When our first daughter was coming up to nine months old, she showed signs of wanting to pull herself up and try to walk, so we invested in this 'Walkaround Exerciser' from Mothercare.
We were looking for a 'baby walker' really, but chose this one because it was more like an activity table, ... Read review
Advantages: You know where they are at all times! Disadvantages: Some babies may not like it.
...can be obtained from your Mothercare store.
Check screws regularly, as these may become loose and become dangerous for your child.
This table is recommended for babies that can sit up unaided, but cannot walk unaided.
Do not leave your child unattended in the seat at any time.
As a general note:-
Both of our children have had a lot of fun and use from this toy. Also ... ...and their children have too enjoyed it immensely.
The toy feels very solid and well made. It has never been broken, but has had a huge amount of use/punishment!!! Be wary though, it is a large piece of plastic to try to store! Make sure you have room for it, as it will probably be left out and used daily!
I would recommend it to anyone considering such a purchase. Also worth a look if you'd not really thought about ... more
When our first daughter was coming up to nine months old, she showed signs of wanting to pull herself up and try to walk, so we invested in this 'Walkaround Exerciser' from Mothercare.
We were looking for a 'baby walker' really, but chose this one because it was more like an activity table, and would probably last her a lot longer. Even when she was too big to fit in the seat in the middle of the table, she could still play with the various activities on the top.
She absolutely loved it from day one. The table itself has a central rotating seat that they sit in and can swivel around to reach the toys on the table top. It also has two lockable wheels, and one rotating heavy weighted leg - thus allowing the table, when wheels unlocked, to be rotated around without moving all around the room, it just pivoted around the weighted leg and allowed her to walk in circles, either backwards or forwards.
The table also has three height adjustment levels so it grows with your child. This is adjusted on each of the three legs (by means of a catch that you pull out, lift the table top up and put the catch back in to the next slot up. Don't forget to raise all legs by the same height, otherwise child could grow up crooked!
Recommendations are that this table is not used when the child reaches more than 85cm, or 33 inches in height. Also too, they recommend stopping using the walker when the child is able to walk unaided. I tend to still use it as an activity table, as it is stable enough for them to use to pull themselves upright and walk around it holding on, they just shouldn't be placed in the seat perhaps. You can remove the seat and just have a hole in the middle. My 18 month old crawls underneath and stands in the middle and loves it!
When the child is in the seat, and their feet touch the floor, when flat, it is about right for them to be able to push the walker around. Bear in mind though, if your carpet has a particularly deep pile, they may find it hard to push it as the wheels get 'buried'!
The different activities on the table include:-
A 'flower toy' - Basically a plastic flower on a bendy stalk, that goes round and around!
A 'steering wheel' - With a beeping horn! Goes round and around too, this is their favourite! Also has two spinning balls either side, when spun, look like they change colour.
A 'piano crocodile' - A crocodile looking thing with multicoloured piano key teeth. The keys light up and play tunes when you press them.
A 'snake activity bar' - A bar that contains 5/6 bead-like toys threaded on it, that you can push along the bar and spin around. Also at either end of the bar are two 'clicky' sounding cog wheels that click when you turn them.
A 'mirror' (self-adhesive shiny foil style!) - Good for checking one's hairdo occasionally.
A 'star' - When pressed plays a tune, and when pressed again plays another tune. This includes about two dozen different tunes to play.
A 'play tray' - Useful for those snacks, raisins etc.!!
Assembly is fairly easy, manual very straight forward. It arrives in several parts. The bottom ring (containing two wheels and heavy weighted part), three height-adjustable legs that slot into the three holes in the bottom ring, and again in the underside of the table top part. The seat then clips into the central hole in the table top. A few of the activity toys need attaching to the table top, namely the 'snake activity bar' (just clicks into place) and 'steering wheel' and 'flower toys' (that need a screw inserting in their undersides to keep the flower toy and steering wheels attached to the table, a Philips screwdriver would be required).
Underneath the table top, there are several battery compartments (again a Philips screwdriver required). The toys that play tunes will occasionally need new batteries, although in all fairness, we've never needed to change ours, and we're on child no.2, having lent the table to others also, it's had a lot of use! Good batteries!!!
Regarding keeping it clean, because it's all made of chunky plastic this therefore makes it very easy to keep clean. A squirt of washing up liquid and sponge over when necessary is all it requires. The central seat is easily removed for cleaning too, by turning the table upside down, and unclipping the clips. The seat then comes away. The seating fabric is washable, and a general sponge down with washing up liquid is all it really needs. This can obviously be done with the seat in-situ, or the seat cover removed, it is just held on to the plastic seat frame by an elasticated hem.
You can also lock the central seat in place, by means of a small locking lever on the back of the seat. Not sure what reason you would have for doing so! I've never used this, because I could never figure out why you would need to? Answers on a postcard please?!
Other information regarding the table, and recommendations stipulated in Mothercare's manual are:-
Recommended maximum time for the child to use the walker is 30 minutes. 'It is not a training aid, and excessive use may impair your child's walking development'.
The walker is for indoor use only, and should not be used near stairs.
Replacement parts and toys can be obtained from your Mothercare store.
Check screws regularly, as these may become loose and become dangerous for your child.
This table is recommended for babies that can sit up unaided, but cannot walk unaided.
Do not leave your child unattended in the seat at any time.
As a general note:-
Both of our children have had a lot of fun and use from this toy. Also too, as previously mentioned, I have lent it to others and their children have too enjoyed it immensely.
The toy feels very solid and well made. It has never been broken, but has had a huge amount of use/punishment!!! Be wary though, it is a large piece of plastic to try to store! Make sure you have room for it, as it will probably be left out and used daily!
I would recommend it to anyone considering such a purchase. Also worth a look if you'd not really thought about purchasing a toy like this. We paid £60 for it, five years ago, and I've just checked on their website (www.mothercare.com) and they do still sell it and it's still £60! It does seem like a lot of money, but it lasts a lifetime and is very saleable when you've finished with it! Got one for sale if you want it?!!!
