I bought this rocking horse for my nephew (he lives with me) for christmas shortly after he turned 1. He is now 3 and a half, and he still rides it EVERY DAY! It was small enough for him to easily use when he was just 1, and now he is practically on his knees when he rides it, but he still rides it. (He looks so funny, like a grown-up trying to ride a tricycle, all knees and elbows...) He sticks his fingers in its mouth while it is "singing" and it is gentle enough to not hurt his little fingers. The rockers are rather slick, so he actually does travel around the room a bit (on carpet, I don't allow him to ride it on hard surfaces). He has hit himself in the face while rocking countless times, without hurting himself, and in 2.5 years he has fallen off maybe 5 times, also without hurting himself because it sits so low. Now that he is older and rowdier, he occasionally flips it over backwards, but it is soft and lightweight enough that it doesn't hurt him. It is also extremely durable. There are no cracks or dents, and one small tear in the seam over its jaw (from the doggie collar and leash I found him dragging the poor thing around by one day) was easily mended with a needle and thread. When the song gets to be too much, just secretly pop the batteries out, it will only slow the kid down for a few seconds. This is SOOO the best money I ever spent!!!