Get the best instrument you can afford when starting your child on piano lessons. A well-functioning, weighted, and touch-responsive instrument is of paramount importance for the success of learning to play the piano. It is best to not sacrifice just because the student is a young beginner. The keyboard should be weighted and touch-responsive and the sound should be in-tune and pleasing to the ear. Do not go the route of acquiring that “free piano on the internet” or a relative’s old piano, as most likely it will lack the musical quality necessary for success. If you go with a digital piano, make sure that it has an 88-note weighted and touch-sensitive keyboard.