Can anyone advise on an unkeyed d flute for my daughter. Is polymer a good make or should we go for a wooden flute.
Thanks
It depends on what you are looking for in a flute.
Does your daughter already play flute? How old is she?
You’ll find a lot of debate about polymer on the board, and it seems to come down to personal preference. I play an M&E polymer out at ren faire, and I’ve played the Seery, and I really like both of them.
As far as the age, the reason I asked is that if she is very young, her hands may be too small to make the reach on the finger holes.
Casey Burns (I believe) makes a small hands model that he designed for his daughter, details are available on his website - Wooden Flute Catalog: D Flutes ). I have never played a Burns, but I’m sure some of the other members of the board have.
Additionally, if it’s not something you’re sure she will want to do 6 months down the road, the expense may be prohibitive.
One alternative might be an anonymous type german blackwood antique flute. You can get them relatively inexpensively.
Aodhan
Edited because I can’t remember that it is Burns, not Sweet that makes the small hands… 
The maker is much more important than the material. There are lots of folks making polymer flutes that are just as good as their wooden ones. 
THat said, polymer flutes are wonderful for youngsters because they require no real care or maintenance.
Doc
That’s what I was going to say. The material won’t matter much, but a polymer flute would a far more child-proof. Though on the other hand, the responsibility of taking care of a high-maintenance flute might be good for her too. YMMV.
I agree that polymer makes for a fine flute. You may want to consider a smaller flute, if playing in sessions is not an immediate need. She may have an easier time learning on a smaller flute, such as one in F or G.
Also, as the ecstatic new owner of an ergonomic Casey Burns (wooden) flute, I can attest that they’re a lot easier (for me) to handle than other flutes I have played. And the PVC Tipple, with its offset fingerholes, is very “hand-friendly”. Doug Tipple makes these in all keys, and they’re very inexpensive considering the quality.
I hope you find a flute that suits her well!
Resale may be something to consider in this case. I don’t have any numbers, but would the resale loss be all that much different between a Tony Dixon flute compared to a Desi Seery or a Michael Cronnolly flute?
Another concern may be wait time.
Des Seery makes a small hole flute that fits in children’s hands quite well. Also, if you get one and it is to big for her, you can send it back and get a full refund minus the postage fee. So your risk isn’t that much at all. Delrin flutes are great for kids for multiple reasons. One of which is the fact that the flute is very stable in that regardless of the humidity or the temp. with in reason, the flute will sound the same so your daughter will have a solid base line to go by while learning. Less variables the better for her and the faster she can learn. Having a flute that requires little maintenance is just another plus. If she forgets which she will at some point to clean it out or oil it, she is not in any danger of damaging the flute. There are a few places in the States to order a Seery flute as well as ordering one direct from Seery Woodwinds. Hope this helped.
Take Care…