My 7 year old is really interrested in the whistle, even to the exclusion of her Disney Princess rec*rder. My Feadog doesn’t work very well for even me, and she’s trying so hard to get a good sound out of it, so I want to get her a whistle or two for Christmas. What are good whistles for kids? I’m thinking of getting her a Meg, Acorn, or Waltons. Thought?
How about a Susato? 
Really–and I hate to say this–in this case, a Sweetone is probably the way to go. I hate the little bastards, but they’re lovely for kids. Just make sure that, once she gets pretty good, you upgrade her to something decent.
That’s what Sweetones were invented for.
Will the Sweetone be easier to get a decent sound out of? I’ll probably get me one of whatever I get her so we can play at about the same volume together. My Susato would probably overwhelm anything I get for her.
Yes.
The sweetones are extremely easy to play. Their tone is very soft compared to that of a Feadog. I’d agree that they are good for a child, or any beginner for that matter, but that it will not necessarily help to develop good playing skills once she is more advanced because it is such an easy player. I started out on Clarkes and did great with them for a while but when I tried to play other whistles I had issues with sounding them properly due to lazy breathing techniques learned on the Sweetone. The positive thing about them is that they are easy to get results on in a short period of time so it is encouraging to the new player. I probably would’ve progressed much further in my early whistling days if I had gotten off of the Clarkes sooner. Get her started though! I would’ve given anything to start when I was seven!
Go with the Sweetone. It’s decently responsive for a cheapy, so your daughter shouldn’t have trouble switching to a more demanding whistle. (I see a Susato on the far horizon… 
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One more thought. I don’t have any experiance with Jerry Freeman’s tweaked whistles, but you might think about them. I have heard a lot of good things about them, and they aren’t that expensive. I’m sure some of Jerry’s fans around here would be more than happy to give you some imput. Best of luck to you and your daughter.
I have two daughters, ages six and seven. Several months back when placing a whistle order, I picked up a Meg for each of them.
The seven-year-old likes hers and takes it out a couple of times a week to play. She just noodles around with a few tunes she’s picked out. But, it’s worked well for her and it seems pretty easy for her to play. In playing both the Meg and the Sweetone (I have one), they seem about the same to me.
I’ve got a Sweetone, Feadog, Generation, and an Oak, and the Sweetone/Meg is the easiest to play. The tone may go against the “traditional” grain for some, but it sounds OK to me, is in tune (and tuneable), and is an easy player.
My six-year-old just hasn’t gotten into the whistle.
My seven-year-old wants me to teach her the intro to “As I Roved Out” (the Christy Moore version), which I’ve also seen called “The Trooper and the Maid”. 
Jason
I’m going for the Sweetone. Blue for her and green for me. However, I feel guilty placing an online order for such a small amount of money, how are the Dixon’s?
Dixons are very easy to play in both octaves and have a nice, lively sound. This makes playing them a lot of fun.
In all of the Dixon’s I’ve tried, the 2nd octave has been a bit sharp. This shouldn’t be a consideration for your kid, but in a band setting can be murder. That said, when I’m travelling out by myself, I often take my Dixon with the brass tuning slide with me, as it’s in all other ways a great little instrument.
I have three small troll princesses at home (4, 6 and 7y) that occasionally goes through my whistle bag.
Troll attack!
My experience is that even though it is hard to play tunes in the beginning they want to be able to make some noise and get different notes. It is far easier for them to cover the holes on an Eb or F whistle than one in D. And if they only get squeaks out of it they’ll pick up something else in a few minutes.
There is also a health issue. I would definitely get a small Susato as it is less of a hazard in the hands of a youngster, no sharp edges. You can’t expect them to always sit still while they play and to see them run around with the wrong end of a Gen or Sweetone in their mouth will get your heart rate up for sure 
I even glued a piece of rubber hose to the end of a few Gen Eb’s that they have lying around the house.
/MarcusR
Tommy’s “Irvine Tweak” Walton D whistles are very easy to play. These whistles have a nice tone which is on the quiet side (another advantage when kids are playing them) They’re a little quiet for sessions. I bought a small bunch of them to distribute to some nephews and nieces last summer and intend to send another order in soon - my grandson is almost 3. I’m the whistle pusher in my family.
I have one of his Bb Gens and a C Feadog (I think) that are very nice to play.
Here’s a link to an eBay listing:
What a fantastic picture!!!
My vote is for Sweetone but the Susato is safe and bombproof.
Why not get some of Jerry’s tweaked Sweetones? Then you’ve got the easy-play of the Sweetone and you can be sure that you that it will sound nice. He also tweaks Generation and Shaw whistles and builds a “Franken-whistle” called a MellowDog out of a Feadog fipple and a Walton body which has a great sound - you might consider getting one for yourself.
For small hands and for safety, why not a Susato high G? (Don’t forget the earplugs for everyone in the household!)
I’d vote for a Dixon non-tuneable polymer. In fact, I just gave one to my 7 yr old on Sunday afternoon. I let her try a Meg and a Sweetone and the Dixon. She and I both liked the Dixon better. Easier for her and easier on me.
YMMV
6 and 7 would be fine for a D or Eb. 4 might want a F yeah.
Aw, it was so cute, the little 4 year old wnted to paly my whistle, but to cover the holes he had to use a piper’s grip on my hihg D.
That’s how all of the Megs and Sweetones I’ve tried are. The second octave is about 40 cents sharper than the corresponding notes of the first.
I’m very much with MarcusR on this one - The megs and Sweetones are realy great so long as the right end is in the mouth - mostly cos they’re the bluntest cheapie, however the reverse end is still a worry - at least the tin tube is softer than a brass one. Yep - I’d go with the Susato - 7 year old should be able to cope with a high D - perhapse insert a blob of PVA glue on the sound ramp to cut a few decibels - it can be removed without too much diffuculty later when the time’s right.