When Big Sis was born we lived in a small London flat. We had so much baby stuff already that we decided against buying a baby walker as well. Then, when she was six months old a friend offered to lend us hers. We’d cleared a bit of space by then, so we figured, why not?

It turned out to be an absolute Godsend! Big Sis just adored sitting upright, after months of lying helplessly under her baby gym, and would be entertained for hours by the built-in activity centre. When she started on solids we’d put a few rice cake and rusks on the tray. Because she was supported upright, with her hands free, she could easily feed herself. You could see she how much she relished her new-found independence. 

So now, with number two soon to arrive, I knew I wanted to invest in our own walker this time.

I was a tiny bit concerned at first, because I knew that the old-style Baby Walkers had a nasty habit of tipping over, or propelling children towards staircases. But I was reassured to find out that the modern models come equipped with brakes that allow your little one to move about completely safely.

The new Chicco D@nce Baby Walker is like the Rolls Royce of walkers. It was simple to assemble, and I loved the bright, funky colours of the washable fabric seat. More importantly, it had six brakes, or stoppers, on the underside to physically prevent it moving too fast, or rolling down stairs – my biggest concern. 

While many walkers include a built-in activity toy on the tray, the Chicco D@nce includes an entire detachable electronic keyboard. Depending on what mode it is in, your little one can make beautiful music with five different tunes, musical instruments, or wacky sound effects. There’s even a little removable mobile phone! I was also relieved to note that it had several volume settings, and a ‘mute’ function (some days there’s only so much ‘music’ you can listen to, right Mums?)

But I’ve saved the best part until last… the Chicco D@nce also includes a lockable drawer to hold an MP3 player! Big Sis has always loved music, so I can’t wait to see how number two enjoys her own personal, portable disco. Alternatively, if you don’t want to play music, you can always download children’s stories and audio books, and play them instead. Brilliant!!

The Chicco D@nce Baby Walker is suitable for childen aged 6 to 12 months, and is available in three different designs; Sea Dreams, Baby Sketching, and Starlette. RRP: £59.99 www.chicco.com

• The Chicco D@nce Baby Walker was provided for the purpose of this review.