This is one of three drums I purchased April 29th of this year to work with our son on some targeted music therapy and habilitation imitation goals. The other two were more traditional hand drums. This one I purchased because I thought it would be most useful for imitation type activities, because I knew the handle would make this one easier for him to hold and keep upright independently.<br /><br />So, day one: He wouldn't touch it. Looked too different from any of his other drums. Day two, he was willing to bang it as part of imitation exercises in conjunction with his hab program. By day three, he was trying to eat the foam ball on top of the mallet. So, the foam ball actually is very easily damaged by teeth, which is nothing unexpected given the substance. It does produce a good enough sound tone for a toy drum, surprisingly good actually. So if you have a chewer, the mallet is one you will have to watch carefully. For now, we are sticking with hand strikes on this one.<br /><br />So when it comes to hand striking this drum, you have to use knuckles and nock to get it to produce a good sound. A flat hand the sound is quite muted unless you strike with finger tips alone. So this is something you can use however you need to if you have a child that is sensitive to sound.<br /><br />So this hasn't seen super heavy use, but we have been using it every day, some for some neurological music therapy exercises targeting his vestibular, and some targeting imitation goals. About two days ago, I noticed the label covering the handle peeling. So there seem to be two labels on the handle. Since the first one was peeling off, and my son's fine motor has progressed enough he can pull of labels and tape if they are starting that way, I peeled it off so he wouldn't try to eat it when I had my back turned. And the designs on the handle are in place via another label, one that is easily squished and moved by my fingers. So I covered it with packing tape. This is a cosmetic issue, as it seems that the handle is a solid plastic tube, so I wasn't as concerned about it for me. But I pass this along in case this is something that bothers you or you would be worried about if you were giving a gift.<br /><br />Now this is the drum he prefers over the hand drums, though I have been using all three with him, I think because of the handle and it being easier to hold. So I find it useful, it seems solidly made, and both my children like it.
Rating: [5 of 5 Stars!]