This is a quick guide to buying a child’s flute:

1)    Make sure the child is large enough to actually play the flute.

Flute and trombone take the longest arms, and there is nothing a teacher can do to make a small child's arms longer.
If your child is not big enough to play a regular flute with a straight head joint, you need to buy a flute with a curved head joint. You can buy a regular-sized flute with two head joints, one curved and one straight. If you are starting a REALLY small beginner, there is also the option of a "child's flute." This instrument eliminates the trill keys and the foot joint to make the flute lighter and easier to play. Without the foot joint, the range only goes to low D.

2)    Buy a closed-hole flute.

It is too hard for a child to concentrate on playing AND getting small fingers to cover open holes. (Open hole and
French keys means the same thing – the kind you don’t want.)

3)    Buy a flute with an offset G key. This makes it much easier for short fingers to reach the G key.

 4)    Buy a C foot flute.

This is not critical, but a C foot is lighter than a B foot, and you really don’t play low B much. Some people like the
sound of a C foot better, and many pros have both for their flute and play the C whenever they don’t need low B.

5)    Do not be afraid of buying instruments made in China! The truth is that the majority of student instruments are now made in China, and higher end instruments are being produced there in greater numbers every year. Here’s a fact to ponder – all Steinway pianos are now made in China.

6)    Don’t buy an expensive flute for a child – beginner instruments exist for a very good reason. 

You don’t feel bad when an inexpensive flute gets a little banged up or gets left in the band room at school.
Your beginner flute is very nice to have later to use in marching band, so your several thousand dollar silver flute
can stay inside, out of the weather.

You can read more about buying a flute (for all levels) in this article: How to Buy a Flute