There's a comment thread on Music Thing full of suggestions for synthesizers that are appropriate for a 1-year-old girl. And by "appropriate" they don't mean "pink"; electronic music is not just for girls, you know. No, they mean "Tough knobs that can withstand tugging and teeth, built in speakers since cords are for yanking and chewing, an arpeggiator and/or rhythm generator so she can get her groove on."
There are already over a dozen recommendations, but my favorite comment is this: "Casio VL-Tone from when I was around 2, and it lasted until I was 8-9 despite being bashed around a lot. That and a tape of Kraftwerk given to me when I was 6 sorted me out."
Recommend a synth for a 13 month-old girl [musicthing.co.uk via dt reader adam]
Good to know someone else wants to give their baby more musical options than a frog piano and rubber-stringed ukelele...
I have a Yamaha PSR-6300 that my dad bought for my sister and me about 17 years ago... the thing is not only a still very cool looking black coated aluminum case with built in speakers, but I think it's tough enough to withstand my daughter's smash-and-decimate piano technique. The only worry is that she'll drop the flip-up lid on herself; I'm trying to think of a way to lock in the up position.
(Now, if I could old find the lost A/C cord! Some electronics shop offered to convert it to a PC-style power connector... I may have to go that route.)
Buckette's favorite toy is a tiny 10-year-old Casio that we bought as a cheap tuner. It has 10 built-in songs and only plays two keys at once, which makes it pretty useless as an actual instrument, but she loves it -- it plays a little tune when it's been idle a bit, which brings the distracted child back for more.