounds • Pretend phone lets your baby imitate momma and poppa, making phone calls to animal friends.
VTech Grow Along Music Center
The Grow Along Music Center by VTech is a toy that will grow as your baby does. With tons of cool musical features, you can get your baby hooked on this while they are in their “sitting phase” and then when it comes time to practice standing you can raise it up so your baby must practice standing if they want to play. What does the Vtech Music Center offer? Some of the coolest features are the voice-changing microphone that will warp your babies voice to 4 fun effects, over 75 songs, melodies, sounds and phrases and light-up keys that flash along with your child’s singing. If you want to train your baby to one day become a famous singer/musician while they learn to stand up, this is the toy for you!
Baby Einstein Discovering Music Activity Table
This stand up toy is a great choice, with musical melodies, instrument sounds and colorful eye candy to keep your baby occupied.
Other than the wide variety of musical sounds to stimulate your baby’s mind, the Baby Einstein Activity Table also counts in English, Spanish AND French.
This stand up toy has more auditory sounds and melodies than most activity tables of the same sort. Suitable for children 6 to 36 months.
From Sit-to-Stand to Push & Pull!
After your baby gets accustomed to standing for long periods, the next step is to practice walking with the help of a toy to hold on to and push along. Once their balance is up to par, they can start pulling some toys around (list of pull toys down below).
Here are some of the more awesome push toys…
Chomp and Clack Alligator Wooden Push Toy
This adorable baby walker will have everybody around giggling as the alligators chomp and clack as your baby pushes it along! The walker is wooden and has a cheerful design with fish on the wheels, a spinning butterfly and ladybug beads.
Fisher-Price Brilliant Basics Musical Activity Walker
If your baby responds to music they will love this activity walker! As you push along the walker plays music and sounds. Your music loving baby will be motivated to walk around in order to hear the pretty sounds.
There’s plenty of other stuff to keep your baby busy too. Hands-on activities include piano keys to press, guitar toggle to flip, turning tambourine dial, bat-and-spin maraca, and saxophone to press for real horn sounds.
Spinning Carousel Wooden Pull Toy
One of the funnest pull toys for babies! As you pull the carousel spins, encouraging your baby to keep going to continue the fun! It also acts a play puzzle because the pieces are removable and can be re-arranged with 7 different colorful pieces.
The only thing that is disappointing about this pull toy is that it doesn’t make sound when you pull… to me, it seems like a spinning carousel needs some music!
Wooden Zebra Pet Pull Toy
Choosing animal pull toy pet can be tough, when you figure out what you choose will be your baby’s life long friend (until they grow out of it of course..) so your decision is crucial. Will your baby want to befriend a Zebra?
Most people choose a pull toy doggie, as baby’s enjoy mimicking adults, and you don’t often see a parent walking a Zebra down the street. Fortunately, baby’s really don’t care and will probably think a Zebra is a way better pet. Anyways, this is pull toy brings in lots of positive reviews online. Something about a Zebra that is hard not to like.
Camp Acorn Bunny Pull Toy
Yes, a cute little bunny in a tiny log cart. Could this be your baby’s newest best friend companion? For some reason, I think if I was a child, I would name this bunny Saint Charles — Saint Charles the Bunny.
The tiny bunny comes out of the log so your baby can play and carry around Saint Charles. When bunny is in mood to ride his tiny log cart, your little one can just place bunny inside and start pulling him around!
Give your little one some toys and games that encourage healthy activity. Plus this will help boost your baby’s confidence, inspire motivation through play, and help break through the barriers of those first intimidating wobbly steps.
Wang, PT, DPT on ways to safely encourage walking early as possible.
More Awesome Toys to Encourage Your Baby to Stand & Practice Walking!
Bright Starts Around We Go 3-in-1 Activity Center Zippity Zoo
This is great for parents with two growing toddlers Bright, colorful in full of worldly wonders like dolphins, penguins and lions.
Safe for ages 6 months and up to 25 lbs or 30 inches tall, this play station converts from a self-contained walker to toddler activity table Baby can explore all the toy stations from the comfort of one seat—it rotates 360 degrees as they walk around the play table. Giggles galore! 15+ activities to keep baby entertained.. Piano station has 3 play modes; use the flip book to activate melodies, silly sounds, and piano. Learn action/reaction with the bead chaser, popping characters, and spinner.
Wooden Block Set Walker
This is an alternative wagon type walker which is designed out of wood. Besides the quaint traditional touch that a wooden walker provides, it makes a great option for those of you sick of plastic! Seriously, what is it something like 90% of toys and baby products are made out of plastic?? It’s getting old. What happened to those old-fashioned wooden toys? Keep it traditional and use this cool wooden walker wagon complete with colorful wooden blocks for your child to play with.
Bright Starts Roaming Safari Walk-A-Bout Walker
This Walk-a-bout walker lets your baby roam about it Safari fashion. This walker makes it easy for your baby to explore the room, and once your baby falls in love with the idea of walking around from point a to b, when you remove the walker they will feel motivated to do it on their own. Babies will enjoy time in their walker with a fun safari play theme. With jungle animals about and baby can activate fun safari sounds by spinning the wheel. The walker is adjustable to fit with your baby’s height.
Little Tikes EasyScore Basketball Set
Once your toddler masters standing up & walking on their own, you can further build their gross motor skills along with their hand to eye coordination with this fun toddler basketball hoop. This basketball set can be used for years on, as you can adjust the settings, and is the perfect way to keep your child healthy and active. The hoop adjusts to six different heights ranging from 2 to 4 Feet.
Hape – Walk-A-Long Puppy
Babies love to mimic grown ups. After watching you, or the neighbors, walking a cute puppy around, there is no doubt your baby will want to join in on the fun. Use it as an opportunity to foster some coordination, balance and walking skills! Your baby will be delighted to have their own special friend they can pull around.
Tips on Encouraging Your Baby Tike to Walk
Toys like these are not only great fun for babies, but equally funny for mom and dad who get to watch their baby as they learn to stand and walk while they play with their favorite toys (don’t forget the camera!)
Here are 5 Games to Get Your Baby Walking via Mom365.com
And learn more ways to Encourage Baby’s First Steps Read this post by North Shore Pediatric Therapy by Judy
When is the time babies start walking? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) around 9 months of age is around the time most babies will start trying to stand on their own.
However, each and every baby has their own special time when they decide it is their time to walk these streets. It could be 9 months, 10 months, 13 months — who knows?
Some adventurous babies will get on those little legs as soon as possible, to explore the house and wreck havoc wherever possible… eventually causing you to regret your decision to teach your child how to walk.
(( Why is there peanut butter in the DVD player?! WHY. ))
Other babies will enjoy the crawl life for as long as possible.. submitting to the lazy couch potato life… unless you give a little incentive to get up on those two leggys’, like something fun!
There are various type of toys that help your baby learn to walk and stand.
Some are designed to push along, others to pull as you walk, and ones that are stationary and encourage your baby to pull up with their arms in order to stand so that they can reach and play with the toy.
You can encourage your baby to practice standing & walking with stand up toys that foster motivation and confidence while making it fun and playful.
DIY Stand Up Toys Using Walls
Here are some pretty cool ideas to create your own stand up toy using a wall panel, and endless options for spare part tinkering!! The only limit is your imagination. But Be Careful with small objects that may come loose! Choking hazard. Check out these awesome wall panel ideas that encourage your baby to stand up.
Wall panel slider! Irresistible for babies!
Look at all those interesting sensory textures and play things.
This would keep any baby engaged and standing!
Cool stand up toy idea , a truck shaped wall panel to hold toy cars, and a ramp you must stand up for to release toy car!
Manly trinkets for manly baby play. However, this looks like just training to me for when they develop the ability to walk and explore. Do you really want a “George Clooney, Oceans Eleven” toddler mastermind roaming about the house? If so, you better have some grade-A baby proofing measures..
Entice your baby to stand with the alluring and exciting thrill of dropping a ball through a tube!
View more busy boards that help motivate to stand!