This rattle has the best design. The "double helix" style connectors between the two balls are perfect for little hands to grasp. My son, who is now six months old, loves this rattle more than all others. When he was a newborn, just learning to fix his gaze on objects, he enjoyed following this rattle as I shook it in front of him. It was the first object that he could grasp firmly, and now he loves to pick it up, drop it, exchange it between hands, teethe on it, and -- of course - shake it himself.

As far as concerns over it being hard plastic, well -- hard plastic is just that -- hard. Know your kids and what they are and are not ready for. My son likes to shake all of his toys vigorously at this point, and while occasionally he'll bop himself in the face, he has never sustained any injury from doing so (if anything, he has an expression of surprise for a moment or two before resuming play). Moreover, I find this particular rattle to be safe as it has rounded edges and is fairly small, so he has a better command of it than some of his other toys, too. Also, it's very easy to wash clean with dish soap and warm water -- a bonus for parents.