Best Toys for New Walkers of 2021

New walkers love to charge ahead, of course, but they also like to take things along for the ride. This pull along wooden elephant is the perfect pal. The wooden wheels glide smoothly across almost any surface, and the string is just the right length for little hands to hold and tug. This pull toy encourages walking, of course, as well as balance and fine motor skills.

With almost 20,000 glowing Amazon reviews and counting, there’s a lot to love about the VTech Sit-to-Stand Walker. From music and sounds to numbers, letters and shapes, there’s a lot going on here—don’t file this one under ‘quiet time toys’—but we’ve yet to meet a toddler who wasn’t entranced by it all. The activity panel pops off for floor play and reattaches when it’s time for your little one to take a stroll.

A doll stroller is a great way for your little one to practice walking while also engaging in pretend play. This umbrella-style stroller looks just like the real thing. It features a canopy, seat belt and storage basket and holds dolls up to about 18 inches. It also folds for easy storage.

Toddlers love to make music. This vintage xylophone toy has a string on the mallet so your little one can pull it wherever the band is headed. (It’s also great for preventing the mallet from getting lost.) It will help your little one along with hand-eye coordination, balance, and walking and of course musical development.

This heirloom-quality walker wagon is a bit of a splurge but worth every penny. Made from woods like birch, maple, pine and oak, each one is handcrafted in California and perfectly suited for new walkers. The wagon features open storage for blocks, toys or anything else your little one wants to take along on their next adventure, and the sturdy construction and rubber traction wheels make for a safe journey.

There are lots of toy lawn mowers to choose from, but this is one of our all-time favorites as it looks just like the real thing. The engine sounds and lights will keep your toddler coming back again and again for pretend play. They’ll love “helping” out with outdoor chores while practicing their walking too.

There’s no walking needed here, but something just as fun—sliding! Your toddler will love to explore their newly found mobility by climbing up and sliding down this slide again and again. (And again and again.) Good for indoor or outdoor use, it’s the perfect beginner slide. It folds down for easy, compact storage when playtime is over.

This cool bike with a funny name offers a new take on the classic toddler ride-on toy. It can be used inside or out and features an ergonomic parent push handle with three adjustable height settings and a foot rest to prevent your little one’s feet from dragging. When your toddler is ready to roll on their own, the handle pops off for independent riding.

If only you loved to vacuum as much as your toddler does. This true-to-life mini Dyson is exactly like the real thing right down to the working suction function. (There’s even a tiny dust collection bin for your little one to empty!) Pushing and pulling the vacuum will help your new walker work on balance as well as fine and gross motor skills. And maybe your playroom will look a teeny, tiny bit cleaner.

When they’re done with the vacuuming, send your newly mobile toddler to the grocery store with their own pint-sized shopping cart. This one is a little pricier than some other carts around, but we think it’s well worth it thanks to the sturdy steel-frame construction and easy-to-maneuver caster wheels. There’s also a wood-framed chalkboard up front and a fold-down seat. This cart is perfect for pairing with a play kitchen or simply to use on its own for all sorts of pretend play.