I think that's it - the jumperoo and the learning to walk thing - that rings a bell. I'll look into an exersaucer - the Evenflo's look pretty good.
We had the Fisher Price Jumperoo and DD loved it! She bounced around in it (went nuts in it! ) from 4 months onwards! She started walking 2 days before her first birthday and hasn't had any dramas at all. Actually, she's always been advanced when it comes to crawling, walking, climbing, squatting, etc. I'd highly recommend a Jumperoo