Hello,

First, let me say that I know nothing about playing any music, but certainly enjoy listening.
In particular, know Absolutely nothing about Pianos.

Have a 2-1/2 year old Grandson that seems to enjoy playing around with Pianos.
Hits one note, listens as it decays, fascinated by the reverberations, then tries another.
Talent ? Maybe. But would like to foster his interest in Piano.

So, for an upcoming birthday, thought I would perhaps get him one of those digital synthesized keyboards, or something along the same idea.

Amazed at how many there are.
Besides just the Keyboard models, there are also some mini-sized actual Piano looking
furniture styles. Reading all the Amazon reviews is really confusing, especially since I don't have any background with this.

So, for $ 200 max. (less would be a bit better), what do I want ? Why ?

I see that apparently Yamaha and Casio are big names in this. Others ?
Toys-R-Us, somewhat surprisingly, carries a $ 200 Yamaha (keyboard) model, I saw on a recent visit.

How many keys should/must it have for his age ?

Do any of them have some sort of "gimmick" where they actually play chords, etc., with the appropriate key lighting up ? Is this a good idea for him ?

Some of the reviews on Amazon, all pointed out, how tinny and horrible the sounds were on many of the units. Even for some of the pricier units. I guess some actually strike a tuned metal bar (the really bad sounding ones apparently) while some are electronically synthesized and generated (better ?).

Don't want to turn him totally off on this, so don't want "junk".
But $ 200 is really the max. I can go, particularly, if he does take to it, we'll probably be looking for something much better shortly.

Specific Brand and Model suggestions, appropriate for his age, would be most appreciated.

Thanks, really appreciate the help,
Bob

For that age I wouldn't worry about sound, but I would worry about durability. 2 1/2 years is very young, and you'll want to get more of a piano-shaped toy than invest in a real instrument. I bought one for my nephew at the age of 3, I think we paid $50 or less. I forget make and model, but it was definitely a toy with big, bright buttons.